International E-Waste Day: Circular economy is key; mass participation will ensure proper waste management

E-waste management has become a part of many national-level initiatives developed by the Indian government, such as Digital India, Swachh Bharat Mission and Smart Cities Mission. The success of these initiatives is also dependent on public awareness of proper e-waste management. However, this subject receives little attention. Yet, policymakers are concerned about the proper processing and management of e-waste that will be generated in the coming years.

India’s e-waste production has increased nearly 2.5 times in six years

According to the recent Global E-waste Monitor Report 2020, India’s e-waste production has increased nearly 2.5 times to 3.23 million metric tonnes in just six years.

The problem has gained global attention, and as a result, every year on 14 October, the International E-Waste Day (IEWD) is observed to raise awareness of proper e-waste disposal and to promote reuse, recovery, and recycling rates.

E-waste Day attracted 172 organisations from 78 countries in 2021, and it is anticipated that many more participants will join this year. The primary focus of International E-waste Day this year is on the Small Electrical Devices that we no longer use but store in cabinets and drawers or frequently throw in the regular trash.

Menace of small e-waste

The challenge of small, obsolete electrical and electronic appliances is extensive. Due to their diminutive size, products like cell phones, electric toothbrushes, toasters, and cameras are frequently thrown away improperly. As a result, they account for a sizable portion of the 8% of all e-waste that is thrown in waste bins and is subsequently landfilled or incinerated. As a result, they cannot be extracted and lose the valuable raw materials they contain.

According to UN estimates, over 22 million tonnes of small e-waste was produced globally in 2019. This amounts to 40% of the 57 million tonnes of electronic waste generated worldwide. By 2030, there will be 29 million tonnes of this small item waste if it continues to grow at the same rate as all other e-waste (roughly 3% per year).

Global initiatives

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling (WEEE) Forum, a global organisation of e-waste collection schemes, created the day in 2018 with the help of its members. The WEEE Forum is an international association representing 46% Producer Responsibility Organisations (PRO’s) across the globe.

A European idea known as Producer Responsibility Organisations (PRO) transfers the producer’s management of the waste to the PRO. A PRO manages the end-to-end operations related to waste management to increase competence, cost-effectiveness, and awareness. In order to ensure environmentally sound management of e-waste, PRO is defined as a professional organisation that has been authorised or financed jointly or separately by producers.

PRO can assume responsibility for the collection and channelization of e-waste generated from the “end-of-life” of their products. It is because PRO handles collection, transportation, and recycling on behalf of the producers, it plays a critical role.

The idea of PRO is relatively new to the Indian manufacturing industry. According to the latest research, the formal authorisation process for PRO registration began in 2018 in India and the total number of PROs registered by 2021 for e-waste were 51 (Source: CPCB website).

The PRO systems adopted by developed countries (like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, and Scandinavian countries) could be the best systems but that doesn’t mean there are no challenges faced by these countries. All such countries with best waste management and PRO systems are just able to rigorously adhere to the regulations formulated by their judicial system.

Initiatives in India

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has registered 74 PROs and 468 authorised dismantlers as of March 2022, with a total capacity for recycling of about 1.3 million tonnes.

Recently the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released a draft notification on E-Waste (Management) Rules (2022) that eliminates both PROs and dismantlers and transfers more responsibility onto the shoulders of recycling companies (authorised recyclers)—of which India has very few. But the number of e-waste categories has increased from 21 to 95.

To tackle the problem there is an emergent need to strengthen the policy in the first place and then comes the implementation with stringent fines. Mass participation of all stakeholders is equally important in this. Strengthening the role of Urban Local Bodies in e-waste regulations can help tackle the problem at local level and they should be encouraged to frame their bye-laws to deal with the problem at each ward and zone level.

Arvind Mishra is a public policy expert and Dr Harveen Kaur is an environment and sustainability expert

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