India has introduced a new e-waste rule that makes environmentally sound management and disposal of electronic waste mandatory. The E-waste (Management and Handling) Rule, 2011 places responsibility on the producers for the entire lifecycle of a product, from design to disposal. Apart from Extended Producer Responsibility principle, the rule is a significant step towards international standards of Restriction of Hazardous substances in electronics.
The rules were notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests om May 30. The rule will be implemented throughout the country from May 1, 2012.
Greenpeace, which has been at the forefront on this issue and has been campaigning for a binding law to make producers financially liable for the management of e-waste, welcomed the move. Abhishek Pratap, Senior Campaigner with Greenpeace India, said, “This is not just a victory for the environment but business, as it creates a level-playing field. The rule ensures a transition from the current out-of-sight out-of-mind approach to proper recycling of e-wastes and in the process accelerating the commercial introduction of green electronic products in the market.”
Greenpeace has reasons to welcome the move. The said rule is largely based on the recommendations of a collaborative effort between Greenpeace, MAIT, GIZ and Toxicslink, with support from major electronic companies in India. These recommendations were submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2009.
However, not everything is good about the rule. Last year, the Ministry had notified the draft E-waste (Management and Handling) Rule 2010 which included provision for ban on import of second hand electronic equipment for charity and reuse purpose. Electronic equipment imported in the country for charity and reuse purpose largely found its immediate destination in informal recycling yard. However, this strong clause has been removed from the final rule.
Pratap said, “The rule fails to provide safeguards to ensure the ban of import and export of electronic wastes. There is also scope for further improvement by making every producer financially liable for the e-wastes generated by their products, based on its toxicity. To accelerate the introduction of greener products, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and all form of brominated flame retardants (BFR) should be included as banned substances.”
