Workshop Report. Roadmap for Sound Management of E-waste. Supported by

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1 Workshop Report Roadmap for Sound Management of E-waste in Assam On 22 nd November2014 Supported by

2 Workshop Background The E-waste (Management & Handling) rules that came into force in 2012were an important step forward towards effective e-waste management in the country. But even after 2 years, since the rules have come into effect, there is little change on ground. There have been very few initiatives by stakeholders to implement these rules and set up a clean e-waste channel. Guwahati is one of those regions where there has been very little action on the issue of e-waste. It is not only domestic usage but huge inflow of imported, sometimes, substandard, electronics that mauls north eastern India. With little awareness and large usage of electronics, this toxic waste issue has the potential to damage the fragile environment of this region. At present, there is hardly any recycling infrastructure in north eastern states to handle any kind of e-waste. With this objective, Toxics Link in partnership with Pollution Control Board Assam (PCBA) organized a day long workshop on Roadmap for Sound Management of E-waste. The workshop triggered a dialogue on the issue, provided a platform to all the stakeholders to share their concerns and discussed way forward addressing few of these concerns. Inaugural Session Mr. M. M. Bora, Senior Environment Engineer, Pollution Control Board Assam, welcomed all the participants and briefed them about the main objective behind organizing the workshop on e-waste. He stressed on the importance of educating the people on the hazardous nature of e-waste and taking appropriate steps and action to mitigate the problem in the state of Assam. Ms. Priti Mahesh, Chief Programme Coordinator, Toxics Link, talked abouttoxics Link s experience and expertise on waste and chemical issues especially its work on e-waste. She shared that the idea behind the workshop is to work towards Swacch Assam which can only be achieved through overall waste management and e-waste is one of the most critical one. The beautiful and fragile environment of Assam can be harmed by toxic E-waste and hence, urgent actions need to be taken to prevent that. E-waste contains lots of hazardous substances like lead, mercury etc. which not only endangers human health but also neighboring biodiversity. She concluded by saying that each and every individual has a role to play when it comes to Swacch Assam and the effort should be towards making our society environmentally sustainable for both present and future generations. Dr. R. M. Dubey, Chairman, Pollution Control Board Assam, expressed his gratitude to Toxics Link for organizing such workshop in Assam as very little has been done with respect to e-waste in the state. He said that even after two years of E-waste rules, there is hardly any action taken by them to work towards its management. He emphasized that efforts are required from all stakeholders producers, regulators, bulk consumers etc. for effective e-waste management. Toxic e-waste may have very serious repercussions in future as their impact might not be immediate. Hence, it is of 1

3 foremost importance for the PCBA to take all possible actions in whatever capacity they have to set up authentic system to manage this waste. He also admitted that the state has no infrastructure to deal with such high quantities of e-waste. Recently, state government has provided land to set up an integrated waste management facility in the state which might address some of the concerns. He inaugurated the workshop by thanking all the participants for attending the workshop and specially appreciating Toxics Link for its effort in conducting the workshop in Guwahati. Technical Session I The first technical session had four presentations. The speakers helped the participants get a clear picture on e-waste scenario, current status, regulations and international best practices. Dr. Shantanu Dutta, Senior Environment Engineer, Central Pollution Control Board, Shillong E-waste Rules and Guideline Dr. Dutta, in his presentation, explained the E-waste rules in great details, elaborating on e-waste definition and its various chapters. He said that e-waste should be handled in a way that it has minimum impact on environment and human health. He specifically talked about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and explained responsibilities of all stakeholders. Dr. Dutta also talked about Reduction in the Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and role of CPCB in monitoring producers on this parameter. He briefly touched upon various schedules and forms in the rules. He also mentioned about the reporting format by various stakeholders. He stressed on the fact that reporting is important to keep a track on the e-waste flow and quantity generated and to avoid recycling in informal ways. Elaborating further, he talked about the main responsibilities of CPCB which were coordination with SPCBs, preparation of guidelines, conducting assessment of e-waste generation and processing through compilation of data submitted by SPCBs and recommendation of standards for processing units. Speaking about the responsibility, he elaborated on the role of SPCBs: Inventorization of e-waste generation in the state Issuing authorization to producers, collection centres, recycling units etc. Monitoring the compliance of the rules He also touched upon responsibilities of urban local bodies focusing on rag pickers and how waste was currently flowing into the informal setup. The main objective of the regulation is to channelize the e-waste into the formal sector where it is recycled in a scientific manner. 2

