E-waste and Its Management

What is E-waste?

Electronic waste or E-waste is rejected or discarded electronic devices or things. E-waste is a term used for electronic devices or things which are near to the end of their shelf – life. Electronic devices or equipment which are used and then planned for reuse, resale, disposal, or recycling are also known as E-waste.

*Shelf- life of a product means how long it can be stored at a shop or home before it gets too old to sell or use.

E-waste in India

Students should know about E-waste as India is a major and the fifth largest E-waste producing country in the world. 

E-waste covers a wide variety of ranges, from a phone to a fridge to a laptop to a washing machine.

Some examples of E-waste are:

• Large appliances: Refrigerators, washing machines, Air conditioner, microwave, etc.

• Small appliances: Iron, watches, hairdryers, toasters, etc.

• IT telecommunications: computers, laptops, printers, phones, television, remote control, Fax machines, etc.

• Lighting equipment: Fluorescent lamps, LEDs, etc

Electronic junk like CPUs contain substances such as beryllium, lead, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants that are harmful to human health. Recycling or disposal of such materials should be done with care. Due to such materials, the health of workers and communities in developing countries are at potential risk. Recycling operations must be done with the responsibility to prevent hazardous exposure. A lot of care must be taken to prevent the leaking of such harmful substances from incinerator ashes and landfills.

E-waste Management Rules in India

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has announced new E-waste Management Rules in 2016 which replaced the old Rules of E-waste Management and Handling of 2011

What’s new in E-waste Management Rules 2016?

• The range of Rules is extended to the components, consumable spares and parts of Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

• Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and other mercury-containing lamps come under the domain of Rules.

• In the E-waste Management Rules for the first time, the producers are brought under the region of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) together with the specific targets.

• Additional stakeholders included are manufacturers, dealers, refurbishers, and Producer Responsibility Organizations.

• Producers are held responsible for the E-waste collection as well as for the exchange of E-waste.

India’s Ministry of Environment has announced some rules targeting the wide variety of groups like hotels, railways stations, ports, colonies, bulk producers of consumer goods, and pilgrimage places. The rules are to ensure that the solid waste produced by these facilities must be treated and recycled properly.

 In these rules that are notified, the key points are :

• Local bodies with a population of one lakh or above are supposed to establish proper solid waste management and processing facilities within two years.

• Small town with the population less than one lakh should set-up solid waste management and processing units in the given three years.

• Old and discarded dump yards should be shut down or bio-remedied within the five years.

• The rules of solid waste management should be amended after 16 years.

• Waste management the duty of the municipal corporation and they have the right to charge the fees for collecting waste and impose fines on people for littering the place and non – segregation of solid waste.

• A transition period of two to five years will be given to a place after which there would be fine to charge as per the country’s Environmental Minister.

Central Pollution Control Board

It is a statutory organization that was established in September 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. It was authorized by the power and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. 

Functions of CPCB are :

• To encourage the cleanliness of water bodies like lakes, ponds and wells in different areas of the states through prevention, control, and reduction of water pollution

• To improve the quality of air through prevention, control, and reduction in air pollution in the country.

It also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forest regarding the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Report of CPCB:

• According to this report, the municipal authorities have established 553 compost and vermicomposting plants, 56 bio-methanation plants, 22 refused derive fuel plants, and 12 waste to energy plants until 2013-14.

• By 2031, municipal solid waste will India to 165 million tonnes and willl require 1240 hectares of land for disposal if it is unprocessed 

In India, approximately 62 millions of tonnes of waste is generated each year, From which only 11.9 million tonnes are treated properly and about half 31 million tonnes in dumped in landfills sites.

Web-based Application for Integrated Waste Management System

The application was launched in May 2016 by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. The purpose of launching this application was to ensure better management of the waste. The application can also track the movement of hazardous waste and will help in the proper management of waste.

Highlights:

• Out of 43000 , 30000 industries dealing with the hazardous waste could be mapped through this application.

• The application helped in the increasing the transparency working of the Ministry of the Central or State and other administrative bodies.

• It helped in the implementation of the concept of a paperless or green application.

The goal of the application:

• People of any state can easily apply and get online permission for the import-export of the specific categories of waste, which is for reuse, recycle, recovery, or processing of wathe site, which will eventually help in the conservation of the primary resources. 

• Work-related to the web-based processing, generation, and grant of various permission and certifications to the industries and entrepreneurs will be made easier through the application.

• The app provides the means of online application and also supports documents or annexure

• The app will keep a track of how many number of authorization or certificates are granted to an industry or entrepreneurs under the consent to establish, consent to operate

• Applicants can check the status of the application submitted by them and keep a track of their applications.

• The app generates the database of the different waste produced,i.e, hazardous, electronic, solid, plastic waste, etc.

• It generates the database of the industrial units which produces waste under many categories.

India’s First E-waste Clinic

Soon, India's first E-waste Clinic will be set-up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. It will segregate, process, and dispose of waste from household and commercial units.

Highlights:

• A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Bhopal Municipal Corporation.

• The E-waste Clinic is a pilot project for three months. If it will be successful then more clinics like this will be set-up throughout the country.

• E-waste will either be collected from door to door or can be deposited by the individual directly at the clinic

• CPCB will provide technical support to the clinic and the collected hazardous waste will then sent to the Bengaluru for recycling.

• The clinic is assumed to be in agreement with the solid waste management rules, 2016.

This clinic is a great step towards the management of waste. As there is no such kind of proper E-waste management facilities. The electronic waste is discarded with the other household waste. Thus, the management system needed such kind of clinic to segregate E-waste and hence process and then dispose of the waste.