Very high non-compliance of e-waste rules at 72 collection centres in Delhi: Pollution control board

NEW DELHI: Seventy-two e-waste collection centres in the capital have been found violating E-waste Management Rules and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been requested to take action against them, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) said on Sunday.

The degree of non-compliance is "very high" looking at the findings of the inspections, the DPCC noted.

The apex pollution control body has also been asked to cancel Extended Producer's Responsibility (EPR) authorization granted to the producers attached with these non-compliant collection centres.

EPR is one of the main features of E-waste Management Rules under which brand owners and importers are responsible for recovering the material placed in the market for safe disposal at their cost.

These collection centres are required to comply with the CPCB guidelines regarding minimum area required for specified e-waste quantity, pollution control measures to be taken etc.

The DPCC, being the state pollution control authority in Delhi, is required to carry out periodical inspections to ensure compliance of the terms and conditions laid down by the CPCB.

Last week, the DPCC conducted inspections of the CPCB-authorised collection centres under EPR.

Of the 83 collection centres inspected, 72 were found not complying with the rules, an official said.

"The CPCB is the competent authority to take action against such non-compliant collection centres. We have issued letters requesting it to cancel EPR authorization of the producers attached with these non-compliant collection centres," the official said.

Besides, 185 illegal e-waste handlers operating in residential areas have been closed down in over two years.

The DPCC also said there is "certain slackness" in the implementation of the E-Waste Management Rules as proper awareness amongst stakeholders is not there.

Though the DPCC has been issuing public notices for creation of awareness about the provisions and mandatory compliances from time to time, the degree of compliance is "far from satisfactory", it said.

Majority of e-waste handling is happening in non-conforming areas of Delhi due to which control over them and compliance is lacking.

E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 also stipulate that inventorisation of e-waste generation has to be done by the state pollution control board concerned.

A committee consisting of officers of Ministry of Electronics, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, CPCB and DPCC has been constituted to finalise methodology to inventorise e-waste generation in Delhi.

It is in the final stages of framing guidelines.

Though the state boards of Madya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha have completed the inventorisation exercise, methodology stipulated by CPCB under the guidelines has not been followed, the DPCC said.

"Delhi will be the first state to complete this inventorisation exercise, if done as per the methodology of the CPCB," it said.

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