What the European Union Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström says about e-waste is true about India as well: "We are buying and then throwing away more and more electric and electronic products. They pose real problems in the municipal waste stream because they are often made up of hazardous materials"...such as heavy metals.

As per Press Information Bureau (PIB), the nodal agency of the Government of India to disseminate information to the media on government policies, electronic waste is included under List-A and List-B of Schedule-3 of the Hazardous Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989 as amended in 2000 & 2003. The import of this waste therefore requires specific permission of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. No such permission has been given to any authority or person by the Ministry till date. However, there have been unconfirmed reports in the media about illegal imports.

As the collection and re-cycling of electronic wastes is being done by the informal sector in our country at present, the Government has taken the following action/steps to enhance awareness about environmentally sound management of electronic waste: -

a.. A National Workshop on Electronic Waste Management was organised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in collaboration with Toxics Link, a Non-Governmental Organization in March 2004.

b.. Action has been initiated by CPCB for rapid assessment of the E-Waste generated in major cities of the country.

c.. A National Working Group has been constituted for formulating a strategy for E-Waste management.

d.. A comprehensive technical guide on "Environmental Management for Information Technology Industry in India" has been published and circulated widely by the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

e.. A demonstration project has also been set up by the DIT at the Indian Telephone Industries, Palakkad, Kerala for recovery of copper from Printed Circuit Boards.

f.. Several workshops and seminars have been organized in different parts of the country by the DIT on Environmental Management in Electronics Industry.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narain Meena in a written reply to a question from Vijay Kumar Khandelwal in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) on 23rd August 2004.

But progressive efforts on lines of the two EU Directives WHICH require producers to design and produce electric and electronic products in a way that facilitates their dismantling, reuse and recycling and to cover all related cost, including collection costs is no where in sight in India.

The EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Directive)[1] requires EU 15 Member States to set up collection systems for electronic equipment by August 2005 (August 2007 for the new Member States). When these systems are in place, consumers will be able to take these products back to shops and collection points free of charge. Member States will also have to collect at least 4 kg of this waste from households per inhabitant and year. There are also reuse and recycling targets for different products.

The EU Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)[2] bans certain hazardous substances such as lead and cadmium from electronic equipment from 1 July 2006 onward. Lead has been proven to have effects on cognitive systems, particularly in children. Cadmium affects the functioning of kidneys.

So far only Delhi Government is planning to bring in a legislation to manage electronic waste in Delhi. The legislation will make it mandatory for industries producing electronic goods to take them back.

Chief minister of Delhi has asked senior officials of the government to draw up the legislation. This law will lay the onus on the industries. Estimates suggest that about 30 metric tonnes of electronic waste is generated in Delhi every day.

Both the national government and other state governments ought to be pro-active through legilative measures in managing this modern waste.