India witnessed an approximately 72 percent (72.5) increase 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, December 16. According to a written reply to a question about e-waste generation across the country by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, 10.14 lakh tonnes of e-waste was generated in the Financial Year 2019-20, and the figure rose to 17.51 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.
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E-Waste Data and Its Sources
Sahu stated that 13.46 lakh metric tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2020-21, 16.01 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, and 16.09 lakh tonnes in 2022-23. The generation of e-waste is estimated based on sales data provided by producers at the national level to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the average lifespan of 106 notified types of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Therefore, state-wise information on e-waste generation is not available.
E-Waste Management Rules
Further, the ministry replied that, as the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, are effective from March 1, 2023, information on the quantity of e-waste generated from the 106 EEE items is available only from FY 2023-24. Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, 21 EEE items were notified, and information on 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 centralized air-conditioning plants), and washing machines.
Average Lifespan of Electronic Devices
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines on the implementation of the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, smartphones have an average lifespan of five years, refrigerators 10 years, personal laptops five years, washing machines nine years, and air conditioners 10 years.
"The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, effective from April 1, 2023, for the effective management of e-waste in the country," Sahu said in his reply.
The objective of these rules is to ensure that e-waste is managed in a way that protects health and the environment from its adverse effects, he added.
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Bulk Consumers and E-Waste Disposal
Additionally, public institutions, including schools and government offices in urban areas, fall under the category of Bulk Consumers. Bulk consumers of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) must ensure that e-waste generated by them is handed over only to a registered producer, refurbisher, or recycler, the Minister said.
