09 May

Ewaste Pollution

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Content

• E-Waste
• Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022
• Radioactive waste in Scrap
• Construction and Demolition Waste
• Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016
• Some other technologies
• Noise Pollution
• Light Pollution
• Environmental Impact Assessment – EIA Rules Amended

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1. E-WASTE

• E-waste is a popular name for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) discarded after their end of life’. Discarded laptops, desktops, cellphones, and their batteries, air conditioners and television sets, cables, and wires, tube-lights and CFLs which contain mercury, are some examples of e-waste.
• It is one of the fastest growing waste stream in the world.
• Annual waste Output
  • Global E-waste monitor (published by UN University) estimates that 53.6 million tonnes (7.3 kg per capita) of e-waste was generated world over in 2019.
    • This is an increase of 21% in just five years.
    • This is expected to go to 7 Mt by 2030.
• E-waste generation in India is expected to grow rapidly in the coming future (income, urbanization, changing technology, import (legal or illegal), poor quality equipment, power surge issues etc. )
• India is already the third largest e-waste generator.
• Harmful effects of e-waste: –
  • Hazardous and toxic heavy metals – mercury, cadmium etc;
  • Ozone Depleting Substances;
  • High Global Warming Potential gases;
  • Unscientific extraction – Air Pollution, Water Pollution and Soil Pollution;
  • Severe negative health impacts – hampers central and peripheral nervous system, bran development, kidney, reproductive system etc.

1)  E-WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2022 NOTIFIED BY MOEF&CC IN NOV 2022

• It will replace E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and will be effective from 1st April 2023. These rules will have new EPR regime for e-waste recycling.
• Key Features:
  • Applicable to every manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, dismantler and recycler.
  • All the manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler are required to register on portal developed by CPCB.
    • No entity shall carry out any business without registration and also not deal with any unregistered entity.
    • Authorization has now been replaced by Registration through online portal and only manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler require Registration.
  • Schedule I expanded and now 106 EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) has been include under EPR regime.
  • Producers of notified EEE, have been given annual E-Waste Recycling targets based on the generation from the previously sold EEE or based on sales of EEE as the case may be.
    • Target may be made stable for 2 years and starting from 60% for the year 2023-2024 and 2024-25; 70% for the year 2025-26 and 2026-27 and 80% for the year 2027-28 and 2028-29 and onwards.
  • Management of solar PV modules /panels/ cells added in new rules.
  • The quantity recycled will be computed on the basis of end products, so as to avoid any false claim.
  • Provision for generation and transaction of EPR Certificate has been introduced.
  • Provisions for environment compensation and verification & audit has been introduced.
  • Provision for constitution of Steering Committee to oversee the overall implementation of these rules.
  • Provision for reduction of hazardous substances in manufacturing of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) has been provided.
    • It mandates that every producer of EEE and their components shall ensure that their products do not contain lead, mercury and other hazardous substances beyond the maximum prescribed concentratio
  • The E-Waste (Management) Rules also provide for recognition and registration, skill development, monitoring and ensuring safety and health, of workers involved in dismantling and recycling of e-waste.

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A) MANAGEMENT OF SOLAR PV MODULES/CELLS HAS BEEN ADDED IN CHAPTER V OF THE SAID RULES.

• As per these rules, every manufacturer and producer of solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells shall:
  1. Ensure registration on the portal;
  2. store solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells waste generated up to the year 2034-2035 as per the guidelines laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board in this regard.
  3. file annual returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before the end of the year to which the return relates up to year 2034-2035.
  4. ensure that the processing of the waste other than solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells shall be done as per the applicable rules or guidelines for the time being in force;
  5. ensure that the inventory of solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells shall be put in place distinctly on portal; and
  6. comply with standard operating procedure and guidelines laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board in this regard.

