The Hindu 20.05.2010
E-waste rules ignore unorganised sector
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: By ignoring the unorganised sector that currently handles 90 per cent of India's electronic waste, the Union Government's new draft regulations may not be effective in controlling illegal trade in e-waste.
A study by the Centre for Science and Environment here notes that the draft rules insist e-waste can be handled only by companies registered with the Central Pollution Control Board. Currently, only 13 companies are registered to segregate e-waste and only one is registered to recycle it.
The vast bulk of the work is carried out by the unorganised sector, using rudimentary methods, in hazardous and polluting conditions, mostly in Seelampur and Moradabad.
An undercover investigation by CSE showed that even that single registered company, Attero, is illegally reselling its e-waste to the unorganised sector, and acting merely as a middleman.
“The Government assumes it will be able to regulate the informal sector through its proposed rules, which allows only registered companies to recycle e-waste. Actually, the unorganised sector will continue to be in the business, but will do it illegally,” said Kushal Yadav, who heads CSE's toxins department.
“The informal sector should be involved in collection, segregation, dismantling and refurbishing of e-waste. Recycling should be done only by approved units with pollution control technologies,” said Chandra Bhushan, the head of CSE's industry team.
