The new e-waste rules notified by the government are an important step forward. However, loopholes which allow producers to evade their responsibility and the informal sector to evade environmental and health controls need to be addressed. It is also important to create mass awareness and make it easier for the consumer to dispose e-waste. Policy should encourage cooperation rather than competition between those responsible for disposing e-waste.

Panjim, June 18, 2012: It’s more than a month that the E-waste Management and Handling Rules, 2012 - notified by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Central Pollution Control (CPCB), Govt of India, has come into force, but till date barely 1% of e-waste manufacturers and users have woken up to the reality of the new regulations.

New Delhi, June 18, 2012: Rules on electronic waste management were notified in May this year, but several electronics and electric equipment manufacturers in Delhi have not set up e-waste collection centres yet, say environmentalists.

New Delhi, June 18, 2012: It is now mandatory for consumers to hand over electronic waste to designated collectors for proper disposal while it is equally essential for producers, under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) to take back e-waste for recycling. The rule came into play on May 1 but Delhi, one of the biggest producers of e-waste in the country and the biggest recycling hub, is yet to put a collection mechanism in place.

The E-Waste (Management and Handling Rules) 2010, which became law last month, makes it mandatory for hardware manufacturers to facilitate e-waste collection. But with lax implementation, most manufacturers haven't bothered to take the necessary remedial steps.

Electronic waste or e-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world today, contributing to almost 5 per cent of the total municipal solid waste generated worldwide. Annually, India generates almost 800,000 tonnes of e-waste and is expected to grow at an average rate of 10-15 per cent, according to estimates.

New Delhi, June 10, 2012: Barely 4.5 per cent of India’s e-waste gets recycled due to absence of proper infrastructure, legislation and framework for disposing off electronic gadgets and products that have reached the dead-end, says a study.

June 5, 2012: Delhi-based Toxic Links, a key campaigner for sound management of E-waste said without monitoring and or evaluation mechanisms in place, nothing is going to change in the coming days.

New Delhi, May 1, 2012: E-waste handling rules, which came into effect from Tuesday, will not make much difference at the ground-level, as there is no monitoring mechanism or guideline in place, says Toxics Link.

Mumbai/ New Delhi, March 05, 2012: Take a good look at your shelves and the hidden corners of your cupboards. You are bound to find at least one gadget that you had hoarded simply because it had lived up to its worth or because you had replaced it with a newer model.