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What is E-waste?

Electronic Waste (E-Waste) comprises of waste electronic goods which are

not fit for their originally intended use. These range from household appliances

such as refrigerator, air conditioner, cellular phone, personal stereos and consumer

electronics to computers.

Electronics industry is the world's largest and fastest growing

manufacturing industry.

Rapid growth, combined with rapid product obsolescence and discarded electronics

is now the fastest growing waste stream in the industrialized world. The growing

quantity of waste from electronic industry, known as e-waste is beginning to reachdisastrous proportions. Industrialized countries all over the world are beginning to

address e-waste as it is inundating solid waste disposal facilities, which are

inadequately designed to handle such type of wastes. The problems associated with

e-waste in India started surfacing after the first phase of economic liberalization,

after 1990. That year witnessed a shift from in economic policy in turn triggering off

an increase in the consumption pattern. This period also witnessed a shift in the

pattern of governance. It ushered in an era of infrastructure reform and e-

governance. This shift is marked by the application of information technology in a

big way in all areas. These developments, along with indigenous technological

advancement, have lead to an addition of wide gamut of e waste churned out from

Indian households, commercial establishments, industries and public sectors, into

the waste stream. Solid waste management, which is already a mammoth task in

India, has become more complicated by the invasion of e-waste, particularly

computer waste to India, from different parts of the world.



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Is it Hazardous waste?

E-Waste contains several different substances and chemicals, many of

which are toxic and are likely to create adverse impact on environment and health,

if not handled properly. However, classification of E-waste as hazardous or

otherwise shall depend upon the extent of presence of hazardous constituents in it.

The subject of electronic equipment disposal and recycling has captured attention

at all levels of government, and has become the subject of serious discussion and

debate between government organizations and the private sector manufacturers of

computers and consumer electronic equipment. Government organizations (MPCB)

would like to foster opportunities to recycle and re-use surplus electronic equipmenton as wide a scale as possible. Equipment manufacturers, with intense competition

and low profit margins, are also unwilling to absorb the cost of recycling, and are

fearful of piecemeal or prescriptive legislation, at the national or state level, which

could force them to bear the cost and potentially the logistical and administrative

burden of recycling their products.

There is no accepted definition of e-waste in India. Broadly, e-waste has been

defined as a waste from relatively expensive and essentially durable products used

for data processing, telecommunications or entertainment in private households and

businesses.

The range of these products is given below:

Computers, Printers

CD players

Televisions, Radios

Telephones

Microwave ovens

CD, DVDs



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E-WASTE IN INDIA A

s there is no separate collection of e-waste in India, there is no clear data on thequantity generated and disposed of each year and the resulting extent of

environmental risk. The preferred practice to get rid of obsolete electronic items in

India is to get them in exchange from retailers when purchasing a new item. The

business sector is estimated to account for 78% of all installed computers in India

(Toxics Link, 2003). Obsolete computers from the business sector are sold by

auctions. Sometimes educational institutes or charitable institutions receive old

computers for reuse. It is estimated that the total number of obsolete personal

computers emanating each year from business and individual households in India

will be around 1.38 million. A ccording to a report of Confederation of Indian

Industries, the total waste generated by obsolete or broken down electronic and

electrical equipment in India has been estimated to be 1,46,000 tons per year (CII,2006).

The results of a field survey conducted in the Chennai, a metroplolitan city of India

to assess the average usage and life of the personal computers (PCs), television (TV)

and mobile phone showed that the average household usage of the PC ranges from

0.39 to 1.70 depending on the income class (Shobbana Ramesh and Kurian Joseph,

2006). In the case of TV it varied from 1.07 to 1.78 and for mobile phones it varied

from 0.88 to 1.70. The low-income households use the PC for 5.94 years, TV for 8.16

years and the mobile phones for 2.34 years while, the upper income class uses the

PC for 3.21 years, TV for 5.13 years and mobile phones for 1.63 years. A lthough the

per-capita waste production in India is still relatively small, the total absolute

volume of wastes generated will be huge. Further, it is growing at a faster rate. The



