Overview of E-waste Recycling Plant Setup

Before we discuss about E-waste recycling plant let’s understand the meaning of E-waste recycling, it’s the reuse & reprocessing of electrical & electronic equipment of any type that has been regarded or rejected as end of products’ life. Such waste includes electronic items like mobile phones, laptops/computers, TVs, Refrigerators, printers, batteries, circuit boards, hard disks & monitors, etc. and other electronic utilities like lighting equipment, luxurious electrical equipment, and gaming equipment. Now let’s discuss the meaning of e-waste recycling plant, it’s a facility where end-of-life or expired electronic products are transported for recycling purposes. The E-waste collected from the consumers is transported to the recycling plant for segregation, dismantling, treatment and disposal. For recycling plant setup for e-waste in India, one must fulfill some obligations, including complying with some environmental & pollution control related compliance. For example, to set up an e-waste recycling plant, one must meet the legal formalities for a recycling plant set up for e-waste and need specific NOCs & authorizations from the Department.

Applicable Laws for E-Waste Recycling Plant Setup in India

1. Before setting up an E-waste recycling plant, the occupier of the recycling plant has to take permission from the respective department. The department after verifying all the documents of the project, then the proponent will make the decision to grant or reject the permission for E-waste Recycling Plant Setup.
2. The Consent to Establish under Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 & Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Who is recycler?

A ‘recycler’ means any person or entity who is engaged in recycling and reprocessing of waste electrical and electronic equipment or assemblies or their components or their parts for recovery of precious, semi-precious metals including rare earth elements and other useful recoverable materials to strengthened the secondary sourced materials and having facilities as elaborated in the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board made in this regard;

Responsibilities of the recycler

• All recycler shall have to -
• register on the portal;
• ensure that the facility and recycling processes are in accordance with the standards or guidelines laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board in this regard from time to time;
• ensure that the fractions or material not recycled in its facility is sent to the respective registered recyclers;
• ensure that residue generated during recycling process is disposed of in an authorized treatment storage disposal facility;
• maintain record of e-waste collected, dismantled, recycled and sent to registered recycler on the portal and make available all records for verification or audit as and when required;
• file annual and quarterly returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before the end of the month succeeding the quarter or year, as the case may be, to which the return relates;
• accept waste electrical and electronic equipment or components not listed in Schedule-I for recycling provided that they do not contain any radioactive material and same shall be uploaded on the portal;
• create awareness through media, publications, advertisements, posters or by such other means of communication;
• account for and upload information about any non-recyclable e-waste or any quantity which is not recycled and disposed of;
• take help of dismantlers for recycling purposes:

Provided that it shall be the responsibility of recycler to ensure proper material flow to and from those dismantlers and the dismantler shall give dismantled material to registered recycler only and maintain record of the same.

Different Categories of E-Waste

If we determine how many electronic products are there which can be included in e-waste then it will be very hard for us because there are numerous electronic products in the market. That’s why Electrical & Electronic products and their components are extensively categorized into 2 different categories which are given below:

Consumer Electronics & Electrical Products

• TV sets;
• Refrigerator;
• Washing Machines;
• Acs excluding centralized AC plants;
• Fluorescent and other mercury-containing plant.

IT and Telecom Equipment

• Personal Computers or PCs;
• Laptops;
• Notebook computers;
• Printers with Cartridges;
• Copying Equipment;
• Fax machines;
• Pay telephones;
• Answering systems;
• Telex;
• Cellular Telephones;
• Telephones;
• User Terminals & Systems;
• Cordless Telephones.

Advantages of e-waste recycling plant setup

• Reduce Hazardous Waste: Some of the familiar and dangerous items in e-waste include lead, mercury, cadmium, and flame retardant containing brominates. It prevents soil and water sources form being saturated with these lethal products.
• Preservation of Natural Resources: It also aids in conserving the raw materials through recovering of copper, silver, gold and rare earth metals. This in turn reduces the prospect of mining and extracting for the related hydrocarbons.
• Revenue Generation: Products which have been recycled could be sold to the manufacture so that some income is generated. It also implies that the recycling facility can offer services and create a steady cash inflow for the communities or businesses that produce waste.
• Adherence to Environmental Regulations: An electronic waste recycling facility helps firms to address municipal federal and World requirements by eliminating electronic waste as well as recycling.
• Correct recycling reduces the probability of legal consequences from improper treatment of dangerous materials.

Criteria for E-Waste Recycling Plant Setup in India

According to the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 any individual who is involved in recycling, recovery & reprocessing of waste electrical & electronic equipment or assemblies or their component is a recycler.

Requirement of Facilities in Recycling Plant

• An E-waste Recycling plant shall install suitable wastewater treatment equipment for the treatment of wastewater & air pollution control equipment depending upon the type of processes going on in the recycling plant.
• Noise control devices for machines such as grinders, shredder, and crusher need to be provided so that it does not contribute to noise pollution.
• Enough space for dismantling equipment shall be installed where manual dismantling can be carried out.
• The workers engaged in recycling operations shall wear proper PPEs kit (masks, gloves, boots, goggles).
• Enough facilities for onsite collection & storage of residues, floor cleaning dust & other hazardous material must be provided & sent to secure land fill facility by making an agreement with Treatment, Storage & Disposal Facility operator.

