Dehradun based environmental action and advocacy group, Gati Foundation conducted a social audit of 16 prominent mobile dealers of the city. Out of these, ten were authorised Samsung mobile dealers and six were multi-brand mobile dealers. The audit was based on the legal framework laid down under the e-waste management rules 2016, notified by the Government of India. As per an earlier survey by Gati, 72% of the e-waste generated in Dehradun is because of mobile phones. Yet, mobile centers continue to flout environmental norms related to the sustainable management of e-waste.
Rule 7 of the e-waste management rules 2016 very clearly lays down that it is the responsibility of the dealer to provide the consumer with a bin or box to implement a proper collection/take back of e-waste. 94% of the dealers have been found to have no kind of bin or box facility in place to take back the e-waste being generated in the city. 88% of the dealers do not have any kind of mechanism in place at their shops for collecting the e-waste.
“E-waste is becoming a major environmental menace. In this era of smart mobile technology, we don’t have adequate mechanisms to manage the e-waste being generated by it. The awareness level of mobile dealers in the city with regard to e-waste is really low. This should be a major cause of concern for multinational giants who are selling their products in the market. A robust take-back system with the help of informed dealers must be created by the private corporations in order to handle the e-waste in an eco-friendly manner,” said Anoop Nautiyal, Founder, Gati Foundation.
2016 rules very clearly state that companies should make people aware of their buyback schemes. Alarmingly, 56% of the dealers are unaware of any such buyback scheme by the multinational electronics giant, Samsung. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a legal principle that mandates private corporations to take care of the waste generated directly by them, 88% of the dealer are unaware of this principle.
“Problem of e-waste is rising rapidly. In coming times, we plan to engage with government agencies and private corporations in order to seek innovative and sustainable solutions to the modern-day problem of e-waste, polluting our environment and human health,” said Rishabh Shrivastava, Lead – Communications, Gati Foundation.
Anushka Martolia, Hem Sahu, Adhyayan Mamgain and Neelam Kumari were involved in conducting the social audit of the mobile dealers in Dehradun.