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growth rate of the mobile phones (80%) is very high compared to that of PC (20%)

and TV (18%). The public awareness on e-wastes and the willingness of the public to

pay for e-waste management as assessed during the study based on an organized

questionnaire revealed that about 50% of the public are aware of environmental and

health impacts of the electronic items. The willingness of public to pay for e-waste

management ranges from 3.57% to 5.92% of the product cost for PC, 3.94 % to 5.95% for TV and 3.4 % to 5 % for the mobile phones. A dditionally considerable

quantities of e-waste are reported to be imported ( A garwal, 1998; Toxics Link,

2004). However, no confirmed figures available on how substantial are these

transboundary e-waste streams, as most of such trade in e-waste is camouflaged

and conducted under the pretext of obtaining ¶reusable· equipment or ¶donations·

from developed nations. The government trade data does not distinguish between

imports of new and old computers and peripheral parts and so it is difficult to track

what share of imports are used electronic goods.

Identification of Problem

Electronic equipment is one of the largest known sources of heavy metals and

organic pollutants in the wastewater stream. Some electronic products ² usually

those with cathode ray tubes (CRTs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), batteries and

mercury switches ² contain hazardous or toxic materials such as lead, mercury,

cadmium, chromium and flame-retardants. The glass screens or CRTs in computer

monitors and televisions can contain as much as 27% lead. Electronic products

containing these hazardous materials may pose an environmental risk if they are

not properly managed at their end-of-life.

E-waste has two primary characteristics:

E-waste is hazardous - E-waste contains over 1,000 different substances, many

of which are toxic, and creates serious pollution upon disposal.

E-waste is generated at alarming rates due to obsolescence - Due to the

extreme rates of obsolescence; E-waste produces much higher volumes of waste in

comparison to other consumer goods. The increasingly rapid evolution of technology

combined with rapid product obsolescence has effectively render everything

disposable.



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IMPACTS OF E-WASTESElectronic wastes can cause widespread environmental damage due to the use of

toxic materials in the manufacture of electronic goods (Mehra, 2004). Hazardous

materials such as lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium in one form or the other

are present in such wastes primarily consisting of Cathode ray tubes (CRTs),

Printed board assemblies, Capacitors, Mercury switches and relays, Batteries,

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs), Cartridges from photocopying machines, Selenium

drums (photocopier) and Electrolytes. A lthough it is hardly known, e-waste contains

toxic substances such as Lead and Cadmium in circuit boards; lead oxide and

Cadmium in monitor Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs); Mercury in switches and flat

screen monitors; Cadmium in computer batteries; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

in older capacitors and transformers; and brominated flame retardants on printed

circuit boards, plastic casings, cables and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cable insulation

that releases highly toxic dioxins and furans when burned to retrieve Copper from

the wires. A ll electronic equipments contain printed circuit boards which arehazardous because of their content of lead (in solder), brominated flame retardants

(typically 5-10 % by weight) and antimony oxide, which is also present as a flame

retardant (typically 1- 2% by weight) (Devi et al, 2004). Land filling of e wastes can

lead to the leaching of lead into the ground water. If the CRT is crushed and

burned, it emits toxic fumes into the air (Ramachandra and Saira, 2004). These

products contain several rechargeable battery types, all of which contain toxic

substances that can contaminate the environment when burned in incinerators or

disposed of in landfills. The cadmium from one mobile phone battery is enough to

pollute 600 m3 of water (Trick, 2002). The quantity of cadmium in landfill sites is

significant, and considerable toxic contamination is caused by the inevitable

medium and long-term effects of cadmium leaking into the surrounding soil(Envocare, 2001). Because plastics are highly flammable, the printed wiring board

and housings of electronic products contain brominated flame retardants, a number

of which are clearly damaging to human health and the environment.

