Overview of pan-India initiatives for dealing

with e-waste during 2000 and 2012

STRATEGIES AND • The years 2000 and 2012 are believed to be founding years for building up the
INITIATIVES FOR DEALING discourse and actions for e-waste management in India;
• a game changer in the larger context of growth of electronics industry as one
WITH E-WASTE IN INDIA of the promising engines for economic development in India.
• These years were beginning of enforcement of two international regulations –
Module 4 the Basel Convention across the world, and the WEEE Directive in EU
countries;
• regulating transboundary movements of e-waste, and specific guideline for e-
waste management and introduction of EPR respectively.
• India had amended Hazardous Waste Management Rules in 2003 in light of
the Basel Convention, and later in 2008; and introduced E-waste Management
and Handling Rules, 2011 towards end of 2010.

• The global thinking on e-waste management had begun in late 1990s

on the following issues: • As part of domestic e-waste, large quantity of e-waste is generated by
consumers and manufacturers. The e-waste from manufacturers is generated
• growing quantity of e-waste; in the form of defective printed wiring boards, IC chips, and other
• landfills as well as leaching of toxins to soil and water, and its components, which are discarded in the production process. All types of e-
hazardous impact on environment and human health; waste are being recycled in the country.
• safe disposal/treatment of e-waste as a necessity because of its toxic • The unorganised recycling units as part have been developed organically as
composition; developed countries shipping e-waste to developing a natural branching of the established scrap industry, which has been
market-driven and driven by economic necessity associated with poverty.
countries, sale of ‘grey goods’; and
For these units, main incentive is financial profit, not environmental or
• EPR and waste management. social awareness (Sinha-Ketriwal et al. 2005).
• Materials recovery interest small scale recyclers, and entire communities,
including children, earn their livelihoods by foraging metals, glass, and
plastics from the e-waste.
Getting to know ground reality, knowledge base
created Implementation of the Basel Convention
• The first report on e-waste scenario in Asia (including India) was published • The report stressed upon making;
by the BAN and SVTC (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition) in 2002 with the • Making producer responsible;
contributions of three country representatives3 (Puckett et al. 2002).
• Activating product take-back system;
• This report revealed how the USA and other rich economies that use most
of the world’s e-products, generate most of the e-waste, and exporting the e- • Encouraging design for longevity, upgradability, repair and reuse, and
waste crisis to the developing countries of Asia. for recycling.
• It stressed on unjust, inappropriate export of pollution to a particular region • Thus, most actors of e-waste sector were made aware of Indian ground
(China, India, and Pakistan) simply because it is poorer. reality in the global scenario – e-waste export by rich countries, its
• After showing e-waste impacts – environmental and occupational, and legal hazardous impacts, limitations of Indian laws to deal with e-waste
implications of e-waste export, it drew attention to – how from a legal dumping vis-à-vis the Basel Convention as well as the WEEE
standpoint, the issue has become murky and is dependent on how seriously Directive in European countries and its implementation.
a government intends to deal with the hazards (ibid.: 27)

