eWaste Policy Initiatives

1
eWaste Policy Initiatives

• January 2003
• Mrs Almitra H Patel
• Member, Supreme Court Committee
• for Solid Waste Management
• 50 Kothnur, Bagalur Road
• Bangalore 560077 080-8465365
• almitrapatel_at_rediffmail.com

2
Policy Intervention is needed when the market
fails to address environmental problems

• Policies are best created by
• those who understand the issues,
• by the industry collectively
• with user involvement, e.g. AIPM

3
eWaste Recycling is a thriving business in
India

• Copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium
• are recovered in secrecy by highly
• polluting methods burning of PCBs,
• treatment with acids or cyanide salts,
• mostly from imported scrap.
• Gas displays tubes are dumped.

4
No pro-active advice or help is given to upgrade
this industry

• HP and IBM have worldwide
• take-back policies, for a small fee.
• Neither are recycling in India.
• We should encourage them
• to recycle here and bring us
• state-of-the-art practices.

5
RE-USE IS THE BEST POLICYeven for defective
items

• cell-phones for SMS for deaf dumb,
• keyboard monitor for typing classes,
• VCR used as VCP, TVs downgraded,
• washing - machines for manual use.
• Industrial eWaste from control panels
• or phone exchanges for ? ? ? ? ?

6
RE-MANUFACTURING is next best

• Dis-assemble old eqpt and use
• parts for repair of similar items
• or use in new items, e.g. old
• memory and hard drives
• into simpler CPUs for schools.

7
WASTE MINIMISATION IS EASYUse less toxic or more
recyclable components

• Replace styrofoam packaging with
• cardboard (like Sony)or bubble-pack.
• Adopt the proven use of less hazardous
• chemicals, water, energy in production
• 
  processes.
• Where theres a will, theres a way.

8
RE-DESIGN products and
processes

• Lead - free computer products are
• already available from Fujitsu, NEC,
• Oki, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba.
• PVC alternatives exist, though costlier.
• Energy-saving models are aplenty.

9
SHARE INFORMATION Use or create websites

• for Donation Another Byte, GreenDisk,
• Kartridges for Kids
• Floppies for Kids
• Recycling EnviroCycle, Recycling IT (UK)
• EPA NetShare (open chat)
• Road-Maps for state-of-the-art information
• EPAs Common Sense Initiative Plan for the
  Computer and Electronics Industry

10
We need an IMPORT POLICY

• like Chinas (1996), which allows
• import of only waste which is usable
• as raw material, not for toxic recycling.
• Enforcement is crucial, as well as
• an independent watchdog group.

11
EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY

• EPR means full life-cycle accountability
• Producers of products must be made
• financially, physically and legally
• responsible for their products till the end.
• This encourages reduced resource and
• energy use pollution prevention thru
• less hazardous more recyclable matls.

12
DESIGN FOR RECYCLING

• Mandatory time-bound requirements
• to ensure clean, safe and efficient dis-
• assembly and raw material recovery.
• Also, a pre-established product route
• to a recycling market needs to be
• in place, through collective planning.

13
INDIA NEEDS A MANDATORY e -TAKE - BACK POLICY

• like the EUs Directive 94/62/EC of 1994,
• or EUs 1998 Ordinance on Avoidance Recovery
  of Packaging Waste.
• In Germany, Duales System (a Ltd Co) organises
  the nationwide collection, sorting recycling
  of post-consumer packaging, funded pro-rata by
  user firms. See www.gruener-punkt.de

14
A POLICY for HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES RESTRICTION

• similar to EUs ROHS Restriction Of
• Use of certain Hazardous Substances,
• which are required to be phased out of
• electrical electronics products by 2008
• All the precedents and working models are there
  before us. Let us now act !