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List of Authorized Recyclers In India
List of units registered with MOEF/CPCB as Recyclers/Re-Processors having environmentally sound management facilities in India.
There are total 14 units granted Registration as on 29-March-2010.
Authorized Recyclers
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Tamil Nadu Frames Separate E-Waste Policy
Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to come up with a separate e-waste policy in the country. While welcoming the move, and the policy on collection by community-based organisations (CBO), activists and organisations are awaiting specific details.
“We have taken the utmost efforts even while drafting to be as close to the national e-waste policy as possible,” Santhosh Babu, managing director, Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (ELCOT), says. The ELCOT was one of the key organisations that worked on preparing the policy for the State. The 11-12 members who were on the Board were drawn from several allied sectors were given the mandate to keep in tune with the national guidelines.
While at this point of time, the e-waste policy remains a mere document, it will be followed in the next six months with a series of government orders and a set of rules that will ensure the implementation of all the features mentioned in the policy.
Ram Ramachandran, president, All India e-waste Recyclers Association, said it was a “great start.” But he pointed out that it would be necessary to take up collection and segregation in a careful manner. “Sometimes the value of the recovered after recycling may not be able to cover even the transportation costs,” he said. He called for a partnership among all stakeholders to make the process successful.
Abhishek Pratap, Greenpeace Toxics campaigner, said, bringing local bodies and community organisations into the collection of e-waste was welcome. He said it was important to incorporate very specific targets and for co-ordination between various bodies.
“Building an end-to-end recycling facility is a very costly proposition. So it will be better to have a few central facilities and to have different States co-operate in the process,” he said. Dr. Santhosh Babu said that once the rules were in place, key stakeholders, who have been identified already, including manufacturers, pollution control boards, local bodies, and ELCOT, would be apprised of their roles. Specific questions as to how extended producer responsibility would be answered and the structure of the collection and disposal chain would be ensured.
The government would also take up a massive awareness programme to tell consumers of the huge quantities of e-waste they are accumulating, and suggesting responsible means of getting rid of them. “It is the next biggest threat, the way we see it. We are slowly, subtly, sometimes unknowingly polluting our environment with electronic goods. Citizen awareness is the first step in trying to address this problem,” Dr. Santhosh Babu added.
Source: The Hindu
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Urgent Need to Prepare Developing Countries for Surge in E-Wastes
Rocketing sales of cell phones, gadgets, appliances in China, India, elsewhere forecast.
Proper e-waste collection, recycling key to recovering valuable materials, protecting health, building new green economy.
Sales of electronic products in countries like China and India and across continents such as Africa and Latin America are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years.
And, unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health, according to UN experts in a landmark report released today by UNEP.
Issued at a meeting of Basel Convention and other world chemical authorities prior to UNEP's Governing Council meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the report, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources," used data from 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation - which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.
In South Africa and China for example, the report predicts that by 2020 e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 200 to 400 percent from 2007 levels, and by 500% in India
By that same year in China, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 7 times higher than 2007 levels and, in India, 18 times higher.
By 2020, e-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to 2 times higher in China and India while in India e-waste from discarded refrigerators will double or triple.
China already produces about 2.3 million tonnes (2010 estimate) domestically, second only to the United States with about 3 million tonnes. And, despite having banned e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries.
Moreover, most e-waste in China is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold - practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
"This report gives new urgency to establishing ambitious, formal and regulated processes for collecting and managing e-waste via the setting up of large, efficient facilities in China," says UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP. "China is not alone in facing a serious challenge. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.
"In addition to curbing health problems, boosting developing country e-waste recycling rates can have the potential to generate decent employment, cut greenhouse gas emissions and recover a wide range of valuable metals including silver, gold, palladium, copper and indium - by acting now and planning forward many countries can turn an e-challenge into an e-opportunity," he added.
The report was issued at the Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on enhancing their cooperation and coordination (ExCOP).
It was co-authored by the Swiss EMPA, Umicore and United Nations University (UNU), part of the global think tank StEP (Solving the E-waste Problem), which includes UNEP and Basel Convention Secretariat among its 50+ members. Hosted by UNU in Bonn, Germany, the think tank convenes experts from industry, government, international organizations, NGOs and science. A grant from the European Commission, Directorate-General for the Environment, funded the report's preparation.