• The ‘Indo-German-Swiss E-waste Initiative’ was started in 2003–2004 • Two-pronged strategy was adopted:
for knowledge partnership through an understanding between MoEF • first, at the macro level, national level desk study was proposed;
and EMPA, second, a national level working group was formed (Arora et al.
• working on a mandate for SECO (Swiss State Secretariat for 2019b).
Economic Affairs) and GTZ,Germany (renamed as GIZ in 2011). • The working group included multiple stakeholders, such as regulatory
• This was commissioned under BMZ and ASEM (Advisory Services in authorities, industry associations, NGOs, recyclers (formal and
informal), research institutions, and experts in the field like
Environmental Management) Programme. EU(Europian Union) and UNEP(UN environment programme).
• This programme was instrumental in supporting the WEEE strategy • This was to take initiatives to improve recycling practices, providing
group, which was establishing national WEEE baselines, and assisting fiscal incentives, and evolving standards for recycling, formulating
in implementing WEEE pilot projects. legislative tools, providing cleaner production options to
• A national workshop on ‘Electronic Waste Management’ was manufacturers using fewer toxic components, and take steps to check
illegal imports of e-waste in the country.
organised jointly by CPCB, MoEF,8 EMPA, Switzerland, and GTZ in
New Delhi during March, 2004 • The CPCB commissioned by the proposed desk study to IRGSSA, its
report was published in 2005
• IRGSSA was to carry out a study covering the following:
• rapid assessment for quantification, characterization, future projections • Some of the important sectors like railways, defence, and health
for e-waste, documenting e-waste management in different cities, and generate very large volumes of e-waste…individual households are
plans for new management systems. perhaps the lowest contributors to e-waste for PCs.
• This report estimated e-waste generation (computers) based on ‘the • large-scale generation from consumer durables, such as TVs,
average penetration levels of PC in a population of 1,000…According refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines etc.
to this estimation, total e-waste generated in India was 146,180 tonnes’ • The e-waste generation was linked to production and consumption
(quoted in Sinha 2019a: 28–29). pattern; production was linked to lifespan of an e-product and
• Maharashtra was at the top among 35 State and Union Territories with introduction of newer technology in short span of time.
20,270.6 tonnes followed by Tamil Nadu with 13,486.2 tonnes, and
Andhra Pradesh with 12,780.3 tonnes.

• A report was jointly prepared by GTZ and BIRD in 2007, which is one of
Domestic generation of e-waste the firsts WEEE Assessment Study to develop a sound methodology for
estimation the volume of WEEE produced in India (limited to computers,
television, and mobile phones).
• The statistics of production, exports, and sales of each product and
their average life have been considered in these studies. • This study aimed at developing methodology for calculating WEEE in
India, including –
• For example, average life of a PC was assumed to be 5 and 7 years and • (i) projections of e-waste over next five years,
of a television (TV) to be 15 and 17 years.
• (ii) disposal behavior and recycling practices,
• It was also assumed that 100% of electronic units sold in one
• (iii) identify stakeholders in e-waste trade value chain,
particular year would become obsolete at the end of the average life.
• (iv) assess capacities of existing recyclers, and
• These perceptions of life of e-waste were based on urban conditions;
the conditions are far from it considering the rural scenario (Chatterjee • (v) recommend a national action plan for major stakeholders to ensure
proper handling and disposal of e-waste.
and Kumar 2009: 895).
•
 • Conceptual methodology for mapping of e-waste in Mumbai and Pune
• The methodology adopted for e-waste assessment and quantification study cities in a layered manner.
was ‘Funnel Approach’ for accuracy and better understanding of the e- • The four layers are:
Waste production in India;
• 1.Identifying e-waste streams as layer ;
• WEEE was estimated at three levels:
• (i) potential annual e-waste;14 • 2.Value added [chain] as layer ;
• (ii) e-waste available for recycling;15 and • 3.Labour input as layer ; and
• (iii) e-waste recycled • 4.Hazards as layer.
• It stresses on primary survey method for estimation of WEEE quantity
• Based on this method, …the total annual e-waste generated in India in the – material flow, input quantities/import, reuse, disposal, recycling
year 2007 is 3,82,979 MT,17 including 50,000 MT of imports in India…the technology, and hazardous processes – these are the stages of
amount available for recycling was 1,44,143 MT but due to the presence of estimation.
considerable refurbishment market only 19,000 MT of e-waste has been
recycled in the year 2007.’

