Why in news? The Government has taken steps to formalise the e-waste recycling sector of the country, through introduction of E-Waste (Management) Rules 2022.

Highlights:

• The first set of e-waste Rules was notified in 2011 and came into effect in 2012.
• An important component of the Rules (2011) was the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
• Under EPR compliance, ‘producers’ are responsible for the safe disposal of electronic and electric products once the consumer discards them
• E-waste rules 2016, which were amended in 2018, were comprehensive and included provisions to promote ‘authorisation’ and ‘product stewardship’.
• Other categories of stakeholders such ‘Producer Responsibility Organisations’(PRO) were also introduced in these rules.

New  e-waste rules

• E-Waste (Management) Rules 2022 includes the provision of an EPR framework, the foremost requirement being the ‘Registration of Stakeholders’ (manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler).
• A ‘digitalized systems approach’, introduced, standardising the e-waste value chain through a common digital ‘portal’ may ensure transparency and to reduce the frequency of ‘paper trading’ or ‘false trail’.
• All the manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler are required to register on portal developed by CPCB.
• No entity shall carry out any business without registration and also not deal with any unregistered entity.
• Management of solar PV modules /panels/ cells added in new rules.
• The quantity recycled will be computed on the basis of end products, so as to avoid any false claim.
• Provision for generation and transaction of EPR Certificate has been introduced.
• Provisions for environment compensation and verification & audit has been introduced.
• Provision for constitution of Steering Committee to oversee the overall implementation of these rules
• It mandates that every producer of EEE(Electrical and Electronic Equipment)and their components shall ensure that their products do not contain lead, mercury and other hazardous substances beyond the maximum prescribed concentration.
• Two important stages of ‘efficient’ e-waste recycling are ‘component recovery’ (adequate and efficient recoveries of rare earth metals in order to reduce dependence on virgin resources) and ‘residual disposal’ (safe disposal of the leftover ‘residual’ during e-waste recycling).

Issues

• The rules briefly touch upon component recovery and residual disposal, but do not clearly state the requirement for ensuring the ‘recovery tangent’.
• The new notification does away with Producer Responsibility Organization  and dismantlers and vests all the responsibility of recycling with authorised recyclers
• Authorised recyclers will have to collect a quantity of waste, recycle them and generate digital certificates through the portal.
• PROs acted as an intermediary between producers and formal recyclers by bidding for contracts from producers and arranging for ‘certified and authorised’ recycling.
• Fresh challenges might emerge as companies are no longer required to engage with PROs and dismantlers, who partially ensured ‘double verification’ in terms of quantity and quality of recycling.
• The informal sector, plays a crucial role in e-waste handling, draws no recognition in the new rules which could be on account of its ‘illegality’.