A Detailed Study About E-waste & Its Management In India
keywords – E-waste, Electronic Waste, EEE, Pollution, Health Hazards
Growing IT companies and modern technologies have increased the use of electronic equipments. This development has made the people to change their electronics with the new ones frequently. The old or used equipments are not disposed in proper way and form e-waste. E-waste has become the most important problem in growing countries like India.
What is E-waste?
The electronic and electrical equipment which is thrown away after their use or life time over makes e-waste. For example, computers, laptops, cell phones, bulb, fan, refrigerator, washing machines, batteries, medical wastes etc.,
These equipments are replaced by the people frequently because of their new development. People like to use the latest technology, so they upgrade with the new one.
Impacts of E-waste
The old computers, calculators, bulb which are disposed make e-waste pollution. These products will not get decompose. They are made up of metals, plastics, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), printed circuit boards, cables, glass, etc. These wastes are collected and kept in an open area. They contain toxic substances like liquid crystal, lithium, mercury, nickel, selenium, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chrome, cobalt, copper, and lead, which are hazardous to humans and environment.
The cell phone contains beryllium which can damage the lungs. The waste gets contaminated and makes underground water and soil toxins.
Air pollution
In some places they are burning e-waste, where the harmful toxins released are mixed with air and produces air pollution. The copper wires are burnt in open space which releases hazardous gases. The computer chips are gold plated and burnt for the gold, releases hydrocarbons.
Water Pollution
The chemical lead which is present in the batteries, electronic items easily mixes with the underground water when they are not handled properly and makes the water unfit for drinking. The broken cathode ray tube of computer and television easily penetrates through soil and contaminates the water.
Soil Pollution
The dumping of electronic items without handling affects the soil by releasing the hazardous toxins and makes the land unfit for agriculture.
E-waste management
India has ranked fifth position in top most e-waste producing countries. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and KPMG study, says that 70% of e-waste is made up of computer equipment, 12% by telecommunication, 8% by electrical equipment, 7% by electrical equipment and remaining with household waste in India.
Another survey says that India makes more than 2 million tonnes e-waste annually and imports huge amount of e-waste from other countries. E-waste collection, transportation, processing and recycling are done in India. These sectors are networked and unregulated.
In India, the labour cost for recycling is low. These e-wastes are dumped in an open place and workers collect the reusable items and some precious metals like gold, silver which are used in some equipment. The largest e-waste dismantling center in India is Seelampur in Delhi.
The repair shop, product vendors collect the specific discarded portion of electronic items and reuse them with the new one.
Impact of Recycling E-Waste
There are many informal industries to recycle the e-waste. These industries have labour for low salaries and they work for 8 to 12 hours daily. The workers work with bare hands and no facemasks. This could affect the health of workers severely because the toxins released are inhaled by the workers. Acid stripping and burning may release gases like polyvinyl chloride, chlorofluorocarbons, arsenic, nickel and barium which could cause cancer, asthma and brain syndromes.
A recent study on e-waste recycling has proved that in New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai the concentrations of PCBs, dioxins and furans, plasticizers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), bisphenol-A (BPA), and heavy metals have increased the toxins in the soil. This also mixed with air and air pollution is high in the above cities.
Responsibilities and Roles
Managing e-waste in a proper way can be done with the help of government, industries and people. Each one of us has the responsibility and role in handling e-waste. Some of the suggestions for managing e-waste are;
New laws and rules can be introduced to control the harmful waste management. There should be a complete guideline to dispose the unsafe wastes. Each electronic and electrical company should know about reuse and recycling of their products. Dumping of e-waste should follow strict guidelines. Government can put penalty on the manufacturer, if they don’t follow the waste prevention and recovery.
The manufacturing industries should aware the people about their products waste. The workers involved in handling e-waste should be skilled and qualified. Manufacturer should label the materials they used which helps in recycling and disassembling. Companies can reduce the usage of e-waste materials in their product.
They can also design the infrastructure to recycle and redesign every material that are made up of lead, copper, aluminium and gold, and various plastics, glass and wire. This could reduce the amount of toxins mixed in the groundwater and soil. Manufacturer should educate the consumers about the harmful materials used and its health hazard.
Consumers can donate their electronic items to the needy people. The product should be in good condition before donating. Don’t dump e-waste with household waste. Instead of buying a new computer with latest version, upgrade your computer with the latest version. While buying an item, check whether the item can be disassembled. Also buy the energy efficient and reused items. Don’t forget to check the approval of regulatory authorities.
Conclusion
Electrical and electronic items are playing major role and makes our life modern. But when they become e-waste, the danger caused by them is uncountable. The future of e-waste management depends on the government, recycling companies, manufacturers, consumers and every persons participation.
The infrastructure for e-waste collection, transportation and dumping should be established. Manufacturers should collect, recycle and exchange the products with consumers. The electronic items should contain less toxic substances and are user friendly to disassemble. Manufacturer should try to use the environment friendly items.
Written By – Jaya Ambika
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