• Until almost 2010, e-waste related estimates included computers, cell

phones, and TVs.
• Different projections were made about generation of e-waste during
Details about imported e-waste
2005– 2009. • Along with e-waste generation in India, imported e-waste was also
• For example, ELCINA (2007) estimated 4.84 lakh tonnes (0.48 Mt) e- talked about; figures were available in ‘truckloads’, estimating in
waste by 2009; CPCB (2008) estimated 8.0 lakh tonnes (0.80 Mt) by tonnes until 2009. For example,
2012 (quoted in LARRDIS 2011: 5); • ‘Old Seelampur18 acquires about 15–20 truckloads of e-waste,
• while Dwivedy and Mittal (2012) projected e-waste around 2.49 amounting to 1.5– 1.8 tonnes of e-waste every day’ (Basu 2019: 57),
million MT during 2007–2011 based on a study conducted in 2010. thus, 45–50 tonnes a month.
• Thus, recognising a range of e-products for preparing a list of e-waste • About 300 days of the year, two truckloads of scrap PCs arrive daily
became a point of policy/regulatory framework in India, which was in Delhi…about 133,000 units and 3,600 tonnes arriving per year (PC
reflected in the Rules, 2011. weighs about 27 kg).
• The need for preparing inventory of e-waste in the country has been • For an assumed obsolescence time of 7 years, the quantity of locally
an agenda for almost 15 years. produced PC scrap is almost doubled by imports (+ 89%). (Quoted in
Babu 2007: 316)
• (ILO 2014:17) provided more details about imported items and why
illegal e-waste is difficult to track. Recycling scenario
• Importers bring in huge quantities of e-waste including used and
obsolete monitors, printers, keyboards, central processing units • Regarding e-waste recycling, several authors noted that it was gaining
(CPUs), typewriters, projectors, mobile phones, polyvinyl chloride currency as a lucrative business from early 2000s, as larger quantities
(PVC) wires, etc. of electronics are coming into the waste stream and e-waste as an
• These items exist in all ranges, models and sizes, and are functional as abundant source of metals.
well as unsellable and non-reusable materials.
• Also, that recycling is known to be a complex task, especially in terms
• Often, illegal shipments of e-waste are labelled as donations or of special logistics requirement of its collection, cost, release of toxins,
imports of second-hand EEE, to cross borders as a legal trade
transaction. and its environmental impact (Toxics Link 2004; Arora 2019b; Basu
2019; Jain 2019; Sinha 2019b)
• These illegal transactions are difficult to track as they are both hidden
and controlled by criminal groups that profit from informal e-waste
recycling practices.

In INDIA • Inagaki (2008: 21) mentioned, Only 5% of the total e-waste recycled
in India is handled by four formal recycling companies who have
• In India, ‘environmental concerns among manufacturers as well as the recently emerged in the recycling market;
awareness of consumers regarding environmental issues are not very high.
• and apart from large corporate, some of formal recyclers are now
• While the government has passed several environmental protection laws, under the negotiation with informal recyclers in specific stages of the
their enforcement remains questionable’ (Sinha-Khetriwal et al. 2005: 498). chain on benefit sharing from PC components collected by them.
• Parallel to these processes, a couple of recycling units were established and • The same formal recycler repeated that this scheme would create the
recognized by the SPCBs across India, who showcased recovery of precious
metals through formal way of functioning, that is, by installing proper
win-win effect on both of the informal and formal sides.
infrastructure, technology, and scientific methods by 2005 (www.attero.in;
www.ewasteindia.com).
• ‘The informal recycling sector has a vast network of collection, storage,
segregation, and material recovery facilities’ (Sinha 2019a: 34); a large
number of women, children, and migrant unskilled labourers are engaged in
different stages of recycling.
Trade chain and informal sector • As waste management is primarily a responsibility of local governments,
every government agency needs to manage huge quantities of waste
generated in large cities.
• In India, the informal sector has a historic role in waste management • The existing informal sector has been contributing to reduce the burden of
and recycling, partly because of the notion of waste being a fringe formal waste management agencies with their manual skills, widespread
commodity, rather than being a waste. and active network, recycling of waste, especially e-waste makes a
• As a result, historically the fringe commodity was left to be handled profitable business venture.
by the fringes of society – the informal sector. • Khattar et al. (2007) mentioned that 94% of manufacturers were not aware
of IT disposal policy and were disposing e-waste to the informal sector.

