E-waste Guideline

What is eWaste or electronic Waste?

Electronic   waste @ e-waste is a term which refers to unusable, discarded and old,   electric & electronic appliances such as refrigerators,   LED/LCD/CTV,  microwave oven, washing machines, home air conditioner etc. As per E waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2022 (amended upto date) e-waste' means electrical and electronic equipment, including solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells, whole or in part discarded as waste, as well as rejects from manufacturing, refurbishment and repair processes.

E-waste   has been categorized into seven (07) main categories, i.e., Consumer   Electronics/home appliances, IT & Telecom, Toys, Large and Small Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Leisure and Sports Equipment, Electrical and Electronic Tools (With the exception of large- Scale Stationary Industrial Tools),  Medical Devices (With the Exception of All Implanted and Infected Products) & Laboratory Instruments. Refrigerators, washing machines, home air conditioner LED/LCD etc. represents Consumer Electronics /home appliances & water heater, Micowave Oven deep freezers etc represents Large and Small Electrical and Electronic Equipment.  On the other hand computers, desktop, laptop mobile phones etc. and its component represent Telecom & IT.

E-waste broadly covers waste from all electronic and electrical appliances and contains different hazardous materials which are harmful to human health and the environment if not disposed of carefully. While some naturally occurring substances are harmless in nature, their use in the manufacture of electronic equipment often results in compounds which are hazardous for example chromium becomes chromium VI. Thus Ministry of  Environment, Forest  & Climate Change, Govt. of India had listed  issued directions for  reduction in the use of hazardous substances in  the manufacture of  electrical and electronic equipment and their  components or consumables  or parts or spares.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India in furtherance of its  effort to reduce the hazard occurring from rapid  growth in the Consumer  durable and IT-Telecom arket had made rules  called as E Waste  Management Rules, 2022 under  Environment Protection Act.

HAZARDS OF IMPROPER HANDLING AND/OR IMPROPER RECYCLING OF ELECTRONIC WASTE

Electronic   equipment’s contain many hazardous metallic contaminants such as lead,   cadmium, and beryllium and brominated flame-retardants. An improper handling and/or improper recycling of the Electronic Waste results in   these hazardous metals/substances getting released into our eco and   biological system, thereby leading to various health hazards. The   Hazardous contents in the electronic equipment include:

Health:-    The informal method of recycling extended health hazards. For example,   primary and secondary exposure to toxic metals, such as lead, results   generally from open-air burning used to retrieve valuable components   such as gold. Incineration from burning e-waste creates fine particulate matter, which is linked to pulmonary and cardiovascular disease.

Environment:- The informal method of recycling extended environment hazards too. For   example when different e-waste is burnt to extract metals from it, toxic chemicals are released in to the air, damaging the atmosphere.

•     Lead     •   Brominated Flame Retardants   •   Chromium   •   Mercury •     Beryllium   •   Cadmium   •   Barium   •   Carbon Black   •   Phosphor

E-Waste Toxic Components and their Damage to Human Health

E-Waste Toxic Components and their Damage to Human Health

Without safe recycling, most of these toxic components will end up in land fill - poisioning the soil and water

The Do’s of Electronic Waste Recycling:

1.      Give the discarded Electronic Equipments only at the authorized collection centers so that the same can be properly recycled

2.      Drop the discarded Electronic Equipments only in the bins meant for the Electronic Waste

3.      Consult the authorized service center as to whether the Electronic Equipment can be repaired or not, before discarding the same

4.      Tel your neighbors and other persons about the hazards of improper  disposal  or handling or improper recycling of the Electronic Waste

5.      If the unwanted Electronic Equipment still work or can be repaired then consider donating them

The Don’ts of Electronic Waste Recycling:

1.      Don’t   dump the discarded Electronic Equipment’s in open or in any Land Fill   Site as the same will result in contaminating the  Soil and the ground   water

2.      Don’t dispose of the discarded Electronic Equipment’s in household bins or Municipal Bins

3.      Don’t sell or give your discarded Electronic Equipment’s to any Trash Dealer or Kabadiwala

4.      Recycling   Electronic Equipment’s helps to save natural finite resources and also   reduces the environmental and health risks associated with improper   handling/disposing the Electronic Waste

5.      To  minimize our  impact on the earth and to protect the environment for  future  generations return your discarded Electronic Equipment’s here for  safe  recycling:

Why proper handling and management of e-waste is required?

According   to MoEF, the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) have valuable   materials and hazardous/toxics substances in their components. The   electronic products and electrical equipment after their useful life may not cause any harm if it is stored safely in households/stores.   However, if the E-waste is opened-up and attempts are made for retrieval of useful components or material in an un-scientific manner or if the material is disposed in open, then it may cause health risks and damage to environment. E-waste can be considered as a resource that contains useful material of economic benefit for recovery of plastics, iron,  glass, aluminum, copper and precious metals such as silver,  gold,  platinum, and palladium and lead, cadmium, mercury etc. However, at the same time presence of heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg, Pb etc.) and other toxic substances such as polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs), etched chemicals, etc. may pose risk to health and environment during handling and recovery operations. E-waste is a problem of increasing proportions especially when crude methods are adopted for recovery of useful  components from E-waste.

