Environ Min seek comments on draft waste management rules

The Environment Ministry has sought public comments on draft rules for waste management including bio-medical and e-waste.
The move is aimed at putting in place a strong waste management policy to curb pollution in the country.
The ministry has sought the opinion within sixty days on the rules put out separately for managing bio-medical waste, municipal solid waste, plastic waste and e-waste.
As per the draft norms, e-waste rules would apply on manufacturer, producer, consumers, collection centres, dealers, refurbishers, dismantler and recycler involved in manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, collection, storage and processing of e-waste.
The ministry has specified responsibilities of managing e-waste to each of them.

For instance, the responsibilities of a producer of electronic equipment include collection and channelisation of e-waste generated from the 'end of life' of their products, with same electrical and electronic equipment code that of their products placed in the market.

The producer can take the responsibility of e-waste management either individually or collectively. They should provide contact details such as address, telephone numbers or helpline number of collection centres to consumers so as to facilitate return of used electrical and electronic equipment.
As per e-waste draft rules, producers should finance and organise a transparent system to meet the costs involved in the environmentally sound management of e-waste.

They should also implement the 'Deposit Refund Scheme' wherein a portion of sale price shall be retained by producer and refundable to the consumer once the end of life products is channelised in the prescribed method.
Similarly, the responsibilities of consumers include channelising e-waste generated by them to authorised collection center or registered dismantler or recycler or is returned to the pick-up or take back services provided by the producers.
Bulk consumers should maintain records of e-waste generated by them and make such records available for scrutiny by the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control Committee concerned.
They should also ensure that such end of life electrical and electronic equipment do not contain radioactive material as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act 1962(33 of 1962) and rules made there under.

In case of plastic waste, the draft norms would apply to waste generator, urban local body, gram panchayat, manufacturer and producer.
These rules, however, will not apply to the export oriented units or units in special economic zones, and units engaged in packaging of gutkha, tobacco and pan masala and also to any surplus or rejects, left over products and alike.