• ‘Primary survey by the Greenpeace found high concentrations of Sb,

Cu, Pb, Ni, Sn and Zn,’ (Brigden et al. 2005: 7).
• Some data was generated on toxicity and its impact through a primary
field study (Brigden et al. 2005; Dimitrakakis et al. 2006; Manda
2008; Wath et al. 2011).
• The recycling techniques of the informal sector has mainly been
studied from Delhi20 and surrounding areas, and a few from Chennai
and Bangalore; most media reports were Delhi centric (Manda 2008).
• Most observers of informal sector agree upon that this sector survives
in the country because it externalises different costs including
recycling infrastructure, recycling materials, labour cost, and logistics
related costs (Sinha-Khetriwal et al. 2005; Raghupathy et al. 2010;
Skinner et al. 2010; Sinha 2019b).
• The first players in this sequence of collection are the individual waste
dealers or kabadiwallahs…then linked to large waste dealers or • Advantages of the sector:
traders…these large traders also acquire waste from the large • The recycling trade provides livelihoods to a significant number of urban poor;
offices…through auctions… from the scrap dealer, the waste moves to • Recovery of materials from this waste and ploughing them back into the supply
chain process.
he dismantler…each component is dismantled and cannibalises the • The flipside of the recycling sector is the hazardous practices and processes (Basu
useable components like ICs, capacitors…dismantlers are finally 2019; Sinha 2019a).
linked to the recyclers…who are engaged in final recovery of • As per a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, it
mentioned that as informed by the district administration, around 100,000–
materials. 150,000 persons are engaged in informal e-waste recycling in Moradabad (Uttar
• The metals extracted are usually sold to smelters that purify the metals Pradesh) alone.
and sell them in the market for reuse • Workers are paid around INR 200 per day for working in the e-waste recycling
sector with women and children earning far less (CSE 2015).
• ‘The situation is likely to worsen if there is an exclusive environmental focus
while implementing the e-waste rules with scant attention paid to livelihoods of
the informal sector,’ (Chaturvedi and Gaurav 2016: 5).
• Three goals are considered, ‘closing’ the recycling loop, optimising the value
added, and sustainability of recycling (Wath et al. 2011; ILO 2014).

• Formal-informal partnerships fostered Informal sector’s employment presents a

• EPR and take-back campaign Nokia organised take-back campaign for challenge in extending the reach of the state to sections of the population that are often
mobile phones in 2009 and continued till 2012. very large.
• The challenges are of social and economic types that call upon much more than labour
• In the context of EPR, based on Nokia experience about take-back system, or social policy, which include
Singhal (2010) said that EPR is effective when there is a shift from ‘Brand • Macroeconomic policies,
Environmental Responsibility,’ (BER) to ‘ecosystem approach’ takes place;
adopted by every producer. • Fiscal policies,
• The structural composition of value added and wealth creation, and
• Implementation of EPR based regulations, material flow chain for each e-
waste item, and channelisation of material at the levels of country state, • Job creation.
and city; • Macroeconomic policies are the key drivers, structural and sector policies provide right
incentives including improving governance and fighting corruption, and social
• Internal/external leakage prevention; protection and risk management policies recognise voice and role of non-state actor
• Local and cheap solutions for E-waste dismantling/recycling; (Jutting and de Laigesia 2009).
• Indian informal sector managing e-waste has remained unnoticed in macroeconomics,
• Integration of informal sector to formal sector; etc. and structural and sectoral policies;
• These are the challenges and the regulatory framework should effectively • The protection and risk management (pollution, informal economy, etc.) related
address these challenges (Jain 2010; Sinha 2019b) concerns have been raised by non-state actors.
• Job creation, resource recovery and secondary material management aspects of
macroeconomics in relation to e-waste recycling have not been duly addressed in India
• ILO (2014) has introduced ‘decent work deficit’ with reference to e-waste sector.
• Due to bulk of e-waste recycling being carried out in the informal economy, which is
labor-intensive activities. POLICY ISSUES
• Workers get ‘low earnings, long working hours and exposure to hazardous substances,
leading to a serious of decent work deficits.
• The potential mismanagement of e-waste by informal workers can have damaging
consequences on entire communities, including children.’ (Ibid.: 18.)
• As more formal recyclers entered in the sector for recycling of e-waste after 2005, the
discourse on role of informal sector is fashioned around environment (harmful to
environment); and social, and economic (poverty centric/economic disadvantages)
challenges.
• This discourse discusses the following points:
• first, can formal-informal co-exist, especially when the focus of environment is shifting to
economy (CE);
• second, what would be the impact on environment of partnership between formal and
informal; and
• third, whether the existing legal actions/ regulatory provisions would lead towards formal
economy in India.

