Journal of Global Resources

Volume 2

January 2016
Page 196-199
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

27
ALARMINGLY INCREASING E-WASTE IN INDIA AND ITS MANAGEMENT
Prashant Dwivedi
Assistant Professor, Dr. B.R.A. Govt. Girls PG College, Fatehpur (UP), India
Email: pd861975@gmail.com
Abstract: The electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest growing wastes inthe world. E-waste refers to any discarded waste electrical or electronic equipment. It includes
TVs, PCs, laptops, mobile phones and other electronic devices that have reached the end of
their useful lives. These discarded devices contain several toxins that can severely cause
environmental pollution and complicated health hazards, if not disposed properly. India isbelieved to generate about 1.2 lakh tons of e-waste. Barely 3.9 percent of the e-waste
produced in India is recycled. Due to the relative novelty of e-waste in the urban solid waste
stream, there is little awareness on its safe management. There is an urgent need to bridge
the existing gap between e-waste and recycling. This can be achieved by improving thechannelization mechanisms for proper recycling and establishing a system of accountability ine-waste management. The need of the hour is to work out specific methods for the disposal ofe-waste. A comprehensive policy would help in the objective. The paper highlights the hazardsof e-wastes, the need for its proper management and options that can be implemented withspecial reference to India.
Keywords: Hazard, Toxic Legacy, Leach, Recycling, Disposal, E-waste management.
Introduction
E-waste is the Toxic Legacy of our digital age. Our waste electronics are polluting drinkingwater and harming ecosystems around the world. It`s time to fix the problem. Electronics arepacked with toxic chemicals- arsenic, lead, and poly-brominates flame retardants. Most of oure-waste ends up in landfills- both in developed nations and in the developing world- where
toxic metals leach into the environment. When electronic devices end up in landfills, toxics likelead, mercury, and cadmium reach into soil and water. The electronic problem is huge: Morethan 20million tons of e-waste are produced every year. America alone generates about 3.4million tons of e-waste per year. In Indian context, the electronics industry has emerged as thefastest growing segment of Indian industry both in terms of production and exports. TheInformation Technology Revolution has intensified the problem of e-waste in India. The
volume of e-waste in the country is increasing at an alarming rate. According to a Bengaluru
based NGO Clean City, India annually generates $ 1.6 billion worth of e-waste domestically,
with the booming IT sector being the largest contributor, as 30 percent of its machines reachobsolescence annually.
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to improve understanding of e-waste and its effect on health andenvironment on an Indian scale.
Hypothesis
The basic question and purpose of this research paper was to analyze levels andcharacteristics of e-waste and its effect on the environment and human health. The intended
result and outcome of this study was to determine if there was a need to control, reduce, andproperly dispose of obsolete or unwanted electronic devices. The null hypothesis was that196

