Managing electronic waste poses enormous challenges for manufacturers, consumers and recycling companies.
As components of electronic products such as computers, televisions, electric lamps, cell phones, and batteries contain material hazardous to health and environment, governments have been grappling with putting in place rules and regulations based on best practices.
Under the country's E-Waste Management and Handling Rules 2011, consumers and producers of electronic goods were entrusted the responsibility to ensure proper disposal.
The new E-Waste Management Rules 2016 announced last week by the Union Environment and Forests Ministry nudges producers/manufacturers to set up a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO).
Refurbishing for re-use, recycling in a scientific manner and tackling hazardous materials requires expertise, hence stringent norms and advocating the need to carve out organisations to handle and manage end of cycle electronic items seems to be the right direction, say E-waste experts.
The rules now include CFL and other mercury containing lamps, with the Union Minister Prakash Javadekar expanding the mandate to manufacturer, dealer, refurbisher and producers under the Extended Producer Responsibility.
“Setting up a PRO should indeed be a priority as it would enable the achievement of the objectives of the law at the least economic burden to the producers. However, the PRO was explicitly mentioned even in the Rules released four years ago. It remains to be seen whether the clear enunciation of recycling targets in the new Rules of 2016 will incentivise the producers to join hands to form a PRO,” says Ashish Chaturvedi, specialist in environment policy and Senior Fellow at Adelphi, a German think tank.
On the industry front a few companies have been navigating the green policy and trying to put in place better practices.
Attero Recycling is one of them. “Attero has developed technologies for management of E-waste. The company has several patents to its credit,” says Rohan Gupta, its Chief Operating Officer.
In partnership with International Finance Corporation, the company has launched the Clean e-India initiative where e-waste is collected from consumers for recycling. Its online mobile take back platform Atterobay encourages recycling.
In a large country e-waste management is a fragmented, unorganised business. Most small firms use crude methods to tackle metals such as copper and lead in their efforts to recycle. “What is needed is a number of recycling units closer to IT hubs and other locations, which can handle electronic waste,” says Gupta.
Rahul Chowdhury, CEO & Co-Founder of Reboot Systems, one of the largest refurbishers of electronic products, says, “The E-waste industry in the country has been in operation for close to three decades… The activities happened under zero guidelines until last three years.”
The current laws define what is to be done but had little incentive for the organised sector as the economies and paperwork makes it impossible to fight the unorganised. The current draft proposal is the first serious attempt towards establishing and encouraging proper handling of electronic waste,” he says.
Chowdhury feels the new norms have managed to define clear responsibilities from producers and bulk consumer perspective and also incentivised end users through the deposit refund scheme.
Given the new norms, IT biggies, corporate entities and Original Equipment Manufacturers require holistic e-waste management solutions. “Basically producers are responsible for all products. They need to collect from consumers and handle them with care.
There is need to set stiff targets for collection. For instance, in Europe it is as high as 65 per cent. In India it would be good to start with 5 per cent,” says Gupta.