• Multi-pronged strategy, specific fund allocation, and necessary action

with reference to the NEP, 2006 for fostering formal-informal
• Most social actors expressed concern about imported e-waste and need partnership.
for complying with international legislations (Puckett et al. 2002; Jain
2010); and • WEEE management related activities and outcomes cover a wide
range of sectors, thus affecting the whole chain of industry, trade,
• Amendments in the existing Customs Act in consonance with the academia, community, and environment.
Basel Convention (Toxics Link 2003; 2004).
• Therefore, with regard to environmental protection and the quality
• Initial workshops, meeting, and studies on e-waste generation and of life of the people involved in the recycling chain need special
flow stressed upon two policy issues – attention; knowledge and technical expertise transfer, sensitisation,
• 1)production and consumption pattern and need for inventorisation; and dissemination, etc. need to be addressed by the legislation
• 2)product design improvement for increased life-span of an e-product, (Dimitrakakis et al. 2006; Chaturvedi et al. 2010; Skinner 2010).
reduction in RoHS, and introduction of newer technology (Toxics Link
2004; Khattar et al. 2007).
 What was not thought about in the policy dialogue
and advocacy before 2010
• In this scheme of ‘role of awareness,’ aspects, such as,
• Refurbishment has specifically not mentioned by the existing studies, • the consumer/user of an e-product is the producer of e-waste; repair and
rather it has been considered as part of reuse/recycling. In response refurbishing are ways to lengthen life of e-products; management of secondary
to the ‘Draft E-waste Management Rules’ in 2010 (Skinner et al. 2010: materials in the globalised era and global market; etc. were not thought
thoroughly and put forth extensively.
22) mentioned ‘Given the role of the refurbishment market in India, it • The economics of recycling (technology, infrastructure, cost of reverse
may take considerable time for the benefits of this provision to logistics, etc.); potentials of recycling – resource recovery and organising
become evident in recycling facilities. secondary material management; economics of EPR functions and
performance; economics of informal sector’s functions and performance,
violation of worker’s rights, etc;
• issues of governance and institutionalisation (engagement of various ministries
and centre-state government agencies) in federal structure and linkage of e-
waste with international regulations, Customs, Science and Technology, Trade
and Commerce, Environment, Health ministries, etc. were not articulated
expansively based on almost a decade’s experience regarding e-waste and its
management.

