Waking up to the challenge of managing hazardous e-waste, the Centre  notified new rules to dismantle and recycle all electrical and electronic waste in the country by expanding its ambit and introducing a clause of penalty for violators.

• The new rule — E-waste Management Rules, 2016 — has, for the first time, brought in its ambit the management of the waste of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and other mercury-containing lamps.
• Under the new rules, it would be the responsibility of the producers/manufacturers to ensure collection of e-waste, as well as its disposal in an environmentally sound manner.
• At present, India generates 1.7 million tonnes of e-waste every year but the country can scientifically recycle only one-fourth of it, leaving the rest of it in hazardous manners that severely pollutes land and water.
• Role of state governments has also been introduced under new rules to ensure safety, health and skill development of the workers involved in dismantling and recycling operations.
• Under the new rules, consumers of electronic/electric items (smart phones, laptops, TV, washing machines, microwave ovens, airconditioners etc) will get incentive for handing over the e-waste to retailers or dealers under a newly introduced “deposit refund scheme”.
• It would be the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that will give the single authorization throughout the country.
• Under the new rules, the dealer, if given the responsibility of collection on behalf of the manufacturers/producers, will need to collect e-waste by providing the consumer a box and channelise it to the producer for sending it to authorised dismantling centres.
• At present, bulk of the e-waste is managed in a very unscientific manner, involving manual handling for breaking and extraction through rudimentary methods of burning and using chemical solution. Once the valuable items are recovered, remaining materials of e-waste is thrown in rivers, drains or disposed off in solid waste dumps.