The report cites a variety of sources to illustrate growth of the e-waste problem:
* Global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year
* Manufacturing mobile phones and personal computers consumes 3 per cent of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year; 13 per cent of the palladium and 15 per cent of cobalt
* Modern electronics contain up to 60 different elements - many valuable, some hazardous, and some both
* Carbon dioxide emissions from the mining and production of copper and precious and rare metals used in electrical and electronic equipment are estimated at over 23 million tonnes - 0.1 percent of global emissions (not including emissions linked to steel, nickel or aluminum, nor those linked to manufacturing the devices)
* In the US, more than 150 million mobiles and pagers were sold in 2008, up from 90 million five years before
* Globally, more than 1 billion mobile phones were sold in 2007, up from 896 million in 2006
* Countries like Senegal and Uganda can expect e-waste flows from PCs alone to increase 4 to 8-fold by 2020.
* Given the infrastructure expense and technology skills required to create proper facilities for efficient and environmentally sound metal recovery, the report suggests facilitating exports of critical e-scrap fractions like circuit boards or btteries from smaller countries to OECD-level, certified end-processors.
Says Konrad Osterwalder, UN Under-Secretary General and Rector of UNU: "One person's waste can be another's raw material. The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy. This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs. In the process, countries can help cut pollution linked with mining and manufacturing, and with the disposal of old devices."
Country Situations
The report assesses current policies, skills, waste collection networks and informal recycling in 11 representative developing economies in Asia, Africa and the Americas:
* China, India
* South Africa, Uganda, Senegal, Kenya, Morocco
* Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Peru
It also outlines options for sustainable e-waste management in those countries.
The data includes equipment generated nationally but does not include waste imports, both legal and illegal, which are substantial in India, China and other emerging economies.
Broken down by type, the report estimates e-waste generation today as follows:
* China: 500,000 tonnes from refrigerators, 1.3 million tonnes from TVs, 300,000 tonnes from personal computers
* India: over 100,000 tonnes from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones
* Colombia: about 9,000 tonnes from refrigerators, over 18,000 tonnes from TVs, 6,500 tonnes from personal computers, 1,300 tonnes from printers, 1,200 tonnes from mobile phones
* Kenya: 11,400 tonnes from refrigerators, 2,800 tonnes from TVs, 2,500 tonnes from personal computers, 500 tonnes from printers, 150 tonnes from mobile phones
The report also includes data on per capita sales of electrical and electronic goods. For example South Africa and Mexico lead in personal computer sales with the equivalent of 24 sold per 1,000 people. Brazil, Mexico and Senegal generate more e-waste per capita from personal computers than the other countries surveyed.
Way Forward
Developing vibrant national recycling schemes is complex and simply financing and transferring high tech equipment from developed countries is unlikely to work, according to the report.
It says China's lack of a comprehensive e-waste collection network, combined with competition from the lower-cost informal sector, has held back state-of-the art e-waste recycling plants.
It also notes a successful pilot in Bangalore, India, to transform the operations of informal e-waste collection and management.
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Morocco and South Africa are cited as places with great potential to introduce state of the art e-waste recycling technologies because the informal e-waste sector is relatively small.
Kenya, Peru, Senegal and Uganda have relatively low e-waste volumes today but likely to grow. All four would benefit from capacity building in so-called pre-processing technologies such as manual dismantling of e-waste.
The report recommends countries establish e-waste management centers of excellence, building on existing organizations working in the area of recycling and waste management.
Existing bodies include those supported by the United Nations including the more than 40 National Cleaner Production Centers established by the UN Industrial and Development Organization and the regional centers established under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
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The Dangers of E-Waste
Recycling old electronics keeps toxic components from contaminating the environment. Recycled improperly, however, they could end up polluting not only your area but also other countries.
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As E-Waste Mountains Soar, UN Urges Smart Technologies To Protect Health
With the mountains of hazardous waste from electronic products growing exponentially in developing countries, sometimes by as much as 500 per cent, the United Nations today called for new recycling technologies and regulations to safeguard both public health and the environment.
