INDUSTRY
E-waste rises by 72% in the past 5 years, with 21 types of gadgets leading the surge
- IBJ Bureau
- Dec 17, 2024
The country saw an increase of around 72 per cent in e-waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) such as smartphones, computers, television sets and refrigerators over the past five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.
According to a written reply to a question by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, 10.14 lakh tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2019-20, and the figure climbed to 17.51 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.
Mr Sahu said that 13,46,496 tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2020-21, 16,01,155 tonnes in 2021-22 and 16,09,117 tonnes in 2022-23.
Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, 21 EEE items were notified, and information about e-waste generated from these items is available for the last four years (2019-20 to 2022-23).
These 21 items include laptops, telephones, cordless telephones, cellular telephones, smartphones, television sets, air-conditioners (excluding centralised air-conditioning plants) and washing machines.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines on the implementation of E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, smartphones have a lifespan of five years, refrigerators 10 years, personal computers six years and washing machines nine years.
“The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, from April 1, 2023, for the effective management of the e-waste in the country,” Mr Sahu said in his reply.
The objective of the rules is to take all steps required to ensure that e-waste is managed in a manner which will protect health and environment against any of its adverse effects, he said.
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