Table 1.1: Source of e waste, constituent and their effects

Source of e

wastesConstituent Health effects

Solder in printed

circuit boards,

glass panels and

gaskets in

computer

Lead (PB)

Damage to central and peripheral nervous

systems, blood systems and kidney damage.

A ffects brain development of children.



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monitors

Chip resistors

and

semiconductors

Cadmium

(CD)

Toxic irreversible effects on human health.

A ccumulates in kidney and liver.

Causes neural damage.

Teratogenic.

Relays andswitches, printed

circuit boards

Mercury

(Hg)

Chronic damage to the brain.Respiratory and skin disorders due to

bioaccumulation in fishes.

Corrosion

protection of

untreated and

galvanized steel

plates, decorator

or hardner for

steel housings

Hexavalent

chromium

(Cr) VI

A sthmatic bronchitis.

DN A damage.

Cabling and

computer

housing

Plastics

including

PVC

Burning produces dioxin. It causesReproductive and developmental problems;

Immune system damage;

Interfere with regulatory hormones

Plastic housing

of electronic

equipments and

circuit boards.

Brominated

flame

retardants

(BFR)

Disrupts endocrine system functions

Front panel o

CRTsBarium (Ba)

Short term exposure causes:

Muscle weakness;

Damage to heart, liver and spleen.

MotherboardBeryllium

(Be)

Carcinogenic (lung cancer)

Inhalation of fumes and dust. Causes

chronic beryllium disease or beryllicosis.

Skin diseases such as warts.

The Indian IT industry has a prominent global presence today largely due to the

software sector. Promotion of the software industry and protection of the hardware

industry from external competition has resulted in this skewed growth. More

recently however, policy changes have led to a tremendous influx of leading

multinational companies into India to set up manufacturing facilities, R&D centre·s

and offshore software development facilities. The domestic market is gettingrevitalized due to buoyant economic growth and changing consumption patterns.

This growth has significant economic and social impacts. The increase of electronic

products, consumption rates and higher obsolescence rate leads to higher

generation of electronic waste (e-waste). The increasing obsolescence rates of

electronic product 8 added to the huge import of junk electronics from abroad create

complex scenario for solid waste management in India.



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Evolution of the IT industry The global perception of the IT industry in India has typically been ´software.µ

Interestingly, a review of the industry statistics show that in 1990-91, hardware

accounted for nearly 50% of total IT revenues while software's share was 22%. The

scenario changed by 1994-95, with hardware share falling to 38% and software's

share rising to 41%. This shift in the IT industry began with liberalization, and the

opening up of Indian markets together with which there was a change in India·s

import policies vis-à-vis hardware leading to substitution of domestically produced

hardware by imports. Since the early 1990s, the software industry has been growing

at a compound annual growth rate of over 46% (supply chain management, 1999).

The Indian software industry has grown from a mere US$ 150 million in 1991-92 to

a staggering US$ 5.7 billion (including over US$4 billion worth of software exports)

in 1999-

2000. No other Indian industry has performed so well against the global

competition. The annual growth rate of India·s software exports has beenconsistently over 50% since 1991. A s per the projections made by the National

A ssociation of Software and Services Companies (N A SSCOM) for 2000-2001, India·s

software exports would be around US$ 6.3 billion, in addition to US$ 2.5 billion in

domestic sale.

The Indian cities of IT sectors are shown in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1: Map of India showing Mumbai (where the IT industry began),

Bangalore (which is the IT centre today) and Hyderabad (a strong contender for the

premier position in the Indian IT industry).