2. BATTERY WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2022       

• MoEF&CC, Government of India published the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 on 24th August, 2022 to ensure environmentally sound management of waste batteries.
• New rules will replace Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.
• The rules cover all types of batteries, viz. Electric Vehicle batteries, portable batteries, automotive batteries and industrial batteries.
• The rules function based on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) where the producers (including importers) of batteries are responsible for collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries and use of recovered materials from wastes into new batteries
  • EPR mandates that all waste batteries to be collected and sent for recycling/refurbishment, and its prohibits disposal in landfills and incineration. To meet the EPR obligations, producers may engage themselves or authorize any other entity for collection, recycling or refurbishment of waste batteries
  • The rules will enable setting up a mechanism and centralized online portal for exchange of EPR certificates between producers and recyclers/refurbishers to fulfil the obligations of producers.
• The rules promote setting up of new industries and entrepreneurship in collection and recycling/refurbishment of waste batteries.
• Mandating the minimum percentage of recovery of materials from waste batteries under the rules will bring new technologies and investment in recycling and refurbishment industry and create new business opportunities.
• Prescribing the use of certain amount of recycled materials in making of new batteries will reduce the dependency on new raw materials and save natural resources.

3. RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN SCRAP          

• Radioactive materials or contaminated devices are entering into the booming scarps recycling chain, posing a grave health hazard, according to the annual data on illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive material released by IAEA
• Details
  • The latest data has been extracted from the IAEA Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB), where some 143 member states and international agencies report incidents of illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive material under or out of regulatory control. This is part of IAEA’s nuclear security plan.

4. CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE 

• In 2016, government for the first time came up with Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, These rules are aimed at promoting recovering, recycling and reuse of the waste generated through C&D.
  • Mandatory segregation of C&D waste into four types – concrete, soil, steel and wood, plastics, bricks and mortars.
  • Deposit it at collection centers or hand it over to processing facilities.
  • It makes all stakeholders responsible for waste disposal (be it small scale generators, the municipal body or the government)
  • It makes debris recycling mandatory
  • Illegalizes the dumping of waste outside designated areas.
  • Waste processing authorities -> should have authorization from SPCB and should be located far away from habitation.
  • For effective monitoring of the rules, specific roles have been allocated to CPCB, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Indian Road Congress (IRC) and Central Ministries.
  • Land Department – Provide land for storage processing and recycling of C&D waste

5. BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2016     

• The rules are applicable for wastes from vaccination camps, blood donation camps, surgical camps or other healthcare activity.
• Main Provisions
  • Pretreatment of laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags through disinfection or sterilization on site should be carried out as prescribed by WHO or NACO (National Aids Control Organization).
  • Waste classification in four categories instead of 10 to improve the segregation of waste
    • The BMW have to be collected by the health care facilities in colored bags – yellow, red, blue/white and black according to the category of biomedical waste.

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Red Bin	Yellow Bin	Blue Bin	Black Bin
Plastic Waste such as syringes bottles etc	Infectious waste - Bandages, Cotton, Placenta etc	Glass bottles, discarded medicines etc	Needles without syringes, metal articles etc.

• • Phased discontinuation of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags
  • Bar-code system to classify disposal of bags of containers having BMW
    • It can be used to track and identify bags
  • More Stringent standards have been prescribed for incinerators to reduce the pollution to environment.
  • States to provide land for setting up common biomedical waste treatment and disposal facility.
• 2018 Amendment to the rules provided for:
  • Extension of dates to phase out chlorinated bags to March 27, 2019.
  • Establishing of barcode system by both generators and operators by March 27, 2019
  • Institute GPS in vehicles of CBMWTF

1) SEQUENTIAL PRODUCTION OF BIO-DIESEL, BIO-ETHANOL, BIO-HYDROGN, AND METHANE FROM LEATHER SOLID WASTES, AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT SLUDGES

