WEEE Recycle

Training of Trainers - Advanced Course

20 - 22 July 2011

Jor Bagh, New Delhi

A three day Training of Trainers (ToT) was organised under the WEEE Recycle Project from

20 – 22 July 2011 in GIZ Jor Bagh office, New Delhi. The participants of the ToT were

members of the two informal sector companies – E-Waste HRA and Green E-Waste

Recyclers.

Day 1 : 20th July

Session 1: Project Background Introduction to ToT and scope of training

The Training began with an introduction of the participants and an introduction to the project

by Dr. Rachna Arora. This was followed by a quick overview of the contents of the training

for the three days. The participants were asked to write their expectations from the training

and share them with the group so that these could be reviewed at the end of the training.

Some of the expectations raised by the participants were as follows:

How would a common man benefit from company formation?

How would a small wastepicker benefit from e-waste?

How is the new e-waste law beneficial to a waste dealer?

Information on e-waste value chain and business management for an informal group.

Procedure to efficiently run an e-waste company. Etc.

Session 2: Approach the Informal Sector

In this session Dr. Rachna Arora shared the process to be adopted while approaching the

informal sector. She also shared that in the context of the new e-waste rules, it is all the

important for the informal sector to take the path of formalisation in order to have a level

playing ground with the registered recyclers. It is a fact

that the informal sector possesses skills of manual

dismantling that is recognised as the most efficient way

of getting maximum recovery of metals in the recycling

process. She shared that the informal sector needs to

make use of these skills in a formalised manner to gain

recognition and legal backing. In this manner, many of

the social and economic implications associated with

informal sector recycling, such as threats and

harassment, unstable employment, lack of minimum wages and social security etc. would

also be addressed. This would also lead to a decrease in environmental pollution and health

hazards.

This was followed by a step by step explanation of the process of approaching the informal

sector. It was shared that one of the most important processes is trust building which once

achieved, simplifies the further steps for association formation.

The last section of this session included an exercise where the participants were requested

to list down their apprehensions for moving forward after company formation. Issues such as

how they are getting affected; what are the barriers and challenges and how they are

planning to overcome them were the main points to be considered while conducting this

exercise. The participants were divided into two groups as per their membership with the two

companies and each group was asked to present their discussions.

Some of the highlights of the presentations are as follows:

To apply for Consent to Operate (CFO) to the DPCC after receiving the Consent to

Establish (CFE).

To maintain records and systems for the e-waste collected.

On what terms and conditions will the collected material be sold?

Work division in the company.

Pricing of products

Communication and Marketing.

Will they receive the licence for dismantling after collection of e-waste?

To start a dismantling facility in NCR.

Session 3: Instructions for Trainers

This session started with the NASA game. This exercise was conducted to give a message

to the participants that group work can lead to more accurate decisions. This game was of

relevance to the two companies as the members who have come together to form these

companies earlier had their individual businesses in the informal sector.

This was followed by a session on qualities of a trainer. Ms Sharon Ahmed highlighted the

point that each of the participants would act as trainers – both within their companies as they

would train the employees hired by the company, as well as outside the company since they

would train other members of the informal sector who form an association. Some of the

qualities that a trainer must possess were sincerity, helpfulness, attentiveness etc. Ms

Ahmed requested the participants to add some more qualities in the list.

The next session focussed on good communication. The participants were asked to play the

game of “Chinese whispers” in which a message is to be transferred from one person to the

other and the last person is supposed to share the message aloud. The result of the game

was that the original message was lost in between and the last person received a very

different message than the original one. The moral of this game was that communication has

to be clear and precise. The receiver of the message must be able to comprehend the same

information and the sender has given. Secondly, in a large group there are higher chances

of miscommunication and therefore it is all the more important to have direct communication

rather than indirect communication. This was followed by the key messages of successful

communication and presentation tools.

This session was very participative and all the members present actively contributed to the

discussions.

Session 4: E-Waste Policy and Regulations

This session was conducted by Dr. Lakshmi Raghupaty where she shared detailed

information on the E-waste Management and handling Rules 2010 issued by the Ministry of

Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Dr Raghupaty began the session by sharing the

history of regulations associated with e-waste and

the process through which the latest e-waste rules

were formulated. She also shared information on

the other national policies, laws and regulations

applicable for the management of e-waste in India.

