Environmentally sound vehicle scrapping

India’s rapidly expanding road network has led to a steep rise in the number of registered vehicles. The lack of efficient and adequate public transport has also fueled vehicle sales in the country to meet demands for personal mobility solutions. The rapid growth of vehicles on the roads has given rise to the twin problems of traffic congestion and vehicular pollution. Scrapping end-of-life (ELV) vehicles is an important policy intervention to reduce vehicular pollution, but the process needs to be environmentally friendly so that it does not add to pollution instead of addressing it. Official data shows that of the estimated 1.2 crore vehicles to be scrapped across the country, the northeast region accounts for about 15 lakh vehicles, including 10 lakh vehicles registered in Assam. The state government estimates that over the next five years, an additional eight lakh vehicles will be 15-year-old, and these ELVs will include a significant number of commercial vehicles. The Vehicle Scrappage Policy of Assam, 2022, requires that vehicles that have not renewed their Certificate of Registration (RC), have not been granted a certificate of fitness, or are 15 years old and above and owned by the government, public sector undertakings, government agencies, autonomous councils, etc., are to be scrapped at a Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF). The revised “Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Facilities for Handling and Scrapping of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs)” issued by the Central Pollution Control Board has spelled out the environmental norms that are required to be followed by RVSF. The guidelines outline the procedures and facilities required for setting up environmentally sound scrapping facilities for ELVs, along with compliance requirements under environmental regulations, including Waste Management Rules notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The documents flag the concern that most of the automobile scrap yards in the country are managed by the semi-formal sector, and these semi-formal recyclers use crude methods to recover materials and are poorly organised among each other and with other stakeholders of the ELV value chain. It points out that ELVs contain hazardous substances, including waste oil, lubricants, waste batteries, lamps, electronic components, air bags, etc.; their recovery is often harmful to the health of the scrap recovery workers; and they may cause environmental contamination if improperly dismantled or disposed of. The guidelines also state that passenger cars contain about 70% steel, 7-8% aluminium, and 20–25% plastic, rubber, glass, etc., and recycling one tonne of steel conserves 1,134 kg of iron ore, 635 kg of coal, and 54.4 kg of limestone. These datasets explain why recycling is central to vehicle scrapping policies. The policy adopted by the Assam government requires all government vehicles above 15 years of age to be mandatorily scrapped, and all government vehicles are to be converted to electric vehicles (EV) by 2030 in accordance with the Electric Vehicle Policy of Assam. The policy also prescribes that after 2025, government departments will be allowed to purchase only EVs wherever applicable. Meeting the EV targets of government vehicles will be a daunting task if the slow pace of the establishment of charging stations for EVs in the state remains unchanged. Range anxieties due to the non-availability of adequate charging stations have also slowed the pace of EV sales, despite subsidies being provided to buyers under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme. Of the total 16.73 lakh personal hybrid vehicles currently in use in the country, Assam accounts for only 14693 vehicles, which include 2908 battery-operated EVs, 1375 diesel/hybrids, and 10410 petrol/hybrids. The Electric Vehicle Policy of Assam, 2021, seeks to promote rapid adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) so that they account for 25% of all new vehicle registrations by 2026. Without ending anxieties about charging EVs, this appears to be a tall order, and slow adoption of green vehicles will continue to pose a stumbling block in the reduction of emissions in the transport sector. The CPCB guidelines envisage that the wastes generated during environmentally sound scrapping of ELVs shall be managed in accordance with various rules notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which have been notified in order to provide statutory provisions for regulating the handling and management of wastes without causing any adverse effects on the environment or human health. As these rules are implemented through the state government and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB), their compliance by RVSF and other stakeholders will require strict vigilance by SPCBs and the transport departments. The guidelines underscore the need to develop a collection and channelization mechanism for ELVs from the source of their generation for recycling and recovery in an environmentally sound manner. The state needs to put in place a robust mechanism for recycling and disposal so scrapping ELVs is environmentally sound and does not create new environmental and health hazards.