• MoEF&CC had approved the lab-cum-demonstration project titled Sequential production of Bio-Diesel, Bio-Ethanol, Bio-Hydrogen and Methane from leather solid wastes and effluent treatment sludges in
  • The project was approved for Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai with the total project outlay of Rs 77.11 lakh.
• The Project envisaged delivery of environmental benefits like:
  1. Effective solid waste management techniques for tanneries
  2. Better pollution abatement techniques
  3. Avoidance of groundwater contamination
  4. Efficient greenhouse emission control techniques
• CAG Report for financial year 2020-21 (released in Dec 2022)
  • Only one unit of a biodiesel recovery had been established in March 2018 against the expected physical output of four distinct fuel recovery units.
    • The unit produced 80 litres of bio-diesel and none of the other three units achieved fruition by May 2022.
  • The deliverables of 10 international publications in high-impact factored journals and three PhD degrees had also not been achieved.
  • Key deficiencies observed by CAG Report:
    • Inaction in processing the request of Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai (CLRI) to revise the number of project fellowships. Due to this, CLRI was unable to retain the project fellows who were engaged in the project.
    • Failure to obtain formal commitment from the industry partners, which resulted in limited participation by the industry partner;
    • A lack of regular monitoring of the progress of the project, which affected the timely implementation of the project.

6. SOME OTHER TECHNOLOGIES

1)  HYDROTHERMAL CARBONIZATION

• The Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) is a (pre)treatment of lignocellulosic biomass in hot (180 degree – 280 degree) water at saturated pressure of 2-10 MPa and residence time varying from minutes to hours. It is carried out mainly to produce solid product similar to coal. The energy density is much higher for this solid product. They can be either combusted to produce energy or disposed for soil nourishment as fertilizer (also sequestration of carbon)

7. NOISE POLLUTION

• Intro
  • Noise pollution refers the presence of such levels of noise or sound in the environment that are disturbing, irritating and annoying to living beings. It causes discomfort and harm to living being’s mental and physical health. It is one of the major causes of deafness and other health hazards. Even animals suffer from excessive environmental noise.
• Causes of Noise Pollution – Vehicles, factories, industries, construction sites, fire crackers, loud speakers, domestic appliances; TV/Radio etc.
• Effects of Noise Pollution
  • Loud and prolonged noise can cause physiological and psychological damage.
    1. Loss of hearing and deafness : Noise above the tolerable threshold is the leading cause for loss of hearing and deafness.
    2. Cardiac Disturbance : Noise increase the risk of cardiac disturbance including coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease
    3. Sleeplessness : Noise may make people It may keep people away from sound sleep
    4. Headache : Human mind can tolerate sound only to a limited Excess noise cause headache.
    5. Stress, tension and aggressiveness
    6. Mental Imbalance and nervous debility
    7. Psychological imbalance
    8. Difficulty in talking
    9. Diabetes and Hypertension:
       • Two 15 year long studies for long-term resident of Toronto, Canada found that exposure to road traffic noise elevated risks of acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure, and increased incident of Type 2 diabetes by 8% and hypertension by 2%.
    10. Affects biodiversity: For instance a recent study published in the Conservation Biology journal noted that chicks of the birds which were exposed to noise were smaller than the ones in quiet nests.

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• How sound is measured?
  • The faintest sound that our ears can detect is known as the Threshold of Hearing (TOH). The most intense sound that our ears can detect without suffering any physical damage is one billion times more intense than TOH. This large hearing range makes a linear scale of sound measurement inappropriate.
  • Hence, we use logarithmic scale to measure the sound. The unit is a decibel (dB) and TOH is assigned zero dB.
    • So 10 dB means a sound that is 10 times more intense than TOH. 20 dB refers to an intensity of sound that is 100 times more than a TOH sound, 30 dB means an intensity that is 1000 times more than TOH, and so on.
      • 10*Log10 (P1/P0)
  • What is dbA?
    • Frequency and pitch of the noise also determines whether it is harmful or not. A modified scale called decibel-A (dbA) takes pitch into account.
    • A-weighted decibels, abbreviated dBA, or dba or dB(a), are an expression of the relative loudness of sounds in air as perceived by the human ear. In the A-weighted system, the decibel values of sounds at low frequencies are reduced, compared with the unweighted decibels, in which no correction is made for audio frequency.
• What is the safe limit for noise?
  • The latest 2018 WHO guidelines established a health-protective recommendation for road traffic noise levels of 53 dB.
  • Hearing loss begins if a person is exposed more than 8 hours a day to a noise level of 80-90 dbA.
  • A level of 140 dbA is painful and 180 dbA could even kill a person.
    • Examples of noise levels