Thus, there is a  need to encourage recycling of all useful and valuable material  from  e-waste so as to conserve the ever depleting natural resources.   Electronic component are increasingly made from recycled materials, for   example for making new LCDs, more than 50% of indium is sourced by   recycling used LCDs. The E-waste thus presents a scenario of urban   mining for recovery of ferrous/non-ferrous/ rare earth metal and   precious metal in addition to plastics and glass. However, presence of   hazardous and toxic substances in the component of e-waste necessitates   environmentally sound management of e-waste including collection and   recycling/treatment in an environmentally sound manner.

Management and Effect on sustainable future:-

Sustainable development as defined by Brundtland Commission   is “development that meets the needs of the present without   compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own   needs.”

The e-waste since a long time had been seen as an easy and cheapest source of metals. However due to lack of proper   consideration for such source of metals as well as proper methods of   recycling in India, we sent our e-waste to the improper channel and   thereby participated in degrading the environment. Moreover, through   this improper method of extraction of metals we till date had wasted at   least forty percent of the precious metals and simultaneously caused   damage to our environment. If we opt the proper way to extract metals   through proper channel of recycling then we can achieve Ninety percent   of extraction rate of our metals as well as a better way to save our   environment. However, if today while selling off our material to   improper channel we will not think about our sustainable future then it   is for sure that the coming generations will be facing crisis of the   metals.

Customer / end user responsibility

1.      Consumers shall ensure that there end of life product/e-waste is   channelized through collection center or dealer of authorized producer   or dismantler or recycler or through the designated take back service   provider of the producer to authorized dismantler or recycler;

2.      Consumers shall ensure that such end-of-life electrical and electronic   equipment are not admixed with e-waste containing radioactive  material;

Bulk Consumer Responsibility:-

1.      Bulk consumers of electrical and electronic equipment shall ensure  that  e-waste generated by them is channelized through collection center  or  dealer of authorized producer or dismantler or recycler or through  the  designated take back service provider of the producer to authorized   dismantler or recycler;

2.      Bulk   consumers of electrical and electronic equipment shall ensure that such   end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment are not admixed with   e-waste containing radioactive material as covered under the provisions   of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962) and rules made there  under;

3.      Bulk consumers of  electrical and electronic equipment listed in  Schedule I shall maintain  records of e-waste generated by them in Form-2  and make such records  available for scrutiny by the concerned State  Pollution Control Board;

4.      Bulk  consumers of electrical and electronic equipment listed in  Schedule I  shall file annual returns in Form-3, to the concerned State  Pollution  Control Board on or before the 30th day of June following the  financial  year to which that return relates;

5.      In case of the bulk consumer with multiple offices in a State, one   annual return combining information from all the offices shall be filed   to the concerned State Pollution Control Board on or before the 30th day of June following the financial year to which that return relates.

Haiers' Responsibility

Haier   India being responsible and trustworthy brand is taking all the necessary and expected steps for betterment of the environment as well as living beings. Haier had joined hands with number of recyclers to ensure environment friendly recycling of the electronic items, such as refrigerators, washing   machines, air conditioners  etc. that are either achieved their end of   life or are old, unusable etc.

Apart from above, Haier had taken the following steps for proper recycling of e-waste of its customers:-

1.      Collection and Channelization of e-waste:- Haier   had setup toll free Number where the customers can call and registered   their products for recycling. As soon as e-waste pick up is registered   by customer a representative will come to collect the product.

2.      Dismantling & Recycling of e-waste : Haier has appointed number of recycler who are the leading name in the recycling industry to responsibly and in environment friendly manner recycle the e waste generated in India. 

3.      Awareness for e-waste : Haier is actively sharing Infographics & engagement posts on its social platforms to create more awareness about e waste and its hazardous. In addition Haier is also conducting awareness programs in Schools, RWA’s, Office Clusters etc to create awareness. 

Contact for further information:

Haier Appliances (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Building Number 1, Okhla Industrial Estate,  Phase III, Opposite Modi Mill, New Delhi-110020.

Toll Free Hotline Number 1800-419-9999 || 1800-102-9999 Query Between : 9.00 AM to 9.00 PM  (Monday to Saturday)

Email- customercare@haierindia.com

Our E-waste Partner (as on date)

1. M/s WEEE- PRO RESOURCE RECOVERY SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED
Contact Details : Mr Bhagwati Prasad Suman

Ph No. 9958445960 ||  info@weee-pro.org;