Uttarakhand ranks 2nd in the country in Managing E-Waste

• 31 Jul 2023

Why in News?

According to information given in the Rajya Sabha on July 29, 2023, based on central pollution control board data, Uttarakhand ranks second in the country in terms of management, collection and recycling of electronic waste, which is emerging as a major threat to the environment and society in the future.

Key Points:

• 51541.12 metric tonnes of e-waste is being recycled in the state. This figure is less than half of the state's capacity to recycle e-waste. The state has the capacity to recycle 1.58 lakh metric tonnes of e-waste.
• Uttarakhand has left behind big states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu based on the data of the Central Pollution Control Board.
• Among the Himalayan states, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir lag far behind in terms of collecting and recycling e-waste.
• It is known that the Central Government has issued guidelines for the collection, management and recycling of e-waste for all the states. These guidelines are applicable to the generator, manufacturer, user and recycler of electrical and electronic waste and its bulk consumer.
• E-waste: Electrical and electronic products that are not working or are in their last stages of use, such as computers, televisions, photocopiers, fax machines, electrical appliances, electronic products such as refrigerators, etc. fall under the category of e-waste.
• The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is an environmentally sensitive state. E-waste is a big future challenge for the state. There is a risk of pollution of air and water due to its unscientific collection, burning and randomly throwing it.
• Principal Secretary (Forest) and Chairman of the State Pollution Control Board R.K. Sudhanshu said that e-waste management is being implemented based on the guidelines of the Central Government and the Central Pollution Control Board. The government will try to increase the collection of e-waste.
• For its effective management, ITDA is formulating an e-waste management policy. Suggestions regarding the policy have been given by the Pollution Control Board.
• Top 10 states collecting e-waste:
  • Haryana - 245015.82 (MT)
  • Uttarakhand - 51541.12
  • Telangana - 42297.68
  • Karnataka - 39150.63
  • Tamil Nadu - 31143.77
  • Gujarat - 30569.32
  • Punjab - 28375.27
  • Rajasthan - 27998.77
  • Maharashtra - 18559.30
  • Kerala - 1249.61