International E-Waste Day

In a recently released 5th annual International E-Waste Day data, it has been found that hoarding small, unused, dead, or broken plug-in and battery-operated products creates One out of every six products of electronic items, ending to generate e-wastes in the average European household.

What is E-waste?

• E-Waste is short for Electronic-Waste and the term is used to describe old, end-of-life, or discarded electronic appliances. It includes their components, consumables, parts, and spares.
• It is categorized into 21 types under two broad categories:
• Information technology and communication equipment.
• Consumer electrical and electronics.

Key Highlights of the assessment:

• International E-Waste Day is held on October 14 every year as an opportunity to reflect on the impacts of e-waste.
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Recycle it all, no matter how small!’.
• Of 8,775 European households in six countries, the average household contains 74 e-products such as phones, tablets, laptops, electric tools, hair dryers, toasters, and other appliances (excluding lamps).
• The top five hoarded small electronic products were:
  • Small electronics and accessories (e.g., headphones, remotes),
  • small equipment (e.g., clocks, irons),
  • small IT equipment (e.g., hard drives, routers, keyboards, and mice),
  • mobile and smartphones,
  • Small food preparation appliances (e.g., toasters, grills).

Global Scenario:

• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum is an international association of 46 e-waste producer responsibility organizations.
• The forum released the results of surveys conducted to reveal why so many households and businesses fail to bring in for repair or recycling.
• The results were consolidated by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Sustainable Cycles Programme.
• Mobile phones/ smartphones have valuable gold, copper, silver, palladium, and other recyclable components. 

India and E-Waste regulations:

• Laws to manage e-waste have been in place in India since 2011, mandating that only authorized dismantlers and recyclers collect e-waste. E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 was enacted in 2017.
• India’s first e-waste clinic for segregating, processing, and disposal of waste from household and commercial units has been being set-up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. Against this, the e-waste dismantling capacity has not increased from 82 lakh tonnes since 2017-18.
• In 2018, the Ministry of Environment told the tribunal that 95% of e-waste in India is recycled by the informal sector and scrap dealers unscientifically dispose of it by burning or dissolving it in acids.

Government Initiatives for E-waste management:

Initiatives such as 

• Extended Producer Responsibility;
• Design for Environment;
• (3Rs) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle technology platform for linking the market and facilitating the circular economy aim to encourage consumers to correctly dispose of e-waste.

Agencies responsible

• National Green Tribunal (NGT)
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)