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Renewing e-waste
The e-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, notified by the
Ministry of Environment and Forests, have the potential to turn a
growing problem into a development opportunity. With almost a year to go
before the rules take effect, there is enough time to create the
necessary infrastructure for collection, dismantling, and recycling of
electronic waste. The focus must be on sincere and efficient
implementation. Only decisive action can eliminate the scandalous
pollution and health costs associated with India's hazardous waste
recycling industry. If India can achieve a transformation, it will be
creating a whole new employment sector that provides good wages and
working conditions for tens of thousands. The legacy response of the
States to even the basic law on urban waste, the Municipal Solid Wastes
(Management and Handling) Rules, has been one of indifference; many
cities continue to simply burn the garbage or dump it in lakes. With the
emphasis now on segregation of waste at source and recovery of
materials, it should be feasible to implement both sets of rules
efficiently. A welcome feature of the new e-waste rules is the emphasis
on extended producer responsibility. In other words, producers must take
responsibility for the disposal of end-of-life products. For this
provision to work, they must ensure that consumers who sell scrap get
some form of financial incentive.
The e-waste rules, which derive from those pertaining to hazardous
waste, are scheduled to come into force on May 1, 2012. Sound as they
are, the task of scientifically disposing of a few hundred thousand
tonnes of trash electronics annually depends heavily on a system of
oversight by State Pollution Control Boards. Unfortunately, most PCBs
remain unaccountable and often lack the resources for active
enforcement. It must be pointed out that, although agencies handling
e-waste must obtain environmental clearances and be authorised and
registered by the PCBs even under the Hazardous Wastes (Management,
Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008, there has been little
practical impact. Over 95 per cent of electronic waste is collected and
recycled by the informal sector. The way forward is for the PCBs to be
made accountable for enforcement of the e-waste rules, and the levy of
penalties under environmental laws. Clearly, the first order priority is
to create a system that will absorb the 80,000-strong workforce in the
informal sector into the proposed scheme for scientific recycling.
Facilities must be created to upgrade the skills of these workers
through training and their occupational health must be ensured.
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