{"id":70318,"date":"2026-03-27T18:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=70318"},"modified":"2026-03-27T18:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:11:26","slug":"e-waste-regulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-03-2026\/e-waste-regulation","title":{"rendered":"Need For Stronger Regulation of Transboundary E-Waste Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thailand seized 284 tonnes of US imported e-waste falsely labelled as scrap metal, highlighting concerns over transboundary hazardous waste and \u201cexporting pollution.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is E-Waste?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>E-waste refers to <strong>discarded electrical and electronic devices<\/strong> such as computers, circuit boards, mobile phones, and appliances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It contains hazardous materials like <strong>lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improper disposal leads to<strong> soil contamination, water pollution, and health hazards.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Do Developed Countries Export E-Waste?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recycling e-waste is <strong>technologically complex and costly<\/strong> in developed countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developing countries usually have <strong>lower environmental regulations and cheaper labour<\/strong> for informal recycling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This leads to the phenomenon of <strong>\u201cwaste colonialism\u201d,<\/strong> where pollution is shifted to poorer nations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s E-Waste Scenario<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India ranks as the <strong>third-largest<\/strong> producer of electronic waste globally, following <strong>China and the United States.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>According to the Global E-waste Monitor, <\/strong>E-waste generation in India has increased from<strong> ~2.76 MMT in 2020 to ~6.19 MMT in 2024 <\/strong>and is projected to reach 14 MMT by 2030.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Computer equipment<\/strong> accounts for the largest share of the E-waste stream (65%), followed by <strong>large appliances and medical equipment (15%),<\/strong> telecom equipment (12%), and <strong>consumer electronics (8%).\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in E-Waste Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rapid Growth of E-Waste:<\/strong> The fast pace of technological advancement and short product life cycles leads to a continuous rise in e-waste generation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dominance of Informal Sector:<\/strong> In countries like India, <strong>90\u201395%<\/strong> of e-waste is processed by the informal sector, using unsafe methods such as acid leaching and open burning, causing severe pollution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inadequate Infrastructure:<\/strong> Limited number of authorized collection centres,\u00a0 recycling units, poor logistics and weak reverse supply chains hinder effective waste collection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poor Tracking:<\/strong> Lack of reliable data on quantity generated and recycling rates enables leakages into informal channels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives for E-Waste Management in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):<\/strong> Producers, importers, and brand owners are made responsible for managing their product\u2019s end-of-life waste.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>An online EPR E-Waste portal <\/strong>has been developed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) where entities such as producers, manufacturers, recyclers, and refurbishers of the e-waste are required to be registered.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change<\/strong> has comprehensively revised the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and notified the <strong>E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India&#8217;s first e-waste clinic was<\/strong> inaugurated in <strong>Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#8217;s a facility for segregating, processing, and disposing of e-waste from both households and commercial units.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Ministry of Mines launched a <strong>Pan-India E-Waste Recycling Drive as part of Special Campaign 5.0<\/strong> (in 2025), aimed at promoting Swachhata in government offices and ensuring scientific disposal and resource recovery from electronic waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Basel Convention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Basel Convention is a <strong>global treaty aimed at controlling the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes<\/strong> and their disposal, ensuring that such wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It mandates:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prior informed consent of importing countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Environmentally sound management of hazardous waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Return of illegal waste shipments at the exporter\u2019s expense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was adopted in <strong>1989 <\/strong>and entered into force in <strong>1992.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India is a party<\/strong> to the Basel Convention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Countries must <strong>strengthen domestic recycling infrastructure <\/strong>to manage their own waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a need for<strong> stricter enforcement of the Basel Convention<\/strong>, global tracking systems for hazardous waste shipments, promotion of circular economy practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developed nations must <strong>take full responsibility for their waste<\/strong>, ensuring sustainable and ethical environmental governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/thailand-seizes-284-tonnes-of-illegal-e-waste-and-prepares-to-ship-it-back-to-the-us\/articleshow\/129459066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TOI<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Thailand seized 284 tonnes of US imported e-waste falsely labelled as scrap metal, highlighting concerns over transboundary hazardous waste and \u201cexporting pollution.\u201d <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is E-Waste? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> E-waste refers to discarded electrical and electronic devices such as computers, circuit boards, mobile phones, and appliances. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It contains hazardous materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Improper disposal leads to soil contamination, water pollution, and health hazards. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-03-2026\/e-waste-regulation \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70318"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70322,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70318\/revisions\/70322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}