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STATUS OF E-WASTEMANAGEMENT IN INDIADespite a wide range of environmental legislation in India there are no specific laws

or guidelines for electronic waste or computer waste (Devi et al., 2004). A s per the

Hazardous Waste Rules (1989), e-waste is not treated as hazardous unless proved to

have higher concentration of certain substances. Though PCBs and CRTs would

always exceed these parameters, there are several grey areas that need to be

addressed. Basel Convention has Waste electronic assemblies in A 1180 and mirror

entry in B1110, mainly on concerns of mercury, lead and cadmium.Electronic waste

is included under List- A and List-B of Schedule-3 of the Hazardous Wastes

(Management & Handling) Rules, 1989 as amended in 2000 & 2003. The import of

this waste therefore requires specific permission of the Ministry of Environment

and Forests. A s the collection and re-cycling of electronic wastes is being done by

the informal sector in the country at present, the Government has taken the

following action/steps to enhance awareness about environmentally soundmanagement of electronic waste (CII, 2006):

Several Workshops on Electronic Waste Management was organised by the

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in collaboration with Toxics Link, CII etc.

A ction has been initiated by CPCB for rapid assessment of the E-Waste generated

in major cities of the country.

A National Working Group has been constituted for formulating a strategy for E-

Waste management.

A comprehensive technical guide on "Environmental Management for Information

Technology Industry in India" has been published and circulated widely by the

Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communication and

Information Technology. Demonstration projects has also been set up by the DIT at the Indian Telephone

Industries for recovery of copper from Printed Circuit Boards.

A lthough awareness and readiness for implementing improvements is increasing

rapidly, the major obstacles to manage the e wastes safely and effectively remain.

These include

The lack of reliable data that poses a challenge to policy makers wishing to design

an e-waste management strategy and to an industry wishing to make rational

investment decisions.

Only a fraction of the e waste (estimated 10%) finds its way to recyclers due to

absence of an efficient take back scheme for consumers,

The lack of a safe e waste recycling infrastructure in the formal sector and thus

reliance on the capacities of the informal sector pose severe risks to the

environment and human health.

The existing e waste recycling systems are purely business-driven that have come

about without any government intervention. A ny development in these e waste

sectors will have to be built on the existing set-up as the waste collection and pre-

processing can be handled efficiently by the informal sector, at the same time offer



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numerous job opportunities. The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic A ffairs

mandated the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research

(EMP A ) to implement the programme ´Knowledge Partnerships in e-Waste

Recycling" and India is one of the partner countries. The programme aims at

improving e-waste management systems through Knowledge Management and

Capacity Building. It has analyzed e-waste recycling frameworks and processes indifferent parts of the world (Switzerland, India, China, South A frica) in its first

phase (2003-04) and all results of the project are documented on the website

http://www.ewaste.ch/.

End-of-life Waste

Electronic waste, or e-waste as it is popularly called, is a collective terminology for

the entire stream of electronic wastes such as used TVs, refrigerators, computers,

mobile phones, etc. Computer waste is the most significant of all e-waste due to the

gigantic amounts as well as the rate at which it is generated. E-waste is of

particular concern to India. A t the consumer end of the supply chain is the issue of

disposal of waste or used product. This entails disposal of packaging, computers,

peripherals and consumables. In India computers and peripherals are recycled /

reused much more than they are in developed countries. In the US, the computer

systems are replaced on an average every three years. In the case of developing

countries like India till the last 1-2 years affordability of computers was limited to

only a socio-economically advantaged section of the population. Therefore, resale

and reuse of computers was (and continues to be) high as does dependency on

assembled machines. No reliable figures are available as yet to quantify the

computers generating as waste. Increasingly as computers are becoming more

affordable (even the branded machines), and there is greater access to technology,

the turnover of machines could definitely be higher. A part from the consumer end,another source of more obsolete computers in the market is from the large software

industry where use of cutting edge technology, greater computing speed and

efficiency necessarily increase the rate of obsolescence. The end-of-life options for

computers in

India are presented schematically in Figure 1.2.



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Figure1.2: The end-of-life options for computers in India.

WASTEMANAGEMENT STRATEGIESThe best option for dealing with E wastes is to reduce the volume. Designers should

ensure that the product is built for re-use, repair and/or upgradeability. Stress

should be laid on use of less toxic, easily recoverable and recyclable materials which

can be taken back for refurbishment, remanufacturing, disassembly and reuse.