• Due to non-recognition of informal nature of e-waste work by the • In order to respond to policy dialogue and advocacy measures, the
authorities, the workers remained excluded from the social and policy most important step by the GoI was to prepare a research paper (titled
dialogue as well as from gaining full awareness of the sectoral E-waste in India) by the Research Unit (LARRDIS) of Rajya Sabha
dynamics (risks involved in their occupation) and from forming Secretariat in 2011.
organisations and securing representation in sectoral dialogues with
other stakeholders in the value chain. • The report has covered country’s e-waste management scenario very
comprehensively and with minute details. The knowledge base created
• Thus, workers’ collective concerns, needs and challenges among other by all the civil society actors is wisely used in the report; describing
industry players and public authorities, and improving their working legal nitty-gritties, policy requirements, different department/
conditions, including skills development and better income remained ministry’s data and performance, media reports, and people’s
away from policy dialogue (ILO 2014). perception, etc. are substantial value addition to the existing literature
on the e-waste management in India.
II: Law-driven e-waste management – initiatives by the Initiatives by government agencies and industry
government, non-government agencies, and judiciary actors post-2012
• It covers pan-Indian initiatives post-2012; almost all initiatives appeared to be • The first set of initiatives, taken by various government agencies, such as,
associated or driven by the existing regulations. • state government/ department (IT, Science & Technology, etc.) issuing Executive Orders,
• Mandating the government agencies for the proper disposal of e-waste and its mechanism
• The actors are – government, industry actors, non-government agencies, and the during 2012 and 2016;
judiciary. • Strategy papers on ‘resource efficiency in EEE sector’, and on ‘resource efficiency and circular
• The initiatives include awareness measures are; economy’ by the GoI in 2019;
• Expression of intention to link three missions (Digital India, Clean India, and Make in India) for
• Educational initiatives; conducting research on various topics, such as, formal- economic betterment of EEE sector;
informal partnership, • Actions taken by regulatory agencies – CPCB and SPCBs at centre and state levels respectively
• gap analysis in e-waste management based on multi-stakeholder views, etc; including inventorisation, creating database on e-waste generation;
• State run academic institutions/ portal (e.g. SWAYAM,25 Skill Council for Green Jobs
• preparing roadmap for the Agenda 2030; (SCGJ),26 and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)27) launching a course on e-
• experimentation for resource efficiency and working out its economics as part of waste management, and providing hand on experience;
CE; and • Training manual for training of trainers on E-waste awareness for bulk consumers28 published
by the MeitY under Digital India Mission (Chaturvedi et al. 2016b); initiatives on
• launching courses on e-waste management. SDGs/Agenda 2030; and so on.

• The second set of initiatives cover industry actors (associated in the chain
of EPR implementation), including PROs, dismantlers and recyclers, Awareness related efforts, research, and materials
repairers, refurbishers, etc.
• The third set is of civil society organisations (CSOs) including academic • One of the first awareness raising on e-waste by the GoI is the
and research institutions, international (e.g. International Finance Environmental Information System (ENVIS).
Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group and its five year long ‘e-waste • The centers are active in installation of e-waste bins or e-bins and are
management program’) and bilateral agencies (e.g. GTZ). motivating and providing the subsidised infrastructural facilities and
other necessary things to the private players for management and
• Their initiatives include awareness measures; fostering formal-informal
disposal of collected e-waste through these bins.
partnership; furthering research; and
• Teaching e-waste management at various places, in different ways. The
fourth set of initiatives came from the judiciary.
• Awareness aspect of e-waste and its management were explored by a
few studies in the 2010s • Focus on different aspects related to e-waste, such as, awareness
about ‘what is e-waste’; about Rules, 2011; as hazardous waste;
• Most studies are micro level, city specific like disposal related – perception, attitude, behaviour, and the existing
• Ahmedabad30 (Shah 2014), mechanism; about recycling – methods, hazards, etc.
• Among these studies, the most common findings among different
• Bengaluru31 (Iyer 2014; Botharkur and Govind 2017), cities, reflecting ground reality are awareness about e-waste varies;
• Delhi32 (Kwatra et al. 2014), • e-waste as hazardous waste is known among almost 80%
• Srinagar, Uttarakhand (Nath et al. 2018);33 Pune34 (Bhat and Patil respondents; not more 50% know about channel of disposal;
2014; Shivathanu 2016), etc. • Not more than 40% know about the Rules, 2011.
• These studies considered ‘awareness about e-waste’ as a critical part of • Wipro has its take-back channel which reported 100% recycling
e-waste management, as awareness can lead to enhancement of e- against the collection.
waste collection, to increase in recycling, and consequently reduction • Most banks and IT companies prefer to dispose of e-waste through
in hazards for environment as well as human health. auction.

