Nepal ill-prepared to manage growing volume of e-waste

By Modnath Dhakal & Indira Aryal,Kathmandu, Dec. 29: In the Fiscal Year 2022/23, Nepal imported about 5.7 million mobile phones and more than 4 million last year. It also imported telephone devices including those for cellular and wireless networks in a large volume. 

According to the statistics of the Department of Customs (DoC), it also imported more than 2.9 million sets of headphones/earphones, 2.3 million sets of smart watches and 4.3 million mobile chargers.

Likewise, television wets, air conditioners, household and commercial refrigerators, washing machines are also being imported to the tune of hundreds of thousands.

Senior Officer of the Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC), Krishna Raj Bajgain, informed that last year, Nepal imported mobile phones worth Rs. 30.18 billion, television sets worth Rs. 2.49 billion, and computers worth Rs. 13.7 billion. 

However, if the statistics of 2020/21 and 2021/22 are analysed, import of mobile phones and other electronic devices was even higher as the demands of such equipment went significantly high in the lockdowns during the COVID-19 period. People needed computers and smartphones for virtual meetings, work from home and entertainment. 

Mobile phones worth Rs. 41.2 billion, computers and parts thereof worth Rs. 19.7 billion and TV sets worth Rs. 6 billion were imported in 2021/22. As per industry expert, lifespan of LED TV ranges from 5-10 years while mobile sets are generally used for 2.5-3 years. 

It means, most of the mobile phones bought during the COVID-19 pandemic era are being replaced with newer devices. While consumer durables like refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners last for more than a decade, mobile phones, computers and television sets are replaced at faster pace. 

E-waste generation

As people are replacing their old electronic devices and throwing away the old sets, they are generating a huge amount of e-waste and creating a challenge for the government and waste managers across the world. 

While the Government of Nepal doesn't have recent statistics, in 2018, the Kathmandu Valley alone generated more than 18,000 tonnes of e-waste. A Global E-waste Monitor 2020 put the e-waste figure in Nepal at around 28,000 tonnes in 2019. 

Any discarded item with a battery or plug is e-waste. It also includes batteries which have toxic and hazardous substances pose risks to environment and human well-being. 

A report on 'Inventory Preparation of E-Waste and Its Management in Kathmandu Valley' prepared by Pace Nepal for the Department of Environment in 2017 listed mobile, laptop, CRT desktop, LCD desktop, CRT television, LCD television, refrigerator and washing machines as the major e-waste component. 

The same report noted that the estimated collection/generation of e-waste volume by scrap dealers across the valley is a significant considering the status of Nepal as a developing country. Now, every municipality across the country is facing the problem of growing e-waste generation but none of them have policy or strategy for its management. 

While scrap dealers are the last component in the e-waste value chain in Nepal, most of the unused and damaged electronic devices are being taken to India for segregation and recycling in absence of such facilities in Nepal. Scrap collectors collect such devices, including hazardous lead-acid and lithium batteries, at dirt cheap price which mostly happens in urban areas.

Mobile Phone Importers Association (MPIA) said that most of the scrap electronic devices are handled and segregated by informal sector businesses. Most of the retailers or distributors don't provide exchange offer or buy-back facility for the used phones or laptops. 

Several years ago, the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) has taken some initiatives in e-waste management policy but the drive has been stalled since. A high official from the telecom sector regulator said that the policy should be created with the adoption of globally accepted principle 'extended producers' responsibility' in terms of e-waste management. 

However, the official cited the poor coordination among the concerned agencies like the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Department of Environment, NTA, Department of Customs and local governments behind policy confusion and inertia. 

"This is the reason the country doesn't have any statistics, policies and action plan in terms of e-waste generation, management, processing and control," the NTA said. 

Government should buy latest devices 

Meanwhile, the CAN Federation said that the government has also contributed to the growing size of e-waste. President of CAN Federation, Ranjeet Kumar Poddar, said that the computers procured by the government agencies and public schools are of older generations which won't last long and create burden economically and environmentally. 

"While there are 14th generation computers available in the market, public schools are purchasing 7th generation computers in bulk. As you know, gadgets and IT products need to be of the latest technology to be compatible with the latest software and applications," he said. 