Source	dbA	Source	dbA
Threshold of hearing	0	Food Blender	90
Rustling of leaves	20	Diesel Truck (1m)	100
Quiet whisper (1 m)	30	Power Mower (1m)	107
Quiet Home	40	Jet Plane (30 m)	130
Normal Conversation	60	Rocket Launch	180
Loud Singing (1 m)	75
Alarm clock	80

• What is being done to curb the noise pollution?
  • The CPCB is mandated to track noise levels, set standards as well as ensure, via their State Units, that sources of excessive noise are controlled.
  • In 1980s and 1990s there were several court judgements in India restricting the generation of noise by industries, fire crackers, electric horns etc.
  • Finally in 2000, Indian government notified the Noise Regulation Rules, which were amended in 2010.
    • Noise Regulation Rules were notified under the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.
    • Two types of noise level standards are Prescribed
      • Ambient noise level standards
      • Noise levels for designated types of machinery, appliances, and fire crackers.
    • Ambient Noise Levels have been defined as follows:

Category of Area/Zone	Limits in dB(A) (Day) (6 am – 10 PM)	Limits in dB(A) (Night
Industrial Area	75 dbA	70 dbA
Commercial Area	65 dbA	55 dbA
Residential Area	55 dbA	45 dbA
Silence zone	50 dbA	40 dbA

• • • • Silence zone – zones of silence (100 meters) near schools, courts, hospitals etc.
    • The rules specify that no permission could be granted by any authority for use of public address (PA) system in the open after 00 pm and before 6 am. Even after permission has been procured, the sound level must fall within the limits prescribed in the Noise rules.
• National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) was launched in 2011
  • Central government set up a National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) through CPCB and the state pollution control boards (SPCBs) to monitor noise on a 24X7 basis in India’s seven largest city.
  • Under NANMN, during Phase 1 and Phase 2, 70 monitoring stations have been set up in seven cities
  • each in Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Mumbai. – which are operated by SPCBs.
  • Phase 3 plan was to launch 90 stations in 80 other cities.
• 2015 Supreme Court Judgements: In 2015, the Supreme Court, acting on a petition filed by four infants (all aged between six months and 14 months) seeking curbs on air and sound pollution, banned the bursting of sound-emitting crackers between 10 pm and 6 am during Diwali.
• In June 2020, the CPCB has proposed a new set of fines between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,00,000 for those who violate norms restricting noise pollution under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
  • This was submitted in a report filed with National Green Tribunal in response to a set of ongoing cases over noise pollution.
  • Under the new norms:
    • Violations related to norms over:

Use of loudspeakers/PA systems etc.	Confiscation of system and a fine of upto Rs 10,000
Diesel generator sets	Sealing of the sets and a fine between Rs 10,000 to 1 lakh.
Sound Emitting Construction Equipment	Seizures, sealings and a fine of Rs 50,000

8. LIGHT POLLUTION

• Why in news?
  • International Dark Sky Week is an annual event hosted by International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
    • Astronomers and Sky enthusiasts marked the 2022 International Dark Sky Week from April 22-30. Hundreds of events were conducted across the globe where participants came together to learn astrophotography, take night walks, and observe he night sky without light pollution and learn how it negatively impacts our ecosystem.
• Introduction
  • Light pollution, also known as photo-pollution or luminous pollution, is the excessive, misdirected or invasive use of artificial outdoor lighting.
  • Harmful Impact
    • Disturbs circadian rhythm (the 24 hour cycle of many organisms) including humans and induces sleep disorder, and other health risks like obesity, depression, and diabetes.
    • Unhealthy:
      • Light pollution may cause damage to the retina in the eyes.
      • Some lights such as blue LED lights may be harmful for health.
    • Impacts biodiversity: It affects insects as they are drawn towards these lights. This affects their food chain and reduces pollinating activities. Other animals such as turtle are also affected as they get attracted towards these lights and thus are snapped by predators.
    • Wastage of light is also a reason for overuse of fuel and thus a factor behind climate change.
    • Impacts astronomy: Mismanaged lighting alters the color and contrast of the nighttime sky and eclipses natural starlight. It hinders study of the universe as proper study becomes difficult from areas where these artificial lights hinder celestial light. It makes stargazing difficult.