• Pan India Awareness Programme (PIAP) was organised by MeitY, GoI in 2015.
• It was identified that lack of awareness about the safe disposal of e-waste amongst
Preparing inventory on e-waste
stakeholders is a key challenge in enforcement of the Rules, 2016 (Chatterjee and • Post-2012, inventorisation of e-waste is about no clarity about
Porwal 2019).
• Composition,
• The author duo has shared key findings of the programme.
• First, informal sector has low awareness about the health and environmental • Method for calculation, and
impacts as well as safety precautions associated with the recycling of e-waste. • Tracking e-waste that is collected and recycled.
• Second, informal sector workers have very low literacy and awareness regarding
hazards related to the unsafe handling of e-waste. • Two states, Chhattisgarh and Telangana prepared inventory after 2015
• Third, awareness amongst consumers regarding e-waste management is (IRG 2016). Telangana state reported that 39.11 MT e-waste generated by
inadequate; consumers expect some return from end-oflife products and do not three government registered producers during the year 2016–2017.
contribute anything towards the safe recycling of products and thereby further
promoting unsafe recycling. • Of them, M/s. Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), (Dept. of
• Fourth, limited information and guideline on responsibility for inventorisation of Atomic Energy) produced 24.500 MT; M/s. Apple India Pvt., Limited, 5-
e-waste, getting authorisation for EPR and renewal, recycler registration, 132/B, Sy.No.97/C, Near Kompally Railway Bridge, Secunderabad
monitoring compliance and action against violations of these rules. produced 13.585 MT, and M/s. Bharat Electronics Ltd., (A Govt. of India
Enterprises), IDA Mallapur produced 1.0227 MT e-waste.
Formal-informal partnership roadmap • Second, the existence of an informal is enabled with a widespread and
based on work experience, research active network, considerable manual skills, and economics of
• The informal sector has a historic role in waste management and recycling; the SMEs are infrastructure based entrepreneurial units that
recycling in India, and have strong linkages with secondary material permit a profitable e-waste management business.
market. • As most of the informal SMEs concentrate on one or two recycling
• Some theoretical considerations are developed for formal-informal stages (collection, segregation, dismantling) with well established
partnership. They are: relationships to other informal e-waste recycling SMEs up or down the
• first, the existing reality in India since more than a decade is – recycling chain, some value is added at each stage creating
although formal recycling units ensured recycling in environmentally employment at different levels, which may contribute to sustain the
sound manner and increased recovery, they were unable to access large system.
volumes of feed material owing to the activities of informal collectors, • Third, among the informal sector recyclers, social bond is an important
scrap dealers, and recyclers who operate on a door-to-door basis and factor, which could be used as a cohesion factor to bring them closer
pay a good price for e-waste compared to formal recyclers. and provide a platform for them to share their thoughts.

• GTZ/GIZ started forming partnership of formal-informal sectors for waste • Six case studies were investigated –
management in developing countries (Brazil, Egypt, and India) by late
2000s. • Green e-waste recyclers, Delhi;
• One of the reasons given was informal recycling economy in solid waste • SWaCH, Pune;
management financially supplements the formal system in many ways • Saahas Zero Waste, Bengaluru;
(GTZ 2010, 2011).
• Learning from SWM experiences, GTZ started articulating similar concept • E-WaRDD, Bengaluru;
for e-waste management. • GIZ-Microsoft, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad;
• For example, forming and registering member based organisations of • and Chintan, Delhi – which succeeded or failed in maintaining formal-
informal sector workers after creating common grounds for organising (trust informal partnerships across the Indian e-waste management system
building and a shared vision); (GIZ 2017).
• Strengthening capacities of the informal sector (making informal sector • In 2018, similar study was initiated to complement the study of 2017,
workers as stable entrepreneurs and reliable partners); aimed at providing practical guidance under the recast policy
• Technical specialisation; framework of the Rules, 2016 (GIZ 2018).
• Feeding experiences into national policies and legislation; and so on (ibid.).
Corporate sector's perspective and performance • Regarding the recent environmental laws, the report observed that, the
corporates aimed at products rather than end-of-pipe pollution focus
• A report written by Agarwal and Mullick (2014), published by YES Bank on new product design mandates, substance restrictions, energy
and TERI-BCSD provides corporate sector’s perspective on e-waste
management including : efficiency, and take-back mandates.
• decision making about e-waste disposal, • Such emerging trends of legislation is identified as a risk and creator
of challenges for the industry: functioning of EPR systems hampered
• whether any policy exists in the company,
due to unbranded and counterfeit products, original components often
• awareness about the Rules, get replaced with those of other brands during repair, by the lack of
• channelisation of e-waste for recycling, and knowhow regarding collection systems for recyclables, etc;
• filing annual return. transparency in downstream of recycling industry in terms of data loss,
• On surveyed 150 respondents from various sectors including BFSI data leakage, and data security; and limited success of take-back
(Banking, Financial services, and Insurance), IT & ITES (Information policies.
technology and outsourcing services), education, automotive, EEE
manufacture, and miscellaneous such as consulting, aviation and
hospitality

