Delhi pollution control body to give licence for e-waste handling factories

Authorised e-waste dismantling units could soon be coming up in Delhi with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee planning to issue licence to proper handling units.

Units, in which electronic waste such as televisions, mobiles, computers and laptop are disassembled before they go to recycling factories, form an important link in the chain in which such waste could be disposed off in an eco-friendly manner.

“The proposal was making the rounds in the last few DPCC meetings. In the last meeting, held less than a month ago, it was agreed on principle that licence should be issued to set up authorised dismantling units in Delhi as they are not a hazardous industry,” said a senior officer of the DPCC.

To date dismantling of e-waste was not allowed without proper authorisation in India under the E-waste rules, 2011. Also dismantling is not an authorised activity in Delhi as per the Delhi Master Plan.

“The DPCC has formed a committee to look into matter. A notification is likely to be published soon. This would encourage entrepreneurs to set up proper dismantling units,” said a committee member.

Even though there is no official figure of how much e-waste Delhi produces annually, industry estimates suggest that the NCR region produced around 68,000 metric tonnes in 2016. The figure was projected to go up to more than 1 lakh metric tonnes in 2017.

But most of this waste is handled in a crude manner by the unorganised sector as there are no authorised dismantling or recycling units in the city. Dismantling and extraction of metals goes on in various parts of the city such as Old Seelampur, Mayapuri, Mustafabad and Shastri Park among others.

“Many such units operate in residential colonies in Delhi and pose a threat to both human health and environment,” said Ravi Agarwal director of Toxics Link in Delhi.

There are around 29 collection centres (common facility providers of e-waste) in Delhi according to DPCC estimates. They have been given consent to operate and can only collect, segregate and store e-waste without dismantling or recycling them.

Box

Waste stats

NCR produced around 68,000 metric tons of e-waste in 2016 (industry estimates)

Figure was projected to rise to more than 1 lakh metric tons in 2017

Around 29 collection centres given consent to operate by DPCC

There are around 178 recycling units in the country

Stages in disposing e-waste in eco-friendly manner: Collection, Dismantling, Recycling

DPCC planning to legalise dismantling and issue licenses to new dismantling units.