India attaches importance to the management of electronic waste

India's e-waste is expected to increase to about 800,000 tons by 2012. A survey conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) estimates that in 2005, India produced 147,000 tons of e-waste. According to estimates from the United Nations Environment Programme's inventory assessment manual in 2007, the European Union produces about 14 to 15 kilograms of e-waste per person per year, and produces less than 1 kilogram of e-waste per person in countries such as China and India.

The disposal of electronic waste in Western countries is based on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The Ministry of Environment and Forests of India issued the “Rules for Hazardous Wastes (Management, Disposal and Transboundary Movement) Regulations” in 2008, aiming at the proper management and disposal of hazardous wastes, including electronic waste. According to this rule, the unit dealing with electronic waste must register with the Central Pollution Control Committee. The generated e-waste should be sent to or sold to registered or qualified entities who, as recyclers or re-processors or re-users, have environmentally friendly facilities that can regenerate metals, plastics, etc. The Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of Electronic Wastes published by the Central Pollution Control Committee in 2008 provide suitable methods and methods for the composition, potential economic value of recycling, and identification, recycling or reuse of potentially hazardous components of electronic waste. Recycling options, e-waste processing technologies, etc. are all described in detail. The guide also emphasizes the concept of extended producer responsibility.