The Hindu - Karnataka 19.08.2009
E-waste may fall on manufacturer’s lap
Deepa Kurup
| Centre to look at proposed draft rules on e-waste management |
Recycling of e-waste to be regulated better
Most companies do not have e-waste system
— A FILE PHOTO: Mohammed Yousuf 
TRASHED: Technicians dismantle discarded electronic devices.
BANGALORE: Manufacturers of electronic and electrical equipment in India may soon find that managing e-waste or implementing “take-back initiatives” is more than a voluntary token of corporate social responsibility.
If the draft rules on environmentally sound e-waste management — submitted recently to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests last week — are adopted as legislation, then manufacturing firms will be held accountable for the product till the end of its life cycle.
With Individual Producer Responsibility at its core, this will put in place an effective mechanism to regulate generation, collection and environmentally sound recycling of e-waste. Significantly, it lays down guidelines to restrict the use of hazardous substances by ensuring manufacturers’ compliance with the European Union directive (2003) on restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS).
The proposed legislation, to be enforced under the Environment (Protection) Act, is unique as it has the “dual blessings of industry and civil society”, as Vinnie Mehta, Director of Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology, puts it. The draft is a result of year-long consultations coordinated by industry body MAIT and green organisations GTZ, Toxic Links and Greenpeace. This, if accepted, will be a first standalone policy on e-waste.
By including all stakeholders – producers, retailers and even bulk consumers – the policy is critical. Given that 3.8 lakh tonnes of e-waste was generated in India in 2007 — estimated to touch 4.7 lakh tonnes by 2011— according to a MAIT-GTZ report, this policy is critical. Further, the study said 94 per cent of the companies did not have e-waste programme. To ramp up accountability, it is proposed that products should be tagged with numbers or codes for tracking the product in the e-waste management system.
Producers will “transparently” finance and manage the e-waste generated through a consortium of producers and stakeholders.
This consortium would be responsible for production waste, organise collection of used equipment, designate dealers and recyclers, and create awareness about hazardous constituents.
All firms will submit annual reports on sales and e-waste collection, and dealers, collection centres and bulk consumers will report to the State Pollution Control Boards.
The MAIT-GTZ report pointed out that 96 per cent of the e-waste was recycled in the informal sector. It estimated that about 50,000 tonnes was illegally imported every year. The draft policy stated that no import of used electrical/electronic equipment would be allowed for recycling or disposal.
Toxic metals
E-waste, per se, was not hazardous. It might contain hazardous elements, which when dismantled and processed, might be hazardous to the health of those who handled it — often children — and the environment. Enforcing the RoHS directive on use of materials was critical as it nipped the problem in the bud. As it stood, the assembly-oriented industry was largely RoHS-compliant because of the global nature of the market (most countries have enforced this), said Mr. Mehta.
However, the component industry — making resistors and capacitors — continues to use metals such as lead, chromium and mercury.
In March 2008, MoEF released “voluntary” guidelines for e-waste management and the Hazardous Waste Management Handling Rules (1998) was amended to include e-waste. “But this is not legally binding and given the magnitude of the problem, a law was crucial. It can change the whole scenario, and then we can take this forward to other sectors too,” says Abhishek Pratap, campaigner for Greenpeace.