Recycling and reuse of material are the next level of potential options to reduce e-

waste (Ramachandra and Saira, 2004). Recovery of metals, plastic, glass and other

materials reduces the magnitude of e-waste. These options have a potential to

conserve the energy and keep the environment free of toxic material that would

otherwise have been released. It is high time the manufactures, consumers,

regulators, municipal authorities, state governments, and policy makers take up thematter seriously so that the different critical elements depicted in Figure 1 are

addressed in an integrated manner. It is the need of the hour to have an ´e waste-

policyµ and national regulatory frame work for promotion of such activities. A n e

Waste Policy is best created by those who understand the issues. So it is best for

industry to initiate policy formation collectively, but with user involvement.

Sustainability of e-waste management systems has to be ensured by improving the

effectiveness of collection and recycling systems (e.g., public²private-partnerships in



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setting up buy-back or drop-off centers) and by designing-in additional funding e.g.,

advance recycling fees.

Figure 1.3 Elements of e-waste management system for India

Need for Study

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipments (WEEE) is stored, processed,

recycled, reused and finally disposed in a manner, which is detrimental to

environment. Maharashtra state ranks first among top ten states generating WEEE

in India. A mong Indian cities, Mumbai ranks first among top ten cities generating

WEEE in India. A long with Mumbai, Pune also ranks among the top Ten Indian

Cities, which are repository of WEEE. Mumbai, the financial nerve centre of India,

is also India's largest port city. The Mumbai-Pune industrial belt is one of the

electronic items manufacturing hubs of the country. A s a result, Mumbai is not only

the port of import for new and used electronics; it is also home to a large user andmanufacturer base, both generating large volumes of e-waste.

A s per TOR, there is hardly any attention paid to the management of the e-waste

generated in this industrial belt, which incidentally also houses large number of

Info-tech parks especially in New Mumbai and Pune. There is an urgent need to

have a well orchestral mechanism on the collection, treatment and disposal of the e-

waste in this region. Therefore, MPCB has identified e-waste as a priority area and



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has initiated the process to set up a formal workgroup for the Mumbai-Pune region.

MPCB has taken certain initiatives to create awareness among various

stakeholders on the e-waste and as a part of this exercise carried a feature article in

the Indian Express. The A dditional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of

Greater Mumbai has communicated to MPCB the resolution adopted by the

standing committee of MCGM to manage the e-waste. This shows the keenness withwhich the municipality is interested in the e-waste management in Mumbai.

In the light of the initiatives undertaken by MPCB, an urgent need to prepare an

inventory of e-waste generated in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and

Pune-Chinchwad area has been identified so that an action plan for WEEE can be

formulated for this region. Therefore, a rapid waste electrical and electronic

equipments assessment study has been planned by MPCB for MMR, Pune and

Pimpri-Chinchwad region. This report is being presented as draft final report for e-

waste assessment in Mumbai, Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad region. The items

covered in this assessment include personal computers, mobiles phones, televisions

and refrigerators.

E-waste policy and regulation

The Policy shall address all issues ranging from production and trade to final

disposal, including technology transfers for the recycling of electronic waste. Clear

regulatory instruments, adequate to control both legal and illegal exports and

imports of e-wastes and ensuring their environmentally sound management should

be in place. There is also a need to address the loop holes in the prevailing legal

frame work to ensure that e ² wastes from developed countries are not reaching the

country for disposal. The Port and the Custom authorities need to monitor these

aspects. The regulations should prohibit the disposal of e-wastes in municipal

landfills and encourage owners and generators of e-wastes to properly recycle thewastes. Manufactures of products must be made financially, physically and legally

responsible for their products. Policies and regulations that cover Design for

Environment (DfE) and better management of restricted substances may be

implemented through measures such as

Specific product take-back obligations for industry

Financial responsibility for actions and schemes

Greater attention to the role of new product design

Material and/or substance bans including stringent restrictions on certain

substances

Greater scrutiny of cross-border movements of Electrical and Electronic Products

and e-waste Increasing public awareness by labeling products as 'environmental hazard·

The key questions about the effectiveness of legislation would include:

What is to be covered by the term electronic waste?

