Ahmedabad: These tiny creatures love heavy metal. It’s not music we mean, but toxic metals like cadmium, mercury, chromium, lead and zinc: stuff that not only cause cancer but also trigger impairments in humans after they seep into our soil and groundwater. A five-year research at the Central University of Gujarat (CUG) has zeroed in on a special group of microbes — mainly bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes — that not only munch on these deadly wastes but also turn the land useful by a process of bio-cleansing.

The Bhopal Municipal Corporation has developed five e-waste collection centers as per the notification of the Union Government. Citizens, traders, residential and non-residential buildings, Government and non-Government organisations can deposit e-waste like fridges, televisions, and computers, mobiles and other electronic waste in these centres.

Technicians dismantle e-waste from discarded electronic devices such as computer peripherals at Earth Sense Recycle unit in Andhra Pradesh.

Even though e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules have come into force from Tuesday, the AP Pollution Control Board is still gearing up for implementation and strict enforcement of these rules with a framework of guidelines to be followed by manufacturers of e-products.

The Union ministry of environment and forests had announced e-waste rules way back in June 2011 under the Environment Protection Act. This would be implemented in letter and spirit only after the APPCB prepares a draft explaining “how to ensure implementation and check violation” of the norms.

Junk must be deposited with authorised recyclers

The State government is all set to issue the e-waste guidelines in the next two weeks, with the Electronic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, coming into effect from May 1. Highly placed sources told Deccan Herald that even though the guidelines were supposed to be introduced soon after notification of the Act, it has been delayed as the government took time for consultation with stakeholders and NGOs.

The IT and electronics industry insists that the entire collection mechanism of e-waste will need to be strengthened in order to make the new e-waste management rules effective.

The e-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011, which were notified in May 2011, have come into effect from May 1, 2012 and people will now be required to dispose of their discarded electronic at designated centres.

e-waste handling rules, which came into effect from Tuesday, will not make much difference at the ground-level, as there is no monitoring mechanism or guideline in place, says Toxics Link.

The environmental group said the rules put the onus of e-waste management on manufacturers or brands through the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility, but there is no target or accountability check.

Mere ‘tokenism’

As a result, the rules may not be able to change much, as companies may indulge in mere ‘tokenism’.