4 He briefly talked about the e-waste quantities in each state as per the reports submitted by the SPCBs. For example, in 2013, e-waste generation in Assam was 14 metric tonne (MT) etc. He also shared few success stories of Assam where bulk consumers have taken good initiatives to deal with the e-waste generated in their premises. Mr. M. M. Bora, Senior Environment Engineer, PCBA Initiatives by PCBA He started his talk by saying that there is a huge lack of understanding on the rules between all the stakeholders including the SPCBs because of which the regulatory body has not being able to collect authentic data from producers and bulk consumers. He added that this workshop will not only aware the people but also help in bridging the communication gap between stakeholders. Mr. Bora said that due to no authentic e-waste generation figures in the state, even the dismantling/recycling units are not keen in opening processing units. He stressed on the fact that until and unless a realistic figure of e-waste is accounted for, no proper solution for e-waste management can be worked out. Coming onto the initiatives taken by PCBA, he said that they have initiated the inventorization process and have given authorization to 4 collection agencies in the state. According to him, there are two things that can drive individual consumers to be a part of the system: Incentivizing the collection process Awareness generation among the people about the hazardous nature of e-waste. He also mentioned that till now 6 producers have filed returns to PCBA Panasonic, KDR Media Pvt. Ltd., KDR in air conditioning and Refrigerants, Voltas, Intex, iball with total amount of e-waste accounting to 56 MT. Among the bulk consumers IOCL Digboi and Bongaigaon, HPCL Cacher, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. etc. have filled returns which are up to 16 MT. Ms. Ankita Jena, Senior Programme Officer, Toxics Link Time to Reboot Ms. Jena briefed the participants about the concerns around E-waste, explaining the graveness of the e-waste issue. In her presentation, Ankita touched upon the problems related to e-waste toxic contents, informal recycling practices in various parts of the country, loss of resources and the concerns of dumping from developed countries. In a huge country like India, there are plethora of rules and regulations but implementation is very poor. With e-waste rules in place, very few changes have seen on ground till date. She focused on the current status of implementation of the rules and how the entire system has dismally failed. 3

5 In her presentation, she mentioned about a study done by Toxics Link where they assessed 50 brands on EPR. There were various criteria based on which the brands where evaluated and the result was shocking. Only 7 brands came under the green band which meant they were performing good, 11 brands in blue band meaning there performing was fair, 15 brands were in yellow band performing not so good and 17 brands were in red band performing bad. In a geographically large country like India, it was unimaginable to see that only 4 producers had more than 100 collection points. Majority (31 brands) has not established a single collection point in the entire country which has a population of more than 1 billion. Elaborating on the study, Ms. Jena said that the study not only evaluated the producers but also the State Pollution Control Boards/Committees as they are accountable for implementation of the rules. Under the Right to Information Action, queries were sent to all the SPCBs/PCCs and it was found that most SPCBs have not indicated any mechanism for monitoring these facilities. She said that the entire e-waste management system has failed due to poor implementation of EPR, lack of monitoring, no incentive for consumers etc. She concluded by saying that it is time to reboot the systems and improve the compliance level. This can be done through the following ways: Introduction of National Registry Mandatory Targets for collection for the producers Strict measures against Producers not fulfilling EPR Training of SPCBs so as to bring them at same level of understanding Recycling standards and audits Dr. Rachna Arora, Senior Technical Advisor, GIZ E-waste Management - International Best Practices She started her presentation by saying that there are no international best practices when it comes to e-waste management. Had it been there, there would not have been any import issues. But the systems in place in European countries are far more developed even if not best. Speaking on best practices, she first talked about Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive that came in The reason why the Indian e-waste system is failing is because of lack of clarity on who bears the cost of running the system. Whereas in EU, it is clearly defined that consumers have to pay a visible fee while purchasing any electronic gadget, which would be used to finance the recycling process. Secondly, awareness about e-waste is quite high among the consumers whereas it is completely opposite in India. In her presentation, she said that EU legislation was a broad framework and each EU member states transposed it into different laws as per the country s requirement. She elaborated on the best practices by talking about the system in place in Germany. As per the rules, the three key players in German e-waste management system are: Public Waste Management Authorities (PuWaMa, Public) 4