So-called e-waste from products such as old computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions, are set to rise sharply in tandem with growth in sales in countries like China and India and in Africa and Latin America over the next 10 years, according to a report issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The study, Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources, launched at a meeting of hazardous wastes experts in Bali, Indonesia, predicts that by 2020 e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 500 per cent from 2007 levels in India, and by 200 to 400 per cent in South Africa and China, while that from old mobile phones will be 7 times higher in China and 18 times higher in India.
At the same time, most e-waste in China is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold, practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
“This report gives new urgency to establishing ambitious, formal and regulated processes for collecting and managing e-waste via the setting up of large, efficient facilities in China,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said. “China is not alone in facing a serious challenge. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.
“In addition to curbing health problems, boosting developing country e-waste recycling rates can have the potential to generate decent employment, cut greenhouse gas emissions and recover a wide range of valuable metals including silver, gold, palladium, copper and indium. By acting now and planning forward many countries can turn an e-challenge into an e-opportunity.”
The report, issued at a conference of parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions dealing with hazardous wastes ahead of UNEP’s Governing Council meeting in Bali, recommends that countries establish e-waste management centres of excellence, building on existing organizations working in the area of recycling and waste management.
China’s lack of a comprehensive e-waste collection network, combined with competition from the lower-cost informal sector, has held back state-of-the art e-waste recycling plants, it said, while noting a successful pilot in Bangalore, India, to transform informal e-waste collection and management.
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Morocco and South Africa are cited as places with great potential to introduce state-of-the-art e-waste recycling technologies because the informal e-waste sector is relatively small. Kenya, Peru, Senegal and Uganda have relatively low e-waste volumes today but these are likely to grow. All four would benefit from capacity building in so-called pre-processing technologies such as manual dismantling of e-waste, the report says.
It notes that China already produces about 2.3 million tonnes of e-waste domestically each year, second only to the United States with about 3 million tonnes, while it remains a major dumping ground for developed countries despite having banned e-waste imports.
“One person’s waste can be another’s raw material,” said Konrad Osterwalder, Rector of the UN University (UNU), which was among the co-authors of the report together with the Swiss EMPA research institute and Umicore, an international speciality materials group. “The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy.
“This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs. In the process, countries can help cut pollution linked with mining and manufacturing, and with the disposal of old devices.”
So-called e-waste from products such as old computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions, are set to rise sharply in tandem with growth in sales in countries like China and India and in Africa and Latin America over the next 10 years, according to a report issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The study, Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources, launched at a meeting of hazardous wastes experts in Bali, Indonesia, predicts that by 2020 e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 500 per cent from 2007 levels in India, and by 200 to 400 per cent in South Africa and China, while that from old mobile phones will be 7 times higher in China and 18 times higher in India.
At the same time, most e-waste in China is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold, practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
“This report gives new urgency to establishing ambitious, formal and regulated processes for collecting and managing e-waste via the setting up of large, efficient facilities in China,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said. “China is not alone in facing a serious challenge. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.
“In addition to curbing health problems, boosting developing country e-waste recycling rates can have the potential to generate decent employment, cut greenhouse gas emissions and recover a wide range of valuable metals including silver, gold, palladium, copper and indium. By acting now and planning forward many countries can turn an e-challenge into an e-opportunity.”
The report, issued at a conference of parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions dealing with hazardous wastes ahead of UNEP’s Governing Council meeting in Bali, recommends that countries establish e-waste management centres of excellence, building on existing organizations working in the area of recycling and waste management.
China’s lack of a comprehensive e-waste collection network, combined with competition from the lower-cost informal sector, has held back state-of-the art e-waste recycling plants, it said, while noting a successful pilot in Bangalore, India, to transform informal e-waste collection and management.
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Morocco and South Africa are cited as places with great potential to introduce state-of-the-art e-waste recycling technologies because the informal e-waste sector is relatively small. Kenya, Peru, Senegal and Uganda have relatively low e-waste volumes today but these are likely to grow. All four would benefit from capacity building in so-called pre-processing technologies such as manual dismantling of e-waste, the report says.