Recycling of CRT Monitor & TVs

• Manual cutting, shredding, and segregation operations for CRTs should be carried out in mainly designed vacuum chambers where the dust is extracted through cyclones, suitable chimney & bag filters;
• The operators should use gloves that are fixed with walls of chambers while handling CRTs;
• The CRT can be handled manually by adopting the Ni-Cr hot wire cutting style, diamond wire method or diamond saw separation;

Space Requirement

• If a recycling plant has a capacity of 5MT/day with an area of nearly 2500 sq. mts then preference will be given to the same;
• A recycling plant with a capacity of 1 Ton per day must have atleast area of 500 sq mtr.

Documents Required for E-Waste Recycling License

The following are some vital documents required for E-Waste Recycling License:

Consent NOC: For E-Waste Recycling Plant Setup in India, you must obtain an NOC (No Objection Certificate) as per Air & Water Act from the respective SPCB. NOC will be given in 2 different stages first one is CTE (Consent to Establish) which is issued before the setting up of the facility & second is CTO (Consent to Operate) before the facility can start operating quickly.

The following are some documents required for Consent NOC:

• Application form;
• Site plan along with a roadmap;
• Project report;
• Layout plant with different processes & point sources of effluent discharge/air emission/hazardous waste/solid waste that may be generated;
• Details of final products;
• Balance sheet certified by CA;
• Water balance (its source & quantity required);
• Details of water & air pollution control devices;
• Lab test report;
• Copy of Environmental Clearance;
• Any other documents mentioned in the application form.

Hazardous Waste Management Authorization

Documents Required:

• GST Registration Certificate;
• Factory/Trade License;
• MoA & AoA;
• Certificate of Incorporation in case of a Company or an LLP;
• Layout Plan;
• Electricity bill;
• Rent, Lease or other ownership proof;
• Electricity;
• Aadhar Card copy & PAN card copy of the applicant.

TSDF Authorisation

Documents Required for TSDF Facility Authorisation:

• Duly-filled Form-1;
• GST Registration;
• Copy of an ERP (Emergency Response Plan) directing the procedures for dealing with emergencies (such as spillage, accidental release/fire);
• Installed Pollution Control Equipment proof;
• Approved layout plan for the TSDF;
• Copy of the latest consent order granted by the SPCB;
• Copy of previous environmental clearance along with compliance report

The following are some additional documents & permits required for E-waste recycling license:

• Factory License;
• Fire NOC;
• Udyam Registration Certificate.

Steps to get an E-Waste Recycling License

The following is the step by step process to get E-Waste Recycling License:

1) Registration on the Portal:

• All recyclers must register on the specified portal provided by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

2) Facility and Process Compliance:

• Ensure that the recycling facility and processes comply with the standards or guidelines laid down by the CPCB.

3) Collection and Handling of E-Waste:

• Collect e-waste and ensure its proper segregation, refurbishment, dismantling, and recycling. E-waste that cannot be recycled should be disposed of in an authorized treatment storage disposal facility.

4) Documentation and Record-Keeping:

• Maintain records of e-waste collected, dismantled, recycled, and sent to registered recyclers. These records must be made available for verification or audit as required.

5) Submission of Returns:

• File annual and quarterly returns in the prescribed format on the portal before the end of the month succeeding the quarter or year.

6) Awareness and Communication:

• Create awareness through media, publications, advertisements, posters, or other means of communication regarding the importance of e-waste recycling.

7) Non-Recyclable E-Waste:

• Account for and upload information about any non-recyclable e-waste or any quantity which is not recycled and disposed of.

8) Worker Safety and Skill Development:

• Ensure the safety and health of workers involved in dismantling and recycling. Undertake industrial skill development activities for these workers and assist in forming groups to facilitate setting up dismantling facilities.

9) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):

• If you are also a producer, fulfill your EPR obligations as per Schedule-III and Schedule-IV of the E-Waste (Management) Rules. This includes ensuring the recycling targets for the e-waste generated from your products.

10) Government Coordination:

• Work in coordination with the State Government or Union Territory authorities, who will ensure the allocation of industrial space for e-waste dismantling and recycling within existing and upcoming industrial parks, estates, and clusters.

Storage Guidelines:

• Manufacturers, producers, refurbishers, and recyclers may store e-waste for a maximum of 180 days and must maintain records of sale, transfer, and storage of e-waste. The CPCB may extend this period up to 365 days if necessary for developing a recycling or reuse process

Reporting:

• Form-3 describes the format for filing annual returns, which recyclers must submit by June 30th following each financial year. This includes reporting on quantities processed, materials recovered, and residue sent to Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.

What is the Process of E-Waste Recycling?

The process is highly labor intensive which requires a number of individuals to work together & consists of many steps. The following are the steps for the E-waste recycling process:

• Sorting;
• Dismantling;
• Large & Small reduction process;
• Magnetic separation;
• Non-metallic & metallic components separation;
• Water separation.

Some components retrieved from E-Waste Recycling Process:

• Plastic;
• Metal;
• Mercury;
• PCBs;
• Hard Drives;
• Circuit Boards;
• Ink & Toner Cartridges;
• Batteries.

How Whizseed can help you?

• Whizseed could serve as a comprehensive resource for individuals and businesses interested in setting up an e-waste recycling plant. We could provide detailed guides on the process, requirements, and best practices.
• We could break down the process of setting up an e-waste recycling plant into manageable steps, offering guidance at each stage.
• We could provide information on the latest financial incentives, subsidies, and government schemes available for e-waste recycling initiatives.
• We could help recyclers maintain necessary records and prepare required reports.