Who pays for disposal?

Is producer responsibility the answer?

What would be the benefits of voluntary commitments?



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How can sufficient recovery of material be achieved to guarantee recycling firms a

reliable and adequate flow of secondary material? A complete national level

inventory, covering all the cities and all the sectors must be initiated. A public-

private participatory forum (E Waste A gency) of decision making and problem

resolution in E-waste management must be developed. This could be a Working

Group comprising Regulatory A gencies, NGOs, Industry A ssociations, experts etc.to keep pace with the temporal and spatial changes in structure and content of E-

waste. This Working Group can be the feedback providing mechanism to the

Government that will periodically review the existing rules, plans and strategies for

E-waste management.

Mandatory labeling of all computer monitors, television sets and other

household/industrial electronic devices may be implemented for declaration of

hazardous material contents with a view to identifying environmental hazards and

ensuring proper material management and Ewaste disposal. The efforts to improve

the situation through regulations, though an important step; are usually only

modestly effective because of the lack of enforcement. While there has been some

progress made in this direction with the support of agencies such as GTZ,

enforcement of regulations is often weak due to lack of resources and

underdeveloped legal systems. Penalties for noncompliance and targets for

collection or recycling are often used to ensure compliance.

Extended producer responsibility

E xtended producer responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach in

which a producer·s responsibility for a product is extended to the post consumer

stage of the product·s life cycle, including its final disposal. In principle, all the

actors along the product chain share responsibility for the lifecycle environmental

impacts of the whole product system. The greater the ability of the actor toinfluence the environmental impacts of the product system, the greater the share of

responsibility for addressing those impacts should be. These actors are the

consumers, the suppliers, and the product manufacturers. C onsumers can affect

the environmental impacts of products in a number of ways: via purchase choices

(choosing environmentally friendly products), via maintenance and the

environmentally conscious operation of products, and via careful disposal (e.g.,

separated disposal of appliances for recycling). Suppliers may have a significant

influence by providing manufacturers with environmentally friendly materials and

components. Manufacturers can reduce the life-cycle environmental impacts of

their products through their influence on product design, material choices,

manufacturing processes, product delivery, and product system support (Sergio

andTohru, 2005). The system design needs to be such that there are checks and

balances, especially to prevent free riders. The goals of the product designer could

include reducing toxicity, reducing energy use, streamlining product weight and

materials, identifying opportunities for easier reuse, and more.

Manufacturers have to improve the design by:



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(i) the substitution of hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium,

hexavalent chromium and certain brominated flame retardants

(ii) measures to facilitate identification and re-use of components and

materials, particularly plastics

(iii) measures to promote the use of recycled plastics in new products.

Manufacturers should give incentives to their customers for product return througha ´buy back approachµ whereby old electronic goods are collected and a discount

could be given on new products purchased by the consumer. A ll vendors of electronic

devices shall provide take-back and management services for their products at the

end of life of those products. The old electronic product should then be sent back to

be carefully dismantled for its parts to be either recycled or re-used, either in a

separate recycling division at the manufacturing unit or in a common facility.

Collection systems are to be established so that e-waste is collected from the right

places ensuring that this directly comes to the recycling unit. Collection can be

accomplished through collection centre·s. Each electronic equipment manufacturer

shall work cooperatively with collection centre·s to ensure implementation of a

practical and feasible financing system. Collection Centres may only ship wastes to

dismantlers and recyclers that are having authorization for handling, processing,

refurbishment, and recycling meeting environmentally sound management

guidelines.

