The Ministry of Environment, forest and climate change on 2nd November 2022, has published the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 which shall come into force from the 1st day of April, 2023. These rules shall 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 including their components, consumables, parts and spares which make the product operational.
However this rule shall not be applicable to waste batteries as covered under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, packaging plastics as covered under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, micro enterprise as defined in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 and radio-active wastes as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
As per this rule, all manufacturers shall have to, register on the portal; collect e-waste generated during the manufacture of any electrical and electronic equipment and ensure its recycling or disposal; and 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.
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.
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 shall be done as per the applicable rules or guidelines for the time being in force:
Provided that the Central Pollution Control Board may extend the said period up to three hundred and sixty-five days in case the e-waste needs to be specifically stored for development of a process for its recycling or reuse.
