Battery Waste Management Rules 2022

Question 1

why in news?

Answer 1

The recent Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 notified by the government govern the entire life cycle of batteries bringing in a holistic approach and circular economy.

Question 2

RULES

Answer 2

1.Put producer and importer of battery at the centre of battery recycling rules with extended producer responsibility (EPR) certificates.
i= The EPR certificates will be generated on a centralised portal managed by CPCB( central pollution control bureau).
ii= They will be responsible for collecting and recycling of the refurbishing batteries.

2.The current version of battery waste rules cover electric vehicle batteries as well as portable, automative and industrial batteries.

3. It builds upon and replaces the Battery( management and handling) rules 2001.

POLLUTER PAYS PRINCIPLE– The ‘polluter pays’ principle is the commonly accepted practice that those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment. The polluter pays principle is part of a set of broader principles to guide sustainable development worldwide (formally known as the 1992 Rio Declaration). EPR is a part of This PRINCIPLE.

Question 3

Targets of Rules

Answer 3

1. It is a outcome based and measurable
   .
   2.An electric two-wheeler manufacturer has to meet a mandatory collection target of 70 percent of batteries in 2022- 2023 and has a seven-year compliance time period starting 2026-2027.

3.For electric three-wheeler manufacturers the metre starts from 2021-2022 according to their introduction in the market and their compliance starts from 2024-2025.

4.Electric four-wheelers have a longer compliance cycle at 14 years.

5. After processing, producers have to mandatorily use a minimum defined percentage of recycled materials recovered from old waste batteries to produce newer ones.
6. Labels indicating limits on the use of heavy metals cadmium, mercury and Lead and a picture of crossed out bin to indicate that the batteries can not be binned and have to be handed out to a registered collector.

Question 4

ISSUES WTH THE RULES

Answer 4

1. Does not provide visibility into the auditing process.
2. Misses out on the requirements for LITHIUM-ION batteries.\
3. Lithium-Ion Batteries have a very larges carbon footprint as they have materials sourced from the various parts of the world (South America and Australis for lithium, Congo for cobalt and Indonesia for nickel).

4

Question 5

CPCB

Answer 5

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Mo.E.F.C.C.). It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act, 1974. The CPCB is also entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It Co-ordinates the activities of the State Pollution Control Boards by providing technical assistance and guidance and also resolves disputes among them. It is the apex organization in country in the field of pollution control,[3] as a technical wing of MoEFCC.[4][5] The board is led by its Chairperson appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet of the Government of India.[6] The current acting chairman is Shri Tanmay Kumar (August 2021) and the Member Secretary is Dr. Prashant Gargava.

HO- NEW DELHI.

Came into existence through the The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.