Lok Sabha Question No. 365 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-01
Subject: Management of e-Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: MEENAKASHI LEKHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 365

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.12.2015

## Management of e-Waste

## 365. SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether domestic e-waste including products of everyday use such as computers, television sets, mobile phones, etc., contain large amount of toxic elements which contaminate the soil and ground water;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including the amount of electronic waste generated in the country over the last five years;
- (c) the  policy/rules  formulated  for  the  safe  disposal  of  industrial  and  domestic electronic waste in the country;
- (d) whether a large number of industrial units and public enterprises are reportedly violating  the  rules  governing  e-waste  management  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof along with the monitoring mechanism put in place in this regard and the action taken against the erring industries; and
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  effective  e-waste  management  in  the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) & (b) Toxic constituents such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated  biphenyls  and  Polybrominated  diphenyl  ethers  are  used  in the  manufacturing  of  electronic  devices.  Disposal  of  e-waste  from  such electronic devices, without processing it in an environmentally sound manner, may  affect  the  human  health  and  environment  including  soil  and  ground water. As per the survey carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board during the year 2005, 1,46,800 MT of e-waste was generated in the country.
- (c) The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified e-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011. These Rules have

come  in  to  force  from  1 st May  2012  and  are  applicable  to  the  e-waste, generated from IT and telecommunication equipment and consumer electrical and  electronic  items.  These  Rules  apply  to  producer,  consumer,  collection centre, dismantler and recycler of e-waste. The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility has been enshrined in these Rules as per which the producers shall  be  responsible  for  environmentally  sound  management  of  e-waste generated from their end of life equipment.

To ensure better implementation of management of electronic waste, Ministry has published draft e-Waste Management Rules, 2015. The provisions of this Draft Rule include expanding producers' responsibility, setting up of Producers'  Responsibility  Organizations,  and  e-waste  Exchange,  assigning specific  responsibility  to  bulk  consumers  of  electronic  products  for  safe disposal, providing for economic incentives for collection of electronic waste, and  other  measures  to  include  dedicated  responsibility  of  electronic  and electrical product manufacturers for collection and channelizing of electronic waste. Simultaneously, the Ministry has also published draft Hazardous and Other Waste (Management and Transboudary Movement) Rules, 2015 with an  aim  to  simplify  and  decentralize  the  import  procedures  of  the  specified wastes. Under the proposed Rules the user industries intending to import the specified industrial inputs will not be required to take separate authorization rather the Consents to Operate granted by State Pollution Control Boards will be sufficient authority. The proposal is to decentralize the import approval at SPCB  level  on  the  basis  of  approved  standard  operating  procedure  by  the Ministry. The proposed amendment prohibits the import of household wastes, solid  plastic  waste,  waste  electronic  assembly  scraps  and  tyres  and  direct reuse.

- (d) As  per  Rule  14  and  Schedule  III  of  e-waste  (Management  and  Handling) Rules,  2011  monitoring  of  compliance  of  authorization  and  registration conditions falls under  the purview  of  State Pollution  Control  Boards/ Pollution  Control  Committee.  No  large  scale  violation  of  these  Rules  by industrial units and public enterprises has been reported to the Ministry.
- (e) In  order  to  facilitate  e-waste  management  in  the  country,  this  Ministry  is implementing the scheme, 'Creation of Management Structure for Hazardous Substances' under which financial assistance is provided for awareness and capacity building activities relating to e-waste management and for setting up of integrated recycling  facility for e-waste.  In addition, guidelines  for implementation of e-waste rules, 2011 have been formulated.

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