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

Seventy-two e-waste collection centers 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 the Extended Producer's Responsibility (EPR) authorization granted to the producers attached with these non-compliant collection centers.

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 centers are required to comply with the CPCB guidelines regarding the 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 with the terms and conditions laid down by the CPCB.

Last week, the DPCC conducted inspections of the CPCB-authorised collection centers under EPR. Of the 83 collection centers 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 centers. We have issued letters requesting it to cancel EPR authorization of the producers attached with these non-compliant collection centers,'' 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 the creation of awareness about the provisions and mandatory compliances from time to time, the degree of compliance is ''far from satisfactory'', it said.

The 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 incentivization of e-waste generation has to be done by the state pollution control board concerned.

A committee consisting of officers of the Ministry of Electronics, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, CPCB, and DPCC has been constituted to finalize the methodology to inventories 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 incentivization exercise, the methodology stipulated by CPCB under the guidelines has not been followed, the DPCC said.

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