Others Archives – Page 7 of 8

February 12, 2015December 17, 2025

Do I have E-Waste at home?

E-waste is relatively newer term in India. An average Indian would be very oblivious to the term E-waste, leave alone the proper understanding of the harm these cause to our health and environment.

“Update: ZeroWaste is now InstaCash”

There has been little or no effort from the Government and the concerned authorities to create awareness about the nature and magnitude of E-Wastes. The Government can be forgiven for its apathy whence it promulgates rules about E-Waste and makes responsible the stakeholders like the producers and handlers of e-waste to create awareness on the issue. Since it is the lives and common future of all citizens at stake we need to make efforts to educate ourselves and create awareness amongst our social circles.

What is E — Waste?

To contain the grave issue we need to know first what constitutes an E — Waste and other important terms associated with it.

E-waste is the waste electrical and electronic equipment, whole or in part or rejects from their manufacturing and repair process, which are intended to be discarded.

Orphaned Products — Non-branded or assembled electrical and electronic equipment produced by a company, which has closed its operations or has stopped product support.

Electrical and electronic equipment means equipment, which is dependent on electrical currents or electro-magnetic fields to be fully functional.

The Environment Ministry brought in the E — Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 which became effective from May 2012 in India. These rules have brought in its purview categories of electrical and electronic equipment which contribute to E-Waste.

These categories can be enumerated as under:

IT and telecommunication equipment:

Centralized data processing; Mainframes, Minicomputers; Personal computing; Personal computers (Central processing unit with input and output devices), Laptop computers (Central processing unit with input and output devices), Notebook computers, Notepad computers, Printers including cartridges, Copying equipment, Electrical and electronic typewriters, User terminals and systems, Facsimile, Telex, Telephones, Pay telephones, Cordless telephones, Cellular telephones, Answering systems

Consumer electronics:

Television sets (including sets based on (Liquid Crystal Display and Light Emitting Diode technology), Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Air-Conditioners excluding centralized air conditioning plants.

If you have any of the above at home or work place kept in a discarded form you have an E-Waste at home. It is very important for you to separate these and hand it over to an authorized E-Waste recycler like Zero Waste in your city.

You may find a Zero Waste Store near you where you can sell them profitably and also become a responsible citizen. To know more Connect with us today at info@getinstacash.in | www.getinstacash.in

Note: This post was originally published in February 2015 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

February 8, 2015December 17, 2025

E-Waste — the Toxic Legacy of our Digital Age

Countries, developed and developing alike, are faced with the flip side of development. Societies have adapted to technologies in big ways however the requisite awareness and legal framework needs to be spruced up in consonance with the fast pace fallout of technological residues that we are leaving behind. Some years back, the waste wasn’t much and was thought to have been easily assimilated in the environment. Today it poses a great challenge. The rapid penetration of the electronics and electrical gadgets in the huge markets of developing world and the steep pace of technological innovations making yesterday’s latest devices obsolete in the developed world. This has led to the problem of disposing off the e-waste responsibly in sync with the environment we live and for the future we look at.

“Update: ZeroWaste is now InstaCash”

The innocuous looking gadgets that we use in our daily life contain elements and compounds which are very harmful to our well being. A broad categorization of these substances inimical to our health can be done as Halogenated Compounds, Heavy & other Metals and Radio Active substances.

Halogenated compounds like CFC (Choloroflourocarbon) PCB (Polychlorinated biphenyls) are present in Cooling units, insulation foams, cable insulations, fire retardants for plastics, condensers, transformers. Heavy metals like Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Lithium, Mercury, Nickel, Zinc Sulphide, and Selenium etc are found in CRTs, LEDs, rechargeable batteries, toners, power supply boxes etc. Radio Active substance like Americum is an integral part of medical equipments and fire detectors.

Today we find ourselves awfully placed. As we are making our lives easier and comfortable with the modern electrical and electronic gadgets yet on the other hand we are leaving a toxic legacy. If we do not wake up now, the future will not forgive us for our past. Join ZeroWaste movement in making a healthy and beautiful future.

Note: This post was originally published in February 2015 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

January 30, 2015December 17, 2025

6 Responsibilities of Electronic Brands you should know

Cheap mobiles and electronic devices have caught the fancy of us all. Coming in various sizes and shapes these offer unbelievable features at most astonishing prices. Though very attractive yet some of them remain unguaranteed not only in their materials being used and also in safety features. Until now Indian markets were dumped with goods which could have played with our lives and environment.

“Update: ZeroWaste is now InstaCash”

As a growing nation we need to guard against electronic and electrical items getting into our lives and becoming hazardous to our very existence. The only way to do it is to be aware of the roles and responsibilities of Electronic and Electrical producers and remove any deleterious products getting entry into the markets.

To safe guard the environment and ensure proper disposal of E-Waste, Government has brought in the concept of “Extended Producers Responsibility” under “E-Wastes Rules 2011”. All producers of Electronic and Electrical Equipment in India who manufacture and sell are made responsible for their products beyond manufacturing to ensure environmentally sound management of their end of life products.

Let us understand who are Electronics and Electronic Equipment Producers and their responsibilities.

The rules define an EEE Producer as any person who, irrespective of the selling technique used, undertakes the following actions

manufactures and offers to sell electrical and electronic equipment under his own brand; or
offers to sell under his own brand, assembled electrical and electronic equipment produced by other manufacturers or suppliers; or
offers to sell imported electrical and electronic equipment;

Responsibilities of Producers

Collection of e-waste generated from the ‘end of life’ of their products in line with the principle of ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (EPR), or generated during manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment and channelization of such waste to registered dismantler or recyclers.
Setting up collection centers or take back systems either individually or collectively
Financing and organizing a system to meet the costs involved in the environmentally sound management of e-waste generated from the ‘end of life’ of its own products and historical waste available on the date from which these rules come in to force. The financing arrangement of such a system shall be transparent.
The producer may choose to establish such financial system either individually or collectively by joining a collective scheme.
to facilitate return of used electrical and electronic equipment by providing contact details such as address, telephone numbers/helpline number of authorized collection centers to consumer(s) or bulk consumer(s)
creating awareness through publications, advertisements, posters, or by any other means of communication and information booklets accompanying the equipment, with regard to:

information on hazardous constituents as detailed in sub-rule 1 of rule 13 in EEE
information on hazards of improper handling, accidental breakage, damage and/or improper recycling of e-waste
instructions for handling the equipment after its use, along with the Do’s and Don’ts
affixing a visible, legible and indelible symbol on the products or information booklets to prevent e-waste from being dropped in garbage bins

Next time you buy an electronic item be sure you buy from a complying producer who respects the environment, law and your health. Let’s be a little #Responsible ourselves.

To know more Connect with us today at info@getinstacash.in |www.getinstacash.in

Note: This post was originally published in January 2015 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.