Unpacking the New Set of E-Waste Rules
Context:
- The issue of handling e-waste is a multifaceted and ongoing concern in an era of rising urbanisation, digitalization, and population expansion. The first set of e-waste regulations, which were announced in 2011, were put into effect in 2012.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
- The implementation of EPR was a crucial component of the Rules (2011). “Producers” are responsible for making sure that electronic and electric gadgets are disposed of appropriately after being used by consumers in accordance with EPR compliance.
- E-waste guidelines from 2016 were thorough and contained provisions for “product stewardship” and “permission,” which were amended in 2018. Other stakeholder groups, such as “Producer Responsibility Organizations,” were also included in these regulations (PRO).
E-Waste (Management) Regulations for 2022:
- Also, in November 2022, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEFCC) announced new e-waste laws that would go into force on April 1, 2023. These restrictions address several significant issues, but not all of them. The first main chapter of the laws contains an EPR framework, with “Registration of Stakeholders” as the primary requirement (manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler).
- Stakeholder authorization was prioritised in the previous regulations, but there wasn’t enough compliance because to a subpar monitoring mechanism and a lack of transparency. For instance, the majority of “refurbishers” or “repair firms” in Delhi run their operations illegally, according to India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
- Many reputable recyclers, however, only perform operations up until the pre-processing or segregation stage before passing e-waste to the unorganised sector, which is blatantly against the law.
- A “digitalized systems approach” under the new regulations (2022) may now address these issues. The practise of collecting and/or weighing “scrap” while pretending that 100% of it has been collected in order to meet targets is known as “paper trading” or “false trail,” and standardising the e-waste value chain through a shared digital “portal” may ensure transparency and is crucial to reduce its occurrence.
Ignoring the unorganised sector was narrow-minded:
- In “effective” e-waste recycling, component recovery and residue disposal are two essential phases. In order to reduce reliance on virgin resources, component recovery requires accurate and efficient rare earth metal recoveries.
- The rules make brief reference to the two subjects but do not specify what must be done to guarantee the “recovery tangent.” In order to ensure maximum efficiency, the authorities should regularly monitor the quantity of e-waste that was sent for recycling in comparison to the “recovery” at the end. The recyclers’ activity must be recorded in the system.
- The new announcement also abolishes PRO and dismantlers and transfers responsibility for recycling to licenced recyclers. These recyclers will have to collect a predetermined amount of trash, recycle it, and use the website to generate digital certificates.
- This choice seems a little short-sighted and could cause some initial instability, which the unofficial channels might try to take advantage of. PROs acted as a link between official recyclers and manufacturers by bidding for contracts from producers and setting up “certified and authorised” recycling.
Function of the informal sector:
- Because of its “illegality,” the informal sector, which is crucial to treating e-waste, is not acknowledged in the new legislation. Since the informal sector receives 95% of India’s e-waste, it acts as the “face” of the nation’s e-waste disposal. The management of e-waste could therefore develop greatly as a result of them.
- The most problematic step in the hierarchical process of e-waste collection, segregation, and recycling in the informal sector is when the waste is sent to the informal dismantlers/recyclers. The following procedures—collecting mixed garbage, sorting e-waste, and grouping e-waste according to type—do not involve any hazardous techniques and should be utilised wisely to enhance e-waste collection.
- Unofficial aggregators have been used in the data collection process by a Delhi-based PRO called “Karo Sambhav.” This project provides financial and legal security to the unorganised sector, and e-waste is entered into a safe and organised system.
Conclusion:
- To guarantee that the law is implemented effectively, stakeholders must have the skills and desire to properly dispose of e-waste. To increase consumer awareness, boost reverse logistics, build stakeholder capacity, upgrade the current infrastructure, enhance product design, rationalise input control, and build a dependable collection and recycling system on the ground, concurrent and continuing operations are necessary.
