Training for Indian State Pollution Control Boards on E-Waste Rules

Regional environmental authorities in India are obliged to better monitor the handling of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste). A five-day training by adelphi introduced them to the new E-Waste Rules.

India has to deal with enormous amounts of e-waste, which needs to be recycled or disposed of adequately. With the new E-Waste Rules taking effect, pollution control boards have to familiarise themselves with the unknown regulations in order to deal with the challenges.

In this training course held in India’s capital Delhi officials from nine Indian regions learned about the general aspects on e-waste, such as its composition, hazardous substances, or different recycling options. More focused on the duties of the authorities were sessions on the exact specifications of the Rules, the responsibilities of the authorities and potential actions and activities for implementing the Rules. The training was complemented by visits to informal and formal e-waste recyclers in Delhi. As a conclusion to the training, participants developed an action plan for the next steps in the implementation of the Rules.

The capacity building measures are part of the EU-funded WEEE Recycle project, now running in its fourth year of implementation. adelphi, together with its partners GIZ India, MAIT, and Toxics Link had supported the Indian government with the development of the Rules and the corresponding guidelines for implementation.