• Light Pollution and Satellites
  • A new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters shows that satellites that orbit the Earth can increase the overall brightness of the night sky by 10% above natural levels.
    • This additional light pollution has an impact over a larger part of the globe than ground- based sources

9. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT – EIA RULES AMENDED

• Environmental Impact Assessment
  • EIA can be defined as the study to predict the environmental, socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts of proposed project/activity. The global environmental law for the EIA is the “precautionary principle“. Environmental harm is often irreparable so there should be a focus on prevention.
  • It is a decision making tool which compares various alternatives for a project and chooses the one which ensures best combination of economic and environmental costs and benefit
• Advantages of EIA: By considering the environmental effects of the project and their mitigation early in the project planning cycle, environmental assessment has many benefits:
  • Promotes environmentally safe and sustainable development.
  • Optimum utilization of resources
  • Saving of time and cost of the project
  • Properly conducted EIA also lessens conflict by promoting community participation, informing decision makers, and helping lay the base for environmentally sound project.
• History of EIA in India
  • The Indian experience of EIA started in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission asked the Department of Science and Technology to examine the river valley project from an environmental angle.
  • Till 1994, EIA was an administrative decision and lacked statutory backing.
  • In 1994, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, under the EPA, 1986, promulgated an EIA notification making environmental clearance mandatory for expansion or modernization of any activity or for setting up new projects listed in Schedule 1 of the notification.
• EIA Notification, 2006
  • Notified by MoEF&CC under the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986.
  • It makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure (road, highway, ports, harbors and airports) and industries including very small electroplating or foundry units to get environmental clearance. This clearance is given only after the environmental requirements are fulfilled.
  • Unlike, the 1994 notification, it has put the responsibility of clearing certain projects on the state government:
    • Category A (National Level Appraisal): This category project mandatory require clearance and thus they don’t undergo the screening process.
    • Category B (State level Appraisal) undergo screening process.
      • Category B1 (mandatorily requires EIA)
      • Category B2 (Don’t require EIA)
• Process of EIA
  • After 2006, EIA in India involves four steps:
    • Screening
    • Scoping
    • Public Hearing
    • Appraisal
  • However, EIA process is cyclical with considerable interaction between various steps.
  • The assessment is carried out by an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which consists of scientists and project management experts.
    • The EAC frames the scope of EIA study and a preliminary report is prepared.
    • The report is published and a public consultation process takes place, where objections can be heard including from project-affected people.
    • The EAC then makes a final appraisal of the project and forward it to MoEF&CC. The Ministry is ordinarily obliged to accept the decision of the EAC.
• Amendment to EIA Rules notified (July 2022)
  • It has exempted highway projects of strategic and defence importance, which are 100 km from the LoC, among other locations, from an environmental clearance before construction.
  • Thermal power plants upto 15 MW based on biomass or non-hazardous municipal waste using auxiliary fuel such as coal, lignite or petroleum products up to 15% have also been exempted – as long as the fuel mix is eco-friendly.
  • Increasing the threshold of ports which exclusively deal in fish handling and caters to small fisherman, which are exempted from environment clearance.
    • This is taking into account issues of livelihood security of fishermen involved at fish handling ports and harbors, and less pollution potential of these ports and harbors.
  • Toll plazas that need more width for installation of toll collection booths to cater to a large number of vehicles, and expansion activities in existing airport related to terminal building expansion without increase in airports existing area, rather than expansion of runways, etc., are two other exempted projects.