This was followed by information on specific

responsibilities and compliance requirements of the

various players involved in the e-waste value chain

such as producers, collectors, dismantlers and

recyclers as mentioned in the e-waste rules.

Towards the end of the session an exercise was conducted

where the participants filled the information on the CFE forms.

This exercise was very helpful for the participants as both the

companies are in the process of filing for environmental

clearances from the DPCC.

A feedback exercise was conducted by Dr. Rachna Arora at

the end of the day to assess the training methodology and

understand the participants’ opinion about it.

Day 2: 21st July

Session 1: E-waste specifics / toxic substances

This session was conducted by Mr. Shashi Bhushan who is a

member of E-Waste HRA and had attended the ToT in

Bangalore. The reason behind giving him the opportunity to

conduct one of the sessions was to understand the impact

that the ToTs have on the participants and evaluate the

capacity of the trainees for conducting the ToTs independently in the future with the

association members.

The session started with information sharing on the categories

of e-waste according to the e-waste rules. This was followed

by a listing of equipments that are currently collected and

processed by them. The items listed by the participants

included camera, scanner, television, refrigerator, networking

wires, projectors, computers, laptops, networking wires, toys,

video games, dvds etc to name a few. The next step was to

identify which of these items came under the ambit of the e-

waste rules. This exercise gave a clarity to the participants about the components that are

covered under the rules.

This was followed by sharing of data on the EEE industry and e-waste generation in India.

Information was also shared on the e-waste flow in India and was cross checked with the

participants as they are part of the e-waste value chain.

The second half of this session focussed on the hazardous

components of e-waste and how they affect the health of

those involved in the processing of e-waste. At the same

time importance was also given to the fact that proper

recycling of e-waste is important as it also contains

valuable and precious metals that can be extracted and re-

used. However, the current practices adopted by many of

the informal sector members for precious metal extraction

are harmful for the environment as well as to the health of workers involved in such

operations and therefore the informal sector members shall focus on the collection and

dismantling of the e-waste and hand it over to registered recyclers who have the

infrastructure and technology for safe extraction and processing of e-waste.

This session ended with listing of the major challenges faced by the informal sector

Session 2: Environment, occupational health and safety

This session was conducted by Ms Priti Mahesh

from Toxics Link. She shared information on the

toxic materials present in the different components of

e-waste such as beryllium, cadmium, mercury etc.

and how these can be harmful for the environment

and health of the workers associated with handling of

e-waste. Ms Mahesh also shared information on the

different types of diseases associated with these

chemicals and the different body parts affected when

a human comes in contact with these chemicals.

She then moved on to explaining the environmental impacts associated with improper

handling of e-waste and how the different chemicals present in e-waste have an adverse

effect on air, water and soil. Ms Mahesh also explained the potential risks at the workplace

where e-waste is processed and the measures to be kept in mind while working with the

different processes associated with e-waste handling

This was followed by an exercise where the participants were requested to list down the

process used in the treatment of e-waste and the possible hazards associated with them.

This was followed by a listing of the local names associated with some of the chemicals and

the processes in which they are used. This session ended with the dos and don’ts

associated with handling of e-waste.

The participants found this exercise very useful and shared that they were not aware of how

e-waste can be harmful although they knew that it is somehow harmful. This exercise gave

them clarity on the potential hazards associated with e-waste. Many of the participants

shared that although they are not directly associated with processing of e-waste but in their

neighbourhood there are many people who are involved in such activities. They would

definitely pass on this information to these people. The participants also committed that they

would try to install as many safety measures at their workplace as they can, particularly

personal safety equipment while handling e-waste.

Session 3: Collection of e-waste

This session was conducted by Dr. Rachna Arora and the main topics covered during the

session were need for a collection channel; forms of collection channels such as B2B and

B2C; working models for collection such as Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) and

Collective Producer Responsibility (CPR); role of informal sector association in collection

and support extended from the project for setting up collection mechanisms. Dr. Arora also

shared the project dynamic with the participants that depicts the model for integration of the

informal sector in the formalised e-waste value chain.

The presentation was followed by an exercise of stakeholder mapping in which the

participants were divided into two groups according to the two companies and both the

groups were asked to map the various stakeholders in accordance with their relations with

the different stakeholder groups by the distance from the centre.

The stakeholder mapping revealed that members of both the companies had linkages with

many stakeholders such as government offices, private companies, individual households

etc. The best part of this exercise was that it was able to reveal that both the companies had

aspirations to grow and were aware of the target groups that they need to focus on once the

companies receive the environmental clearances from the DPCC.