there was not a problem with electronic waste and additional waste reduction was notnecessary. The alternate hypothesis stated that e-waste reduction was needed.
General Discussion
Performing study on e-waste has provided the means to reflect on consequences of the lackof proper recycling efforts. The recycling of e-waste is a major concern in India. The workers in
the recycling sector are dominated by the urban poor with very low literacy levels and hence
they have very little awareness regarding the potential hazards of e-waste. Among the urban
poor, there are a substantial number of women and children engaged in various recycling
activities which further exaggerate the problem of e-waste as they are more vulnerable to thehazards from this kind of waste. Considering the hazardous effects of e-waste if a change is
not made on a multi-state scale, pollution rates will increase. The environment will suffer fromadditional amounts of chemical and hazardous material disposal. What happens to theenvironment will also affect the health of numerous individuals who use primitive methods toreclaim components from electronic devices and also those that reside near the abundantdiscard piles. Developed countries have continued seek the easiest and most cost effective
way of dealing with e-waste. Unfortunately, that method all too often means passing theproblem off to someone else. Shipping e-waste to third world countries including India is seen
a less trouble than creating an environmentally conscious solution. However, encouraging a
global market for used electronics does more good than harm:
1. Repaired electronics give people access to low-cost electronics and help them accessthe awesome benefits of technology.
2. Used electronics create repair jobs in developing countries that often have few
opportunities for skilled labour.
3. Reuse in developing countries is usually more effective than domestic recycling- there
is not much of a market for old cathode ray tube monitors in the US, for example, butthey are used in other countries.
In a developing country like India, most e-wastes land up in the informal sector, where
it is recycled without any consideration to health and environment. Open burning; acid baths,
unventilated work spaces and crude handling of chemicals are typical of these operations,where susceptible groups like children and women are regularly employed. Without safety
equipments at hand, the workers in some of the recycling hotspots spread all over the country,
are exposed to the toxic cocktail daily. The unregulated practices also release hazardous
materials in air, water and soil, thereby endangering our environment. Most of the studies
suggest that currently 90 per cent of e-waste is being handled in the informal sector and mostof the processes are rudimentary where crude waste processing techniques are adopted,
leading to various health and environmental hazards. Delhi based Toxic Link (anenvironmental NGO) conducted a study on the impact of e-waste recycling on water and soil.
The study reveals toxic elements such as mercury, lead, zinc, etc. along with acids andchemicals released during e-waste recycling are contaminating soil and water in thesurrounding areas. The report based upon lab testing of soil and water samples from Loni andMandoli areas of Delhi`s National Capital Territory found both water and soil to becontaminated with heavy metals and contaminants.
The banking and financial services sector is among the largest buyers of IT products,
both software and hardware. Almost all national and multinational banks and other financial,insurance companies, investment banks, stock exchanges etc. have their branches in almost
all major cities. Studies have confirmed that there are substantial quantities of e-waste being
generated in banking sector. Interestingly, none of the banks have either any disposal policyor green purchasing policy, which obliges vendors to take back and endure responsible
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disposal of end-of-life equipments. A relatively recent development in the banking industry inIndia is the growth of BPOs that are essentially providing various back-office services forbanks in India and across the world. While some of these are captive BPOs owned andmanaged by the particular bank, others are companies from the IT enabled services domain towhom banks can outsource their back office functions. These BPOs are very technology
intensive, with a high obsolescence rate, and will become a large contributor to the e-waste
stream in the near future.
In addition to the locally generated e-waste, import is a major factor for e-waste
hazards. Strict disposal laws in the developed countries ensure that e-waste does not flow into
general waste stream. Private companies and authorised agencies carry out e-waste
collection, handling and recycling. Given the high wages, the cost of collection, handling anddisposal makes it expensive operation. Unscrupulous agents take the easy way out byexporting e-waste to developing countries in the name of trade, charity etc. The dumping of ewaste, especially computer waste by the USA and UK, on India and other south Asian
countries has reached an alarming proportion. According to the UK-based European Toxics
Mess` study it is eight times cheaper to export computer scrap than to recycle it within thedeveloped nations. E-waste affects nearly every system in the human body because it
contains a plethora of toxic components including Mercury, Lead, and Cadmium, polybrominated Flame Retardants, Barium and Lithium. Even the plastic casings of electronic
products contain Polyvinyl Chloride. The health effects of these toxins on humans include birthdefects, brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage. It also significantly affects thenervous and reproductive system of the human body. While the health implications of e-waste
are difficult to isolate due to the informal working conditions, poverty and poor sanitation,
several studies in Mumbai offer insight. Mumbai is known as one of the largest e-waste
recycling cities in India, and the city`s residents exhibit substantial digestive, neurological,
respiratory and bone problems. It proves that e-waste is an important global and Indian
environmental and health issues. Promising policies responses must arise from India, whichmust define the source as responsible for e-waste. With this approach, manufacturers arerequired to eliminate dangerous toxins from production.
Suggestions
E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally, growing more than three times
faster than municipal waste. As it contains both toxins and precious metals, effectively
managing e-waste is a major global challenge. Economic incentives for cheap and effective
recycling are large while potential hazards are high. Although the newest technology is able torecycle e-waste while keeping environmental impacts to a minimum, improper treatment
releases a large number of toxins into the environment and poisons workers. Despite thehazards of improper disposal, economic incentives have resulted in international shipments ofe-waste to developing countries, in which the e-waste can be recycled using cheap labour
without adhering to strict environmental standards. As stated earlier there is an urgent need tobridge the existing gap between e-waste and recycling. Creation of a legislative andenforcement mechanism to prevent India from becoming a dumping ground of e-waste fordeveloped nation is essential. The need to review existing legal framework is self evident. A
necessary policy framework and legal architecture together with effective implementation
machinery need to be put in place to meet the challenges of e-waste management• We should buy second hand electronic devices, try to fix it before throwing it away, and try
to sell so that someone does not buy a new one.
• Stricter laws and regulations should be implemented to help facilitate a movement towards
recycling and reusing• People should be educated better so that they fully understand the potential
consequences to improper disposal
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•
•
•

Some large corporations take back old and unwanted electronic devices. We shouldcontact the large retailers before throwing away our electronic devices.
Investment should be attracted in this sector.
Link up activities of informal sector with formal sector should be emphasized.
Consultative process should be adopted
To make recycling business viable one Government should encroach legal import of ewaste, should subsidize recycling and disposal industry.

Conclusion
Managing the growing stream of e-waste in India presents several challenges. Informal ewaste recycling dominates the industry, accounting for 85 to 90 percent of all recycling.
However, informal recycling creates a number of problems that will increase as the domestic
production continues to grow. Although a potential source of income for people in poverty,
informal e-waste recycling exposes workers and the environment to a number of toxins.
Compared to formal recycling techniques more chemicals are used and inappropriately
disposed of per gram of gold recovered. However, the toxic recycling processes used areeffective at recovering gold. Additionally, future increases in metal prices are unlikely to erode
the advantages that have ensured the informal sectors’ dominance. Existing legislation in India
is insufficient for tackling these problems. Difficulties caused by a lack of dedicated regulation
are compounded by existing rules that are neither adhered to nor monitored; the enforcementof existing regulation remains a problem in India. Furthermore, as outlined in the study, a large
number of stakeholders are either unaware of the hazards associated with inappropriate ewaste treatment or are resistant to solving it. Despite some progress, the need to raiseawareness remains a key issue. There are currently very few regulations on the disposal of EWaste and they are being allowed to enter our landfills or be burned. We are willingly
allowing hazardous substances to leach into our water and air so that we may enjoy a newform of technology. This problem is not going to go away because the global population is
growing and the demand for newer and better technology is creating enormous amounts of oldand outdated electronics.
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