It notes that China already produces about 2.3 million tonnes of e-waste domestically each year, second only to the United States with about 3 million tonnes, while it remains a major dumping ground for developed countries despite having banned e-waste imports.
“One person’s waste can be another’s raw material,” said Konrad Osterwalder, Rector of the UN University (UNU), which was among the co-authors of the report together with the Swiss EMPA research institute and Umicore, an international speciality materials group. “The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy.
“This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs. In the process, countries can help cut pollution linked with mining and manufacturing, and with the disposal of old devices.”
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E -Waste Gyaan For Aam Admi
MPCB to conduct workshop on e-Waste management
Mumbaikars have been found guilty of flouting environmental norms with regard to disposal of e-Waste. So, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has decided to hold a one-day workshop for the aam admi or common man, to teach them e-Waste management. he workshop to be conducted at the MPCB office at Sion on July 16 will be open to all.
Y B Sontakke, regional officer (e-Waste) from MPCB said people will be taught to dispose e-Waste safely.
Citing a recent example, another official from MPCB said that tonnes of hazardous waste were found lying at Kharghar ground. "We are yet to find out, who dumped the material there," he added.
B K Soni, an expert on e-Waste recycling, said, "Representatives from both residential complexes and industries are invited. The purpose is to make people aware of the hazards of dumping e-Waste carelessly and the damage it can do to nature."
Approved Recycling plants in Mumbai
Bhiwandi: 2
Thane: 2
Pune: 2
Murbad: 1
Vasai: 1
Mumbaikars have been found guilty of flouting environmental norms with regard to disposal of e-Waste. So, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has decided to hold a one-day workshop for the aam admi or common man, to teach them e-Waste management. he workshop to be conducted at the MPCB office at Sion on July 16 will be open to all.
Y B Sontakke, regional officer (e-Waste) from MPCB said people will be taught to dispose e-Waste safely.
Citing a recent example, another official from MPCB said that tonnes of hazardous waste were found lying at Kharghar ground. "We are yet to find out, who dumped the material there," he added.
B K Soni, an expert on e-Waste recycling, said, "Representatives from both residential complexes and industries are invited. The purpose is to make people aware of the hazards of dumping e-Waste carelessly and the damage it can do to nature."
Approved Recycling plants in Mumbai
Bhiwandi: 2
Thane: 2
Pune: 2
Murbad: 1
Vasai: 1
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Indian Government Proposes Ewaste Producer Responsibility
On 28 April 2010 the Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in New Delhi issued a draft rule on the management and handling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (called WEEE in Europe but e-waste in India) for a 60-day period of public consultation. The draft 'E-waste (Management and Handling) Rule 2010' is based on the Extended Producer Responsibility principle and is the first such legislation to be put forward by a developing country. According to Abhishek Pratap, Toxics Campaigner Greenpeace India, 'it will not only control the generation of waste at the end stage but also leads to green electronic products in the market.'
Under the proposals, producers would for the first time be responsible for the entire life-cycle of the product from design to waste. The draft rule also includes a provision for the reduction of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment to below prescribed limits and imposes a ban on the import of all used electronic equipment for charity purposes. These provisions are all issues on which Greenpeace India has been campaigning for the last four years. The draft rule is based on the recommendations made by Greenpeace together with the Indian Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT), the German sustainable development promoter GTZ and the Indian environmental non-governmental organisation, Toxics Link, and support from all the major electronic companies in India. The Greenpeace campaign has already resulted in the setting up of a wide range of voluntary take-back and recycling programmes by major electronics manufacturers in India. This in turn has led to an increase in the number of green products on the Indian and global market.
However there are two aspects of the draft rule which Greenpeace believes require further refinement and clarity. The first is the legal ambiguity on financial responsibility of the producers for their historic and future waste – a loophole which Greenpeace fears could be exploited by the producers to duck their responsibilities. The second is the limits set for the reduction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Instead of adopting the European Union limits which are considered a global standard, the Indian Government has chosen different ones: Greenpeace believes that non-adoption of the EU standard could be detrimental for the growth of the Indian electronics sector at an international level.
Greenpeace is inviting stakeholders to consultation events in different cities around India to provide feedback and suggestions for submission to MoEF.