E-waste recycling

Many discarded machines contain usable parts which could be salvaged and

combined with other used equipment to create a working unit. It is labor intensive

to remove, inspect and test components and then reassemble them into complete

working machines. Institutional infrastructures, including e-waste collection,

transportation, treatment, storage, recovery and disposal, need to be established, at

national and/or regional levels for the environmentally sound management of e-



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wastes. These facilities should be approved by the regulatory authorities and if

required provided with appropriate incentives. Establishment of e-waste collection,

exchange and recycling centers should be encouraged in partnership with

governments, NGOs and manufacturers. Environmentally sound recycling of e-

waste requires sophisticated technology and processes, which are not only very

expensive, but also need specific skills and training for the operation. Properrecycling of complex materials requires the expertise to recognize or determine the

presence of hazardous or potentially hazardous constituents as well as desirable

constituents (i.e. those with recoverable value), and then be able to apply the

company·s capabilities and process systems to properly recycle both of these

streams. A ppropriate air pollution control devices for the fugitive and point source

emissions are required. Guidelines are to be developed for environmentally sound

recycling of E Wastes. Private Sector are coming forward to invest in the e-waste

projects once they are sure of the returns.

Capacity building, training and awareness programmes

The future of e-waste management depends not only on the effectiveness of local

government, the operator of recycling services, but also on the attitude of citizens,

and on the key role of manufactures and bulk consumers to shape and develop

community participation. Lack of civic sense and awareness among city residents

will be a major hurdle to keep e- waste out of municipal waste stream. Collaborative

campaigns are required to sensitise the users and consumers should pay for

recycling of electronic goods. Consumers are to be informed of their role in the

system through a labelling requirement for items. Consumers to be educated to buy

only necessary products that utilize some of the emerging technologies (i.e. lead-free, halogen-free, recycled plastics and from manufacturers or retailers that will

`take-back' their product) to be identified through eco-labelling.

A wareness raising programmes and activities on issues related to the

environmentally sound management (ESM), health and safety aspects of e-wastes

in order to encourage better management practices should be implemented for

different target groups. Technical guidelines for the ESM of e-wastes should be

developed as soon as possible.



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Responsibilities of the Government

(i) Governments should set up regulatory agencies in each district, which are vested

with the responsibility of co-ordinating and consolidating the regulatory functions of

the various government authorities regarding hazardous substances.

(ii) Governments should be responsible for providing an adequate system of laws,

controls and administrative procedures for hazardous waste management (Third

World Network. 1991). Existing laws concerning e-waste disposal be reviewed and

revamped. A comprehensive law that provides e-waste regulation and management

and proper disposal of hazardous wastes is required. Such a law should empower

the agency to control, supervise and regulate the relevant activities of government

departments.

Under this law, the agency concerned should

a. Collect basic information on the materials from manufacturers,

processors and importers and to maintain an inventory of these

materials. The information should include toxicity and potential

harmful effects.

b. Identify potentially harmful substances and require the industry to

test them for adverse health and environmental effects.

c. Control risks from manufacture, processing, distribution, use and

disposal of electronic wastes.

d. Encourage beneficial reuse of "e-waste" and encouraging business

activities that use waste". Set up programs so as to promote recyclingamong citizens and businesses.

e. Educate e-waste generators on reuse/recycling options

(iii) Governments must encourage research into the development and standard of

hazardous waste management, environmental monitoring and the regulation of

hazardous waste-disposal.

(iv) Governments should enforce strict regulations against dumping e-waste in the

country by outsiders. Where the laws are flouted, stringent penalties must be

imposed. In particular, custodial sentences should be preferred to paltry fines,

which these outsiders / foreign nationals can pay.

(v) Governments should enforce strict regulations and heavy fines levied onindustries, which do not practice waste prevention and recovery in the production

facilities.

(vi) Polluter pays principle and extended producer responsibility should be adopted.

(vii) Governments should encourage and support NGOs and other organizations to

involve actively in solving the nation's e-waste problems.



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(viii) Uncontrolled dumping is an unsatisfactory method for disposal of hazardous

waste and should be phased out.

(viii) Governments should explore opportunities to partner with manufacturers and

retailers to provide recycling services.

