Refurbisher Authorization | Refurbisher License

Refurbishers of notified e-waste cannot process this electronic waste without obtaining EPR Authorisation for E-Waste. This authorisation is provided by the Central Pollution Control Board. The refurbishers as well as recyclers need to get this Refurbishes Licence from the EPR Portal of CPCB after EPR Registration. It helps the Central Pollution Control Board to track the e-waste that is produced, imported, recycled and refurbished. Based on this data, the extended producer responsibility targets are calculated for producers and importers. E-Waste Refurbishers also need to provide EPR Certificates to the producers for the e-waste refurbished at their facility.

What is E-Waste?

E-Waste is an abbreviated term used to denote Electronic Waste including electronic products that are unwanted, not working, and nearing or at the end of their “useful life.” Computers, TV Sets, stereos, photocopy machines, and printers are everyday electronic products.

According to the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 'E-Waste' means any electrical and electronic equipment, whose life has been ended or in part discarded as waste by the consumer or bulk consumer as well as rejected from the manufacturing industry, refurbishment industry, and repair processes.

Who is a Refurbisher?

According to the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 “Refurbishment” is a process in which improvement of used electrical and electronic equipment as listed in Schedule I for extending its shelf life for its originally supposed use and distribute constant within the market or returning to the owner is carried out. 

A refurbisher is a person who will carry out the whole process of refurbishment in his/her business premises.

E-Waste Production Scenario

Electronic waste is spreading a very serious public health and environmental issue in India. India is the third largest electronic waste producer in the world. It is producing lakhs of tonnes of waste every year and the year-on-year increase is above 30 per cent. Along with the production, the import of electronic items also contributes to the e-waste generation in the country. The import of electronic devices is also increasing to satisfy the demand in the country.

Different category electronic items contribute to E-Waste annually, Personal Computing Devices account for around 70% of e-waste, the telecom sector accounts for 12% of e-waste, 8% from medical equipment, and 7% from electric equipment. The Government division, public division companies, and private division companies produce nearly 75% of electronic waste, with the contribution of individual households only 16%.

The refurbishment has an advantage over recycling; refurbishment not only reduces E-Waste but also extends the working life of the product. All refurbished materials are verified to be in operating order. The crucial distinction between recycling and refurbishing is that the former materials are extracted and reused whereas the latter elements in operating condition are reused in new materials.

Hence refurbishing is healthier for the atmosphere because even effective recycling processes produce some waste. Because many materials cannot be recycled indefinitely, eventually a lot of e-waste becomes utterly useless to recyclers. Refurbishing, on the opposite hand, is effective as a result of operating elements being reused in new materials.

Another advantage of refurbishing e-waste is that older elements will take the place of recent ones while not compromising the standard of freshly factory-made ones. Customers taken with technology will not notice any distinction in quality once they get a replacement of electronic product factory-made refurbished e-waste. For refurbishing, people who recycle should buy natural materials whereas makers should use second-generation materials to manufacture new natural materials.

The following are the basic requirements to be a Refurbisher:

• The first basic thing required is a separate place. It should be a minimum of decent space where you'll keep all the E-Waste and waste aside from equipment and utilities.
• The second thing required is a closed space similar to a factory but small sized room can also work.
• The next necessary requirement is the equipment by which you repair the refurbished materials
• The next requirement is the Refurbished Materials that you need to repair. For this, you'll make a network of refurbished materials suppliers which will supply the specified amount of refurbished materials. 

Land Requirement

The requirement for land depends on you. If you are interested in a small-scale refurbish business then it requires a small space but if you want a large-scale refurbish business then a large land is required for the refurbishment process.

Technician and Labors

To carry out all the process of refurbishment you definitely require a technical person who can understand the machine technology. Hire a technician who knows the way to work with machines & refurbishment process.

What are the responsibilities of a Refurbisher?

The following are the responsibilities of a refurbisher:

• Gather the E-Waste generated throughout the process of refurbishing and send the waste to an authorized dismantler or recycler through its assortment center.
• Make an application to the concerned SPCB for authorization.
• Ensure that no destruction is caused in the environment due to the storage and transportation of E-Waste.
• Ensure that the e-waste therefore generated is safely transported to authorized assortment centers or dismantlers or recyclers.
• Ensure that the refurbishing process does not have any harmful effect on the health and on the environment.
• File annual returns to the concerned SPCB. Keep records of the E-Waste handled and such records ought to be accessible for scrutiny by the concerned authority.

The refurbishers need the following documents to obtain the refurbisher authorisation from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the E-Waste Management Rules of 2022-

• Form I
• Covering Letter
• Identity Proof of Responsible Person
• Address Proof of Responsible Person
• PAN Card of the Responsible Person
• Proof of Possession of Premises
• Copy of Incorporation Certificate (CIN)
• MoA and AoA of the Company
• Board Resolution
• GST Details
• PAN Card of the Company
• Consent to Establishment
• Consent to Operate
• Self-Declaration on the letterhead of the company
• Affidavit for the correctness of quantities so mentioned
• List of producers attached with the Refurbishers

The refurbishers of e-waste are required to go through the following steps to get the Refurbisher Registration from the CPCB. They can apply for the Refurbisher Licence online through CPCB Portal-

• First register on the CPCB Portal which will provide you with the login credentials.
• Use these login credentials to log in. After login, you will see the dashboard where you can apply for various different authorisations.
• Choose Refurbisher Authorisation for E-Waste which will open Form I to fill up.
• Enter the requisite details in this Form and provide information regarding other documents required for Refurbisher Licence.
• After the successful submission of the form, the designated officer from CPCB will review it and grant the authorization accordingly.

The Fees for refurbisher authorisation differs based on the size of your business. If your capital investment is low then you need to pay less than one thousand rupees as fees but if your capital investment is higher then you need to pay more fees which may go up to ten thousand rupees.
 

Although this piece of article clears most of the doubts regarding the procedure to get Refurbisher Authorisation, there may still be some critical information you need to understand before applying for the Refurbisher Licence. Our team at Corpseed understands the need of the client and provides personalised assistance to them taking care of the applicable rules, regulations and guidelines in force at such a specific time. We conduct desk-based research, documentation, and coordination to ease the way of getting E-Waste Refurbisher Authorisation for you. Corpseed is a one-stop solution for all your business needs.