Under the proposals, producers would for the first time be responsible for the entire life-cycle of the product from design to waste. The draft rule also includes a provision for the reduction of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment to below prescribed limits and imposes a ban on the import of all used electronic equipment for charity purposes. These provisions are all issues on which Greenpeace India has been campaigning for the last four years. The draft rule is based on the recommendations made by Greenpeace together with the Indian Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT), the German sustainable development promoter GTZ and the Indian environmental non-governmental organisation, Toxics Link, and support from all the major electronic companies in India. The Greenpeace campaign has already resulted in the setting up of a wide range of voluntary take-back and recycling programmes by major electronics manufacturers in India. This in turn has led to an increase in the number of green products on the Indian and global market.
However there are two aspects of the draft rule which Greenpeace believes require further refinement and clarity. The first is the legal ambiguity on financial responsibility of the producers for their historic and future waste – a loophole which Greenpeace fears could be exploited by the producers to duck their responsibilities. The second is the limits set for the reduction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Instead of adopting the European Union limits which are considered a global standard, the Indian Government has chosen different ones: Greenpeace believes that non-adoption of the EU standard could be detrimental for the growth of the Indian electronics sector at an international level.
Greenpeace is inviting stakeholders to consultation events in different cities around India to provide feedback and suggestions for submission to MoEF.
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E-waste Must Be Treated On A War Footing
DAVANAGERE: Electronic waste is posing danger to environment and there is an urgent need for its recycling and disposal, said A S Sadashivaiah, chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating World Environment Day celebrations and the 60th annual conference of Association of Occupational Health Karnataka (AOHK) at JJM Medical College here recently.
"Over 10,000 tonnes of electronic waste is being generated daily in the state. Bangalore alone contributes over 50% of electronic waste (e-waste). A lot of toxic elements are being released to the environment. There is a severe threat to environment if the e-waste is not scientifically treated and disposed off," he said, adding that there is a possibility to recover some precious metals like gold, silver, platinum from e-waste. KSPCB has signed an MoU with a Belgium-based organization for recovering precious metals.
The KSPCB chief asked Davanagere DC P S Vastrad to impose a ban on the use of plastics less than 20 microns. Davanagere MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa inaugurated a training and research centre for occupational health under Bapuji Educational Association here on the occasion. He said necessary money and man power will be extended for the welfare of the people working in various industries.
AOHK president Dr Kanaka Rao, Dr Rajmohan, in-charge director of regional occupational health centre (Bangalore) and the members of AOHK were present. Over 200 delegates from medical colleges and industries took part in the event.
He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating World Environment Day celebrations and the 60th annual conference of Association of Occupational Health Karnataka (AOHK) at JJM Medical College here recently.
"Over 10,000 tonnes of electronic waste is being generated daily in the state. Bangalore alone contributes over 50% of electronic waste (e-waste). A lot of toxic elements are being released to the environment. There is a severe threat to environment if the e-waste is not scientifically treated and disposed off," he said, adding that there is a possibility to recover some precious metals like gold, silver, platinum from e-waste. KSPCB has signed an MoU with a Belgium-based organization for recovering precious metals.
The KSPCB chief asked Davanagere DC P S Vastrad to impose a ban on the use of plastics less than 20 microns. Davanagere MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa inaugurated a training and research centre for occupational health under Bapuji Educational Association here on the occasion. He said necessary money and man power will be extended for the welfare of the people working in various industries.
AOHK president Dr Kanaka Rao, Dr Rajmohan, in-charge director of regional occupational health centre (Bangalore) and the members of AOHK were present. Over 200 delegates from medical colleges and industries took part in the event.
Source: Times of India
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E-Waste in India - Short documentary
The world is consuming more and more electronic products every year. This has caused a dangerous explosion in electronic scrap (e-waste) containing toxic chemicals and heavy metals that cannot be disposed of or recycled safely. But this problem can be avoided. We are pressing leading electronic companies to change; to turn back the toxic tide of e-waste. Every year, hundreds of thousands of old computers and mobile phones are dumped in landfills or burned in smelters. Thousands more are exported, often illegally, from the Europe, US, Japan and other industrialised countries, to Asia. There, workers at scrap yards, some of whom are children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons.
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