6 Producers (Private) The Clearing House EAR (Neutral body) The consumers deposits or give e-waste to PuWaMa free of cost, which is then handed over to Producers also free of cost. From the producers, all the e-waste goes to the End of Life Service Provider for recovery or recycling. The clearing house is set up and financed by the producers and is known to be neutral. It is responsible for overall coordination, setting targets for producers etc. There are separate targets for recovery and recycling for producers. For example, recycling target for large households is 75% and recovery is 80%. Continuing with best practices, she also explained the system followed in Sweden. They have a system called Elretur which is a corporation between local authorities and El-Kretsen. El-Kresten is a producer membership based organization that manages nationwide collection and recycling of WEEE. The working of Elretur is as follows: The local authorities manage and fund manned collection points, such as recycling centers, where the households may leave the WEEE without charge. El-Kretsen manages and funds transports of the WEEE to pretreatment and recycling in accordance with the prevailing laws. The system is Switzerland is quite different from both Germany and Sweden. They have two Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) SWICO and S.E.N.S which have been effectively managing collection and recycling of e-waste in Switzerland. The two most important features of e-waste system in Switzerland are Secured financing of the collection and recycling by way of the Advance Recycling Fee (ARF) charged on all new appliances System is comprehensive scope and nationwide accepted with thousands of collection points across the country. She concluded by saying that India has an e-waste regulation which needs more strict implementation and monitoring mechanism. Strong collection systems have to be established integrating the informal sector, she added. Q and A Session SPCBs are performing their responsibility as per the rules, it the producers who have been shying away from their responsibility. Rachna Arora: The major problem among the authorities is lack of capacity and understanding on the rules. As a part of their responsibility, they should be sending notices to the producers in their respective state and making sure EPR is being implemented. This is clearly not being done currently. Priti Mahesh: As per the rules, SPCBs have the right to penalize the producers who are either not registering or setting up systems for collection in their state. 5

7 What are the ways to ensure transparency in the e-waste collection and recycling process as most bulk consumers are clueless about what has to be done? Priti Mahesh: It is responsibility of the SPCB to put up list of registered e-waste collection/dismantling/recycling units on their website with their details which then could be accessed by anyone. M. M. Bora: He added that bulk consumers can also directly contact PCB to gather information on the same. Till they find any appropriate recycler, bulk consumers should ensure same storage of e-waste in their premises. There is a complete lack of awareness among the general public on the issue of e-waste and what can be done to improve it Rachna Arora: Various organizations are working towards mass awareness through workshops, seminars and school awareness campaigns. But the major awareness generation is mandate of the producers who have done very little on this front. Priti Mahesh: She talked about school awareness programmes in Assam and other mediums through which organizations like Toxics Link and GIZ has tried mass awareness. But due to limitation on resources, the focus has been more towards pushing the producers to do more awareness programmes which could reach to millions instead of handful. Why can t SPCBs make arrangement for storage of e-waste on behalf of bulk consumers? Priti Mahesh: It is the responsibility of the bulk consumers to store the e-waste generated in its premises. In case the generation is too high, they can directly tie up with a recycler for pick at regular intervals. Technical Session II This session mainly focused on the bulk consumer perspective and awareness tools. Mr. D. K. Goswami, General Manager, Oil India Limited Challenges faced by Bulk Consumers In this talk, he expressed his gratitude and said that the workshop has been a learning experience for him. Heading the Environment and Safety Division, he said that though nothing substantial has been done by OIL, yet they have initiated the process. Mr. Goswami told the audience that they have already completed the e-waste inventorization which is coming to be approx. 40 MT as current stock of this 6

8 toxic waste. Since last two years they have been trying to locate authorized e-waste recycler but to their disappointment only one recycler has expressed interest till now. OIL is in the process of finalizing a contract with a recycler and hence would be the first bulk consumer in the region to do so. He also gave few suggestions which are as follows: Buy back policy by producers List of recyclers in the website of PCBA Mass awareness programmes should be conducted regularly Control on the activities of the informal sector Ms. Priti Mahesh, Chief Programme Coordinator, Toxics Link Green Purchasing and Disposal Policy She started by saying that if the efforts are made at individual levels in an organization then it might not be sustainable hence, it is important to institutionalize the initiatives so that it becomes a mandatory part of the organization. Policy on green purchasing and disposal can be one such effort. Elaborating on importance of e-waste recycling, she said that the world is full of multiple crisis and one of the major crisis, human race is facing today is scarcity of natural resources. With population explosion and over exploitation of resources, the situation is becoming worse. E-waste is not only a waste issue but contains lots of rare and precious metals. If not recycled properly then we will soon run out of these resources. She stressed on the fact that for a sustainable future, growth has to be based on resource efficiency. To ensure green growth, organizations have to look in to the procurement which is sustainable and environment friendly. The greener the product, the lesser is its impact on environment and health. Though green products have higher initial investment but in long run it is more economical. Talking about green purchasing, she highlighted on various benefits such social, economic and environmental. Different elements can be used for green purchasing like products that are locally made, durable, reusable, have less packaging etc. Green purchasing policy will also ensure that organization will buy products from only those producers which have takeback policy. She also briefly touched upon processes of green purchasing which along with usual criteria should also include environmental parameters. She explained the criteria through a small questionnaire prepared by her. 7

