Government notifies E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022

The Central Government has notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022. These rules apply to every manufacturer, producer refurbisher, dismantler and recycler involved in manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, refurbishing, dismantling, recycling and processing of e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment listed in Schedule I, including their components, consumables, parts and spares which make the product operational but it does not apply to

(a) waste batteries as covered under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022;

(b) packaging plastics as covered under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016;

(c) micro enterprise as defined in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006; and

(d) radio-active wastes as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.

Key points:

• Entities must register on the portal as manufacturer; producer; refurbisher; or recycler.

• All manufacturer must collect e-waste generated during the manufacture of any electrical and electronic equipment and ensure its recycling or disposal; file annual and quarterly returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before end of the month succeeding the quarter or year, as the case may be, to which the return relates.

• The producer of electrical and electronic equipment must create awareness through media, publications, advertisements, posters or by any other means of communication; and file annual and quarterly returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before the end of the month succeeding the quarter or year, as the case may be, to which the return relates. They must obtain and implement extended producer responsibility targets as per Schedule-III and Schedule-IV through the portal.

• All refurbisher must collect e-waste generated during the process of refurbishing and hand over the waste to registered recycler and upload information on the portal; ensure that the refurbished equipment shall be as per Compulsory Registration Scheme of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Standards of Bureau of Indian Standards framed for this purpose; file annual and quarterly returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before the end of the month succeeding the quarter or year, as the case may be, to which the return relates.

• Bulk consumers of electrical and electronic equipment listed in Schedule I shall ensure that e-waste generated by them shall be handed over only to the registered producer, refurbisher or recycler.

• All recycler must ensure the following:

1. facility and recycling processes are in accordance with the standards or guidelines laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board in this regard from time to time;

2. fractions or material not recycled in its facility is sent to the respective registered recyclers;

3. residue generated during recycling process is disposed of in an authorised treatment storage disposal facility;

4. maintain record of e-waste collected, dismantled, recycled and sent to registered recycler on the portal and make available all records for verification or audit as and when required;

5. file annual and quarterly returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before the end of the month succeeding the quarter or year, as the case may be, to which the return relates.

• Every manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler may store the e-waste for a period not exceeding one hundred and eighty days and shall maintain a record of sale, transfer and storage of e-wastes and make these records available for inspection and the storage of the e-waste.

• The Central Pollution Control Board must generate extended producer responsibility certificate through the portal infavour of a registered recycler.