Overview of E-waste Export Authorisation

The boost in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) demand has led to an exponential amount of e-waste generation worldwide. Old and discarded phones, TVs, laptops, desktops, refrigeration units, power backup devices etc., are a few examples of electronic gadgets and appliances that have a high value even in the form of waste. This has been a catch-22 situation for the e-waste processors in India because they have a vast collection of valuable scrap that contains precious metals like gold and silver. But, they have to abide by strict regulations in the country to dismantle and recover these valuable metals. This resulted in the requirement of E-waste Export Authorization.

Basically, the waste management sector consists mainly of small-scale e-waste processors who lack the sophisticated machinery to extract these metals from the scrap profitably. E-waste traders, dismantlers and even bulk consumers who generate vast quantities of electronic waste are increasingly choosing to export this discarded scrap. They prefer to export e-waste to countries with installed capacities for safe and efficient metal recovery and earn huge profits from the process.

 

Obtaining E-waste Export Authorisation easily

First and foremost, you will need E-waste Export Authorisation from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Obtaining an export authorisation in the case of e-waste is complicated because of the technicalities involved. Identification and categorisation of specific components in the e-waste may pose challenges to the exporter due to the complex list of e-waste under E-Waste Management Rules, 2016. In India, MoEF&CC is the nodal authority in identifying hazardous wastes, including other waste. Additionally, the authority is responsible for providing permission to export e-waste. MoEF issues E-waste Export Authorisation for the same under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. This whole process can be made a swift and hassle-free experience for exporters through services offered by the experts at Enterclimate.

What doesE-Waste Export Authorisationdo?

India is one of the largest consumers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Therefore,the country is a massive generator of e-waste too. Apart from recycling and dismantling e-waste within the country, India also exports used EEE and valuable scrap components to many countries with huge infrastructure and capacity to recycle such waste safely. The E-waste Export Authorisation is essential to ensure that any waste shipmentfollowsall the protocols of the countries involved. It also ensures that by no means an undesired waste disguised as e-waste is sent in the shipment, which can create problems for the country of import. Under the Customs Act, 1962, the Port and Customs Authorities must verify the export documents and the scrap to monitor any illegal traffic and inform the MoEF&CC in case of non-compliance.

Compliances for E-Waste Export Authorisation

To comply with the E-waste Export Authorisation rules, identifying and categorising electronic waste into six categories is necessary. For your perusal, a list of e-waste classifications based on their composition and components is provided below.

• Ferrous metals
• Nonferrous metals
• Glass
• Plastics
• Pollutants
• Others

Compliance related to transboundary movement

To get E-waste Export Authorisation, the applicant must ensure the following -

• The exporter must ensure that no consignment is shipped before the prior informed consent is received from the importing country, wherever applicable.
• The exporter must ensure that a movement document in Form 6 accompanies the shipment.

The exporter of hazardous and other wastes, including e-waste, must maintain the records of exportedwaste in Form 3. The record maintained must be available for inspection.

Documents Required for E-waste Export Authorisation

The main documents required to obtain E-waste Export Authorisationfor used EEE/ EEE spare parts/EEE scrap are as follows -

• Duly filed Form 5
• Justification for export
• Valid Consent to Operate under Water Act, 1974 and Air Act, 1981
• Valid authorisation as per E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016
• Insurance policy covering liability to health and environment during transit
• Acknowledgement for a receipt of a copy of the application from the concerned SPCB/ PCC
• Copy of the agreement between the buyer and seller/ importer and exporter
• Copy of the previous latest permission issued by the MoEF&CC Ministry (if applicable)

Stages Involved in E- Waste Export Authorization

Documents & Fee Submission Any importer/exporter must apply forE-waste Export Authorisationin Form 5 and insurance cover to the MoEF&CC.The application must accompanythe prior informed consent from the importing country for all e-waste components specified in Part A of Schedule III and VI of the rule.

Document Scrutiny by CPCB The MoEF&CCwillissue an authorisation to successful applicants who meet all the criteria. The Ministry also sends a copy to the SPCB of the state where waste is generated and to the SPCB/PCC of the state where the export port is located. The concerned Port and Customs Authorities are also informedto ensure compliance with the conditions for exporting.

Grant of E-waste export authorisation On receipt of a completed application, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changemay grant export authorisation under sub-rule (2) within sixty days from the submission date of the complete application. The Ministry may impose any conditions as it may consider necessary.

How will Enterclimate Assist You?

An all-inclusive solution for your export business Enterclimate provides all-inclusive assistance for authorisation and licencing requirements for your e-waste export business under one roof. This helps in making the process coordinated and streamlined.

End-to-End Guidance Our team has vast experience in import-export compliances. Wepromise to provide swift and hassle-free assistance for legal and environment-related issues during your e-waste export authorisation journey.

Timely Assistance Our team comprises experts from a specific domain to answer all your queries accurately. We also ensure fast and easy interaction with our experts for any issues arising during the authorisation process.