India Notifies New E-Waste Management Rules

by Sandra Tiah

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India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has published a notification that the “E-Waste Management Rules, 2016,” will supersede the “E-Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011.”

Key changes include:

• The applicability of the Rules has been extended to components, consumables, spares, and parts of electrical  and  electronic  equipment (EEE), in addition to equipment listed in Schedule I;
• Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and other mercury containing lamps will now be covered by these Rules;
• There will be a collection mechanism based approach, to include collection centers, collection points, take back systems etc., for collection of e-waste by producers, under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR);
• Introduction of the role of State Governments to ensure safety, health and skill development of the workers involved in the dismantling and recycling operations; and
• Introduction of liability for damages caused to the environment or third party due to the improper management of e-waste, including a financial penalty clause for violation of provisions of the Rules.