Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has been neglecting collection and disposal of e-waste, claiming it was not responsible for it. However, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has framed new rules for e-waste (electronic and electrical), which compel civic bodies to ensure e-waste is not mixed with municipal solid waste (MSW). This will help prevent pollution due to e-waste and also its recycling and reuse.

The central government had introduced norms for disposal of e-waste for the first time by implementing E-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011. But NMC used to say it had role given in collection and disposal of e-waste.

NMC reaches each and every household and commercial shops in the city. It would have been very easy to ensure safe collection and disposal of e-waste in case civic bodies had been given the responsibility. However, the rules did not mention their responsibilities specifically.

Now, MoEFCC has come up with E-Waste Management Rules, 2016, to supersede the rules of 2011. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's (MPCB) regional office here has received a copy of the new rules from its head office at Mumbai a couple of days ago.

In the new rules, urban local bodies have been given specific responsibilities. It asks civic bodies to "ensure that e-waste, if found mixed with municipal solid waste, is properly segregated, collected and is channelized to authorized dismantler or recycler. To ensure that e-waste pertaining to orphan products is collected and channelized to authorized dismantler or recycler."

The new rules will come into effect from October 1. So now, NMC will have to ensure e-waste is not mixed with garbage and orphan (household) products are collected and channelized through authorized agencies.

MPCB has been given responsibility of giving licenses to manufacturers or producers, collection agencies and recyclers. Also, MPCB has powers to initiate action against violators, including levying penalties.

Interestingly, MoEFCC has brought Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and other mercury containing lamps, as well as other such equipment under e-waste category in new rules. CFL is in demand at present in the market and is often seen mixed with MSW.

Under the new rules, MoEFCC has fixed responsibilities on everyone, right from manufacturers to dealers, consumers. Major responsibilities have been fixed on manufacturers or producers, who will be compelled to ensure collection and disposal of e-waste.

Though there are negligible manufacturers or producers in city or in Vidarbha, the dealers will have to play the role as ultimately manufacturers or producers will comply with the rules through them.

Some options have been given for collection of e-waste, like appointment of collection agencies or taking back e-waste from respective consumer through buy back system, or levying deposit refund scheme, under which dealer will take some amount from customer while selling and pay back the amount with interest after receiving back the used product.

Scrap vendors and dealers, who collect a lot of e-waste from households, will be in fix if the new rules are implemented effectively by MPCB and NMC. They will have to register themselves as collection agents with MPCB and follow all norms, including filing annual returns etc, which is not at all feasible for people doing their business on footpaths.

HANDLING E-WASTE

Storage: Every manufacturer, producer, bulk consumer, collection centre, dealer, refurbisher, dismantler and recycler may store e-waste for a period not exceeding 180 days and shall maintain a record of collection, sale, transfer and storage of wastes and make these records available for inspection

Restrictions: Every producer of electrical and electronic equipment and their components or consumables or parts or spares shall ensure new products do not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers beyond a maximum concentration value of 0.1%

Responsibility: Consumers or bulk consumers shall ensure that e-waste generated by them is channelized through collection centres or dealer of authorized producer or dismantler or recycler or through the designated take back service provider of the producer to authorized dismantler or recycler and also maintain records of e-waste generated by them and make such records available for scrutiny by MPCB