Poddar suggested that the government should adopt a policy to bar the entry of older generation devices and machines if it has to control the generation of e-waste and get most of its investment on IT devices. 

Policy gap in e-waste management

The government has not yet formulated any standards related to e-waste although experts in health, environment and business processing have been warning about its repercussions for the last one and a half decades. 

However, Dr. Deepak Kharal, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE), said that the ministry is discussing the formulation of a separate standard for it while addressing other pollution control measures. 

“It is not necessary to blindly follow the policies and standards set by other countries. We must focus on our own problems and develop standards tailored to our needs. However, we must not delay further; the time is ripe to learn from the good practices of our neighbouring countries,” he stated.

Acknowledging the growing volume of e-waste due to excessive use of electronic items in Nepal, Dr. Prakas Budhathoki, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, pointed out that there are no dedicated laws or policies addressing its management. “A standard has been formulated, but there is not a separate one specifically for e-waste,” he said.

But this policy absence has been a trouble for the recyclers who are seeking facilitation and incentives for their business. Utsav Aryal of Doko Recyclers said that national policy is called for to guide the businesses in this sector that has an impressive value chain from scrap collectors to segregators, recyclers, processors and exporters. 

Nepal currently has the National Waste Management Policy 2022 and the Solid Waste Management Act 2011. While the National Waste Management Policy 2022 includes provisions for e-waste management, focusing on proper handling and disposal to mitigate environmental and health risks, experts have said that these provisions have yet to be effectively implemented. 

Agencies like NTA and private sector associations said that the formulation of a policy is not helpful unless its implementation strategies and procedures are formulated and implemented. 

“It has only been a few years since the excessive use of electronic items began, so the major impacts may not be visible yet. However, if we fail to manage e-waste properly now, it will severely harm future generations,” said Budhathoki. He also stressed the need for the government to introduce robust laws and policies to ensure effective e-waste management, safeguarding future generations from hazardous exposure.

Health implications

Dr. Khem Karki, a public health expert, said that electronic items contain many chemicals and release various harmful substances, including polyester and plastic-based compounds, which can adversely affect human health when kept close to people. 

He explained that electronic items release numerous synthetic chemicals into the environment, which take a long time to decompose. These substances can impact human health, potentially causing metabolic syndrome, skin diseases, hypertension and even cancer, depending on the level and duration of exposure.

Most of the e-waste consists of metal ions out of which 2.7 per cent are toxic. “The latest research indicates that long-term exposure to electronic casings can lead to infertility by hindering sperm production,” he said. 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), exposure to e-waste has been linked to severe health issues, including stillbirths, premature births and low birth weight. Lead exposure from e-waste recycling activities is particularly concerning, as it has been associated with reduced neo-natal behavioural neurological assessment scores and an increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

“E-waste volumes are pouring globally. The Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP) reported a 21 per cent increase in e-waste generation over five years, reaching 53.6 million metric tonnes in 2019. To put this into perspective, the e-waste generated that year weighed as much as 350 cruise ships lined up to stretch 125 kilometres. This growth is expected to continue, driven by the expanding use of computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices, alongside their rapid obsolescence,” WHO said.

KMC relies on public

When asked about e-waste management in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, where most of the electronic waste is collected, Sarita Rai, Chief of the KMC Environment Division, said that no measures have been taken yet for the decomposition and management of e-waste. However, she mentioned that KMC has been planning to begin collecting and managing e-waste soon.

“We are planning to collect e-waste by dividing it into seven clusters across the 32 wards of KMC. We have called the tenders from Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to handle e-waste separately from other types of waste. Currently, we are working on strategies for managing the waste and determining where it can be properly disposed and decomposed,” she said.

The KMC currently lacks a clear understanding of how to decompose e-waste and has not conducted a detailed study on the subject. In the initial phase, the KMC plans to collect e-waste from all service providers within the Valley. “We are requesting the service providers to separate e-waste, and the process has already begun,” she said.

However, other local governments have yet to aim their attention to the management of e-waste although most of them collect the scrap tax.