Management of E-Waste in India is mainly done by using two processes including the process of refurbishment/reuse/resale and recycling. It is nevertheless estimated that around 75% to 85% of EEE (Electrical and Electronic equipment) after being used are disposed of in the landfill or incinerated. While remaining 10% are either donated, passed down, or stored and the remaining 15% are sent to recyclers or refurbishers for proper E-Waste Management. It is also reported that most of the E-Waste collected that is 85% of it is from personal devices including Mobile Phones. According to the latest statistics out of the huge amount of E-Waste generated in India only 5% is recycled while 95% is sold to informal scrap dealers who cause more damage to the environment by adopting unscientific ways of metal extraction.
Market overview of E-Waste Management Business
According to the recent market research report on E-Waste management, the market for E-Waste management worldwide is expected to grow after Covid 19 from 49,689.50 million US Dollars in 2021 to 111968.93 Million US Dollars by 2028 with a CAGR (Compound annual growth rate) of 14.50%.
Refurbishment vs recycling
Although both refurbishment and recycling are important steps of E-Waste management it is important to understand that refurbishment does provide an effective way of managing E-Waste than recycling. Refurbishment and reusing when compared to recycling save more energy and resources and also reduce waste. Apart from this refurbishment process is considered to be more cost-effective and cheaper than recycling which is more complicated and costly.
The market for Refurbished Mobile E-Waste Management
The Refurbished Mobile that is put up for resale provides a huge market for E-Waste management businesses. With the increase in demand for Mobile phones and awareness among people regarding the environmental damage caused by WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic equipment), it is estimated that the market for resale will thrive.
Benefits of Refurbished Mobile
Buying Refurbished mobiles has proven to be beneficial in many ways including:-
- Affordability
Because the process of refurbishment is cheaper and cost-effective the refurbished products are also sold at less prices attracting a huge customer base, especially those who are not able to afford new technology. For example, the people who can’t afford iPhones can always buy refurbished iPhones which are available at discounted prices.
- Quality Assured
Refurbished phone goes through number of assurance test to ensure optimal performance. Further the refurbishers also grade the devices to ensure that there is no compromise in the performance of the device. Once the device is thoroughly tested and graded then only it is put up for resale by credible and certified dealer.
- Eco-Friendly
Now a day one of the biggest threat to the environment is increase of E-Waste with people carelessly dumping mobiles causing adverse effect on environment and human health. Refurbishment process use WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic equipment) ensuring that E-Waste is properly managed. Therefore buying refurbished mobile is more eco-friendly purchase.
Process of acquiring license for Refurbished Mobile E-Waste Management
Compliances to be followed by Refurbisher for Refurbished Mobile E-Waste Management
- Filing for Authorisation for Refurbishment under Form 1(a)
- Maintaining E-Waste Record under Form-2
- Filing Annual Return for E-Waste in Form-3
Documents required
While Filing an application for Refurbishment Authorisation, Refurbisher has to submit several attested documents like:-
- State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control Committee issues Consent to establish before the refurbishment plant is established under The Air (Prevention and Control Pollution) Act, 1981 and The Water (Prevention and Control Pollution) Act, 1981.
- State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control Committee issues Consent to Operate after the industry is establish but before it is in operation in accordance with The Air (Prevention and Control Pollution) Act, 1981, and The Water (Prevention and Control Pollution) Act, 1981.
- Registration Certificate granted by the DIC (District Industries Centre) or any other competent agency.Â
- Aadhar Card of the authorised personnel
- PAN Card
- GST CertificateÂ
- Electricity Bill
- Site Layout/PlanÂ
- Certificate of Incorporation (CIN)
- MOA (Memorandum of Association)[1] (If required)
Process of acquiring a license for Refurbished Mobile E-Waste Management
E-Waste Management Act, 2016 regulates the procedure for obtaining E-Waste Refurbisher Authorisation from the concerned State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control Committee. The process involves Filing an application, reviewing the submitted application, and granting the license.
- Filing an Application
For acquiring authorisation the refurbisher have to first register through the centralised Portal online and complete the Form-I (a) in accordance with E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, submit along with the attested documents. The unique application number is also provided in case the refurbisher wants to track the status of the application.
- Submitting/Review Application
After the application is filed with the attached documents, it is to be submitted for review to concerned personnel of the State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control Committee for verification and authentication. In Case of any mistake with the application submitted with the document, it is sent back to the refurbisher for alteration.
- Grant of license
At last, if there is no mistake found in the Application submitted and all the documents are verified, the authorisation license is granted.
Post compliance requirement
Refurbishers after acquiring authorisation from the concerned State Pollution Control Board/ Pollution Control Committee are required to follow few post-compliance conditions including maintaining the record of E-Waste refurbished prescribed under form 2 as well as file annual returns under Form 3. The annual returns include the total details on the quantity of E-Waste handled by refurbisher which is to be submitted by refurbisher by 30th day of June following the FY (Financial year) to which the return relates.
Conclusion
With people becoming more aware about the effects of E-Waste on our environment and increase in the demand for more sustainable ways of using technology with cost effective method the scope of Refurbished Mobile E-Waste Management business is boosting day by day with the recent market research report on E-Waste management estimating rise from 49,689.50 million US Dollars in 2021 to 111968.93 Million US Dollars by 2028.
Read our Article:An Overview of the E-Waste Recycling Business
