Managing e-waste: Making cash from electronic trash

Electronic waste (or e-waste) refers to waste arising from end-of-life electrical and electronic appliances (EEA) such as computers and mobile phones. The total value of all the raw material present in e-waste generated in India in 2016 has been estimated to be about Rs 2 lakh crore. So, whose responsibility is to manage e-waste in our country? It’s not central, state or local governments, but producers of electronics who are responsible for environmentally-sound management of e-waste under Indian e-waste rules, introduced in 2012.

E-waste is one of the fastest growing streams of waste in India and the world, and is a complex combination of several precious metals (gold, silver, etc), toxic metals (lead, barium), rare earth metals (lanthanum, cerium), ferrous and non-ferrous metals (copper, steel), plastics and wood. This complex composition of e-waste, its sheer economic value, the growing consumption of EEA, and the resulting growing volumes of e-waste and the potential health and environmental hazards due to its improper management were key drivers to introduce the 2012 rules. The rules, based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR), were revised in 2016 and contained several new provisions. Producers of EEA were now required to collect a certain percentage of their EEA sold in India. The collection target, 10% now, increases gradually and is set at 70% from 2023 onwards. The revised rules also contain a penalty provision for non-compliance and suggest a number of options for producers to pursue in order to meet the collection targets.

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