e-waste menace in India

What is the issue?

The hazardous e-waste generated is getting accumulated in the country at an alarming pace, causing grave concern for public health and environment.

How is the e-disposal infrastructure in India?

• 2 million tonnes of e- waste is generated annually.
• Just a fraction of it is being disposed off safely.
• Most of the discarded computers, phones and batteries and age-expired electrical gadgets are sold to junk dealers.
• They are ultimately recycled in the unorganised sector in a crude and clumsy manner.
• This causes more harm than the unprocessed items.
• A sizeable part of the e-waste is mixed with garbage and finds its way to landfill sites.
• Mumbai tops the list of e-waste generating cities, followed by Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
• India, as a whole, is 3^rd in Asia and 5^th in the world as an e-waste producer - the others being the US, China, Japan and Germany.

What are the harmful effects?

• They contain several hazardous substances, such as mercury, arsenic and other heavy metals.
• They emit harmful radiation, degrades the soil, and releases toxins to pollute air and ground water.
• About 40% of lead and 70% of other heavy metals found in landfills are traceable to e-waste.
• Prolonged exposure to these pollutants can damage the nervous system, kidneys, and brain, and can cause respiratory disorders, lung cancer, skin ailments and other health problems.
• 2/3^rd of the workers in the unorganised e-waste recycling sector suffer from breathing difficulties, coughing, irritation, and other maladies.

What is the legal framework?

• The country’s e-waste disposal policy is actually robust.
• The e-waste management rules, laid down by the environment ministry, even revolve round the judicious concept of “extended producer responsibility” (EPR).
• Manufacturers are mandated to take back 30% of the discarded electronic equipment for appropriate disposal in the first two years of the enforcement of these rules.
• This level is to be raised to 70% in the next five years.
• However, none of this happening due to the lax regulatory infrastructure in the country.

What should be done?

• India has a vibrant, informal waste-gathering sector with millions of waste pickers going door-to-door to collect garbage.
• Industry can use this infrastructure gainfully to retrieve its discarded e-gadgets.
• Besides, the government, especially the local pollution control boards, needs to consider training the unskilled e-waste recyclers to do their job in a safe and scientific manner.
• A well-planned integration of the informal and organised waste-processing sectors can help in reducing the menace of e-waste to a perceptible extent.

Source: Business Standard