Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 16 July 2025
The Andaman & Nicobar Pollution Control Committee (ANPCC) has issued a comprehensive advisory urging residents, institutions, and commercial establishments across the Union Territory to comply with the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
In its advisory, the ANPCC highlighted that all electronic waste generated in the islands must be collected through authorized channels and transported to approved treatment, storage, and disposal facilities located on the mainland. This process is to be carried out under the manifest system mandated in the 2022 Rules, ensuring transparency and traceability in the movement of e-waste.
The Committee stressed that bulk consumers, including government departments, institutions, and businesses operating in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, must only engage with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)-compliant producers and authorized collection agencies. Engaging unregistered service providers or unauthorized handlers for the disposal of e-waste is strictly prohibited.
To strengthen enforcement, the ANPCC has encouraged members of the public to report any instances of illegal e-waste processing, dismantling, or refurbishing. It reiterated that informal handling of e-waste violates environmental laws and poses serious threats to public health and the ecosystem.
As per the rules, all manufacturers, producers, refurbishers, and recyclers are required to register on the Central Pollution Control Board’s EPR Portal and meet their annual collection and recycling targets through environmentally sound practices.
The ANPCC emphasized that improper handling of e-waste can result in soil degradation, air pollution, and the contamination of aquatic ecosystems. It called for community vigilance and strict adherence to the rules by all stakeholders to ensure effective and sustainable e-waste management.
The Committee underscored that such collective efforts are vital for protecting the fragile and irreplaceable environmental heritage of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