Responsibility and Role of industriesy Generators of wastes should take responsibility to determine the output

characteristics of wastes and if hazardous, should provide management

options.

y A ll personnel involved in handling e-waste in industries including those at

the policy, management, control and operational levels, should be properly

qualified and trained.

Companies can adopt their own policies while handling e-wastes. Some are

given below:

a. Use label materials to assist in recycling (particularly plastics).

b. Standardize components for easy disassembly.

c. Re-evaluate 'cheap products' use, make product cycle 'cheap' and so that it

has no inherent value that would encourage a recycling infrastructure.

d. Create computer components and peripherals of biodegradable materials.

e. Utilize technology sharing particularly for manufacturing and de

manufacturing.

f. Encourage / promote / require green procurement for corporate buyers.

g. Look at green packaging options.



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y Companies can and should adopt waste minimization techniques, which will

make a significant reduction in the quantity of e-waste generated and

thereby lessening the impact on the environment. It is a "reverse production"

system that designs infrastructure to recover and reuse every material

contained within e-wastes metals such as lead, copper, aluminum and gold,and various plastics, glass and wire. Such a "closed loop" manufacturing and

recovery system offers a win-win situation for everyone, less of the Earth will

be mined for raw materials, and groundwater will be protected, researchers

explain.

y Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers should undertake the

responsibility of recycling/disposal of their own products.

y Manufacturers of computer monitors, television sets and other electronic

devices containing hazardous materials must be responsible for educating

consumers and the general public regarding the potential threat to public

health and the environment posed by their products. A t minimum, all

computer monitors, television sets and other electronic devices containing

hazardous materials must be clearly labeled to identify environmental

hazards and proper materials management.



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Responsibilities of the Citizen

y Waste prevention is perhaps more preferred to any other waste management

option including recycling. Donating electronics for reuse extends the lives of

valuable products and keeps them out of the waste management system for a

longer time. But care should be taken while donating such items i.e. the

items should be in working condition.

y Reuse, in addition to being an environmentally preferable alternative, also

benefits society. By donating used electronics, schools, non-profit

organizations, and lower-income families can afford to use equipment that

they otherwise could not afford.

y E-wastes should never be disposed with garbage and other household wastes.

This should be segregated at the site and sold or donated to various

organizations.

While buying electronic products opt for those that are made with fewer toxicconstituents

Use recycled content that are energy efficient designed for easy upgrading or

disassembly utilize minimal packaging

Offer leasing or take back options have been certified by regulatory

authorities.

Customers should opt for upgrading their computers or other electronic items

to the latest versions rather than buying new equipments.

NGOs should adopt a participatory approach in management of e-wastes.



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Solid waste management, which is already a mammoth task in India, is becoming

more complicated by the invasion of e-waste, particularly computer waste. There

exists an urgent need for a detailed assessment of the current and future scenario

including quantification, characteristics, existing disposal practices, environmental

impacts etc. Institutional infrastructures, including e-waste collection,

transportation, treatment, storage, recovery and disposal, need to be established, at

national and/or regional levels for the environmentally sound management of e-

wastes. Establishment of e-waste collection, exchange and recycling centers should

be encouraged in partnership with private entrepreneurs and manufacturers. Modelfacilities employing environmentally sound technologies and methods for recycling

and recovery are to be established. Criteria are to be developed for recovery and

disposal of E Wastes. Policy level interventions should include development of e-

waste regulation, control of import and export of e-wastes and facilitation in

development of infrastructure. A n effective take-back program providing incentives

for producers to design products that are less wasteful, contain fewer toxic

components, and are easier to disassemble, reuse, and recycle may help in reducing

the wastes. It should set targets for collection and reuse/recycling, impose reporting

requirements and include enforcement mechanisms and deposit/refund schemes to

encourage consumers to return electronic devices for collection and reuse/recycling.

End-of life management should be made a priority in the design of new electronicproducts.



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Bibliography:

y www.e-waste.in

y ww.indiaenvironmentportal.com

y http ://mpcb.mah.nic.in

y www.mpcb.gov.in

ewaste content

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