The last session was a feedback exercise in which the participants shared what they know

after the two days sessions and what they still wished to know further.

Day 3: 22nd June

Business Management

The third day covered the topic of business management which was conducted by Ms

Sharon Ahmed. The business management session focussed on three broad topics:

Effectively setting up and running your business;

Developing a Business Plan;

Pitching your idea.

The session began with the sharing of ideas on why a business management workshop is

important and relevant to the participants followed by the definition and contents of

sustainable entrepreneurship using the triple bottom line.

The session on ‘effectively setting up and running your business’ focussed on sub topics

such as strategy development, marketing and communication, operations management,

legal considerations, finance, human resource management, partnership management and

risk management. This session included a number of exercises for the participants.

The first exercise was on strategy development. The participants were asked to divide

themselves into two groups according to the two companies and each company was to

present a vision for the next two years – both overall goals that they want to achieve as the

quantitative achievements in terms of turnover, profits and quantities of e-waste collected.

This was a very fruitful exercise as the participants were able to define their goals and were

able to plan the path to achieve them.

The second exercise conducted was the SWOT analysis of the two companies which

members of each of the two companies undertook for their respective companies. Some of

the critical points highlighted in the SWOT analysis by both

the companies were that they possessed skills of

networking and manual dismantling which many of the

formal recyclers across the country did not possess.

However, they faced limitations in terms of legal approval

by the State authorities, finance and management skills.

They also shared that many of the members feel that they

are not educationally qualified to possess the skills

required for running a company. At the same time they

were able to perceive a big opportunity with the coming of the e-waste rules as their

companies would be able to compete with the formal sector in the coming time. They also

considered the formal recyclers as well as members of the informal sector as a threat as the

companies would directly come into competition with them when they start their operations.

Ms Ahmed requested the participants to think of the ways in which they could improve upon

their strengths, overcome their weaknesses and convert the threats into opportunities in the

coming time. This was followed by the listing of various options available for funding for the

two companies.

The next segment of the session focussed on the e-waste value chain and where the two

companies fit into this existing chain. The participants

were then asked to explain a step by step procedure of

the e-waste collection that they would undertake in the

coming time and the equipments and human resource

that they would require at each step.

This was followed by a session on marketing and

communication in which Ms Ahmed focussed on

certain skills associated with marketing and the

profiling of the upstream and downstream clients associated with the e-waste business. She

stressed on the fact that profiling of relevant stakeholders is very crucial while defining the

marketing strategy as the strategy would be different for different segments of clients.

The next segment focussed on Legal Considerations associated with the business that the

two companies would undertake. Ms Ahmed shared information on the legal requirements

and compliances associated with different authorities such as the Industrial Department,

Registrar of Companies (ROC), State Pollution Control Board (DPCC in Delhi’s case),

Department of Labour, Income Tax Department etc. She then moved on to explaining about

financial planning and its relevance to any business. The importance of maintaining

accounts and book – keeping was also shared with the participants. The participants were

asked about their opinion on the relevance of book – keeping for smooth running of a

business. One of the major points highlighted in this section was the minimisation of cash

transactions in any business to improve transparency within the company as well as to the

external world.

This was followed by an exercise on developing an organisational chart. Both the companies

were asked to develop an organisational chart for their respective companies. The

participants enjoyed conducting this exercise as it gave a clear picture of the roles and

responsibilities of each member associated with the company. This exercise also enabled

them to undertake human resource planning for their companies. This exercise was followed

by a session on partnership management and its importance for any business relationship.

The next section was on developing a business plan. Ms Ahmed shared information on the

different sections of a business plan. She informed the participants that all the discussions

held during the day are critical for developing a business plan for any company.

The last section of the day covered the topic of pitching a business. Ms Ahmed shared

relevant points on how to pitch an idea and different ways to pitch for different clients. This

was followed by an exercise on pitching in which the participants were divided into four

groups (media, investor, business partner and clients). The task was to pitch an idea and

convince the stakeholder group to accept the pitch.

This was a very interactive exercise in which all the four groups conducted role plays to pitch

their ideas. This exercise was followed by a discussion on ways of improvements based on

the role plays. The participants thoroughly enjoyed this exercise.

The day ended with a feedback exercise on the entire ToT conducted during the three days.