Gap analysis in e-waste management representing

• The report stressed on collection system as a crucial leverage for the multi stakeholder views
success of the overall system, and suggested that conventional market- • Major findings include the following:
based collection system is to be utilised, if it is appropriate; • (i) Poor e-waste collection by producers and inadequate supply of e-waste to the
authorized recyclers;
• A new collection system is evolved, the stakeholders should be made • (ii)Lack of metals extraction capability among formal recyclers and leakage of e-waste
aware of that. to informal, local recycling markets; informal collectors, dismantlers, and aggregators
continue to generate higher profits selling material to informal recyclers instead of
• The government needs to provide incentives to the actors in collection formal recyclers;
system; the cost and responsibility (primarily transportation and • (iii)NGOs with whom producers, PROs or recyclers partner to reach informal workers
may need initial training to understand India’s e-waste trading markets;
recycling) should be shared by three primary stakeholders – the • (iv) Consumers and bulk consumers lack awareness of their responsibilities under the
producer, the generator (households and bulk consumers), and the current Rules, and of collection and recycling opportunities;
local regulatory body (municipality). • (v) CPCB and SPCBs lack technical capacity and resources to screen and enforce
registrations of recyclers and PROs; and
• (vi) Few stakeholders are in the early stages of considering linkages between e-waste
management, SDGs, and CSR (corporate social responsibility) requirements under the
Companies Act (ibid.).
 Future Research Areas IFC's e-waste programme in India:
• Opportunities on e-waste management in India; are:
• multiple agenda achieved:
• (i) Audits for financial and mass balance traceability claims;
• Increased income of LMCs, from USD7/month (INR 6,500) to
• (ii) Formal processing (metal processing capabilities and reasons for why estimated USD 36/month (approx. INR 25,000).
smelters have not been established);
• The Bhubaneshwar project demonstrated public-private partnership
• (iii)Small Scale processing for current informal recyclers (evaluate model. Several multi-stakeholder dialogues on business, environment,
feasibility of mobile processing small scale factories); health and social policy, and technology; celebration of E-waste Day;
• (iv)Organising the informal sector (what lessons from other industries, etc. were organised during 2017 and 2019.
such as, tanning, electroplating, fruit selling, etc. could apply to informal • IFC and Karo Sambhav, Pvt. Ltd. a PRO, jointly developed an
communities for e-waste management); and ecosystem, aligned partnership with multiple stakeholders and civil
• (v)Material downstream flows (examine end markets for materials in society actors.
electronics within India).

Five major programmes

• Developed are –
• with schools for awareness raising and e-waste collection;
• with bulk consumers for channelising e-waste and creating awareness;
• with repair shops for capacity-building of repairers;
• with waste pickers for engaging LMCs and increase in their income; and
• With waste aggregators for moving towards formalisation/formal
economy.