India’s New E-Waste Legislation
Last week, India took an important step toward requiring ethical practices in e-waste disposal. Our earlier posts on e-waste legislation in Australia and the EU have touched on legislation issues in the “West,” but until now we haven’t explored how developing countries are dealing with their ever-growing e-waste problem.
While India’s law won’t go into effect until May of 2012, it is an important first step in ensuring that potentially toxic metals and chemicals are recycled ethically. The onus will be placed on the manufacturers of computers to create recycling and/or “take back” programs.’
Like India’s new law, most of the e-waste legislation in the United States also requires that producers rather than consumers make sure electronics are recycled. In India, producers will also be required to inform consumers about heavy metals and chemicals in electronics, so that people are aware of the health risks of dismantling their own systems.