9 In her presentation, along with green purchasing, she also focused on disposal policy. Ideal disposal policy should have the following hierarchy: Refuse Reduce Reuse Recycle Talking about proper recycling, she focused on parameters, on which a recycler can be selected such as authorization status, steps followed for e-waste recycling, approved technology, downstream vendor management etc. Her concluding remarks were that every organization should plan a policy, act upon it and continuously check and improve it as per the requirements. Mr. Amitabh Mahanta, Manager, Samsung Initiatives by Producers Mr. Mahanta shared very briefly the takeback mechanism followed by Samsung. In case, Samsung product is not working, then the consumers can register a complaint with the service centre. The service centre person will repair the product if possible, otherwise collect it from the consumer and send it back to the warehouse located locally. From the warehouse, third party recycler collects the material for recycling. He also added that in case a consumer wants a pickup of waste from the house, he/she has to bear the transportation cost. On the other hand, the consumer can drop the e-waste free of cost at any local Samsung service centre. Mr. Mayank Kapoor, Greenscape Eco Management Pvt. Ltd. E-Waste Management and Sustainability He started with a brief introduction about the company, along with infrastructure details. It has a total capacity of MT with 2 plants in Alwar, 1 in Bangalore and 1 collection centre in Delhi. Greenscape provides one stop solution to its clients starting from data security/recovery/destruction, handling bonded equipment to recycling. He also discussed about logistic arrangements and processes of data destruction and recycling. He talked about various certifications that Greenscape has such as R2, ISO, OHSAS etc. He then briefly explained the entire process starting from collection to pre-processing to final disposal. Ms. Ankita Jena, Senior Programme Officer, Toxics Link Using Campaign for Effective E-waste Management She started her presentation stating that proper strategies need to be developed to bring 8

10 about a change and the best way to do so is to include campaign in the entire process. An effective campaign means using minimum efforts to achieve maximum impact. Campaigns can be an effective way in case of e-waste because the issue is new and complex and not much is known about it. She elaborated on the same by saying that e-waste is being generated by everyone; be it be people from different economic background or age group. Hence, campaigns can be very effective in this scenario as it can be customized and designed as the target group. Campaigns are dynamic and more engaging for people and have an element of instant call for action. She then talked about few famous and successful campaigns such as Nerolac VOC free paints, mobile recycling by Nokia, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan etc. Connecting to this, she added that campaigns can be built locally as well. Talking about her experiences from Toxics Link, she said that campaigns (social and print media, awareness campaigns etc.) have played a very big role in Toxics Link s achievements such as: E-waste rules in the country Producers initiating change and coming up with takeback infrastructure School awareness programmes in around 2200 schools across 25 cities in 17 states in India etc. Talking about importance of campaign, she said that different stakeholders can design their own campaign as per their requirements and needs. For example: Regulators Bulk Consumers CSOs Use media to highlight the problem Issue public notices Information material Employee awareness program Policy for green purchase Petitions to push producers Organize collection drive Organize collection drive Reports and media engagement Awareness programmes Q and A Session Does Greenscape collect waste then is it chargeable Mayank Kapoor: Yes, collection is done from both. But in case of individual consumers if the quantity is too less, then transportation cost is charged. Does Greenscape collect all e-waste listed in the rules? from both bulk consumer and individual consumer? If yes, 9

11 Mayank Kapoor: Yes, as they provide one stop solution to customers, so that is why they collect all kinds of e-waste. Is Greenscape into refurbishment business? Mayank Kapoor: Refurbishment facility is only provided to bulk consumers who would like them to do it and then give the material to a charitable organization. Conclusion Priti Mahesh concluded the day by wishing that the workshop could bring new perspective and clarity on e-waste issue. She hoped that some of the participants would go back and initiate some steps towards e-waste management. There have been various means discussed in the workshop and if atleast one initiative could be started then also the workshop would be a success. Workshop Presentation can be downloaded from 10