India is a fifth largest economy in the world. Sooner India is going to be a third largest economy in the world. As the Indian economy is becoming strong it is being seen that drastically change in the lifestyle of the people. Now its an era of electrical and electronics gadget’s, in a day to day life from our morning to night multiple electronics gadgets is being used. India is not only using E-waste but also India has become the largest producer of E-waste after China and USA.
Growth in Electronic and IT sector has enhanced use of electronics products exponentially. With the economic growth of country purchasing power of the people is increasing which encourages the people to purchases the electronics equipment. Additionally Due to AI faster up gradation of electronic equipment is happening which leads to forcing the people to discard the old electronics products very quickly.
Annual global production of e-waste is estimated to surpass 50 million tons in 2020, with India contributing over 2 million tons. E-waste, if handled and disposed of in an inefficient manner can lead to extremely damaging impact on human health and the environment. This is mainly because e-waste comprises hazardous constituents such as lead, cadmium, chromium, brominated flame retardants or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that contaminate soil, water and food. All e-waste is valuable as it is highly rich in metals such as copper, iron, tin, nickel, lead, zinc, silver, gold, and palladium. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) contain rare and precious metals such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum – which are together referred to as the Platinum Group Metals (PGM).
The Present Scenario of E-Waste in India.
The rate of e-waste collection is very high in India owing to its valuable content. Unfortunately, the collection and recycling of e-waste is predominantly being done by the informal or unorganized labour through highly environmentally degradative ways, which cause serious health hazards. The informal sector comprises of unskilled workers, sometimes even children who live in close proximity to dumps or landfills of untreated e-waste and work in dangerous working conditions without any protection or safety gear. Most of the e-waste recycling is done by the informal sector in India, wherein recovery of valuable materials ranges between 10–20% only. . Non- environmentally sound practices – such as burning cables to recover copper and unwanted materials in open air – caused environmental pollution and severe health hazards to the operators. A practice like disposal of unsalvageable materials in fields and riverbanks has led to leaching of heavy metals/chemicals into land and water. Even within the formal sector, PCBs are generally exported to developed countries to recover precious metals. Some of the e-waste is extremely complex in constitution and hence difficult to recycle, while the other does not even have environmentally sound recycling technologies.
Challenges in India To manage the E-Waste
1. Poor infrastructure to recycle e-waste
E-waste is being collected and recycled by authorized dismantlers/recyclers and the total quantum of e-waste being generated is huge. The existing recycling facilities face issues from lack of suitable environmentally sound technologies to lack of steady supply of raw materials. This is mainly because consumers, owing to lack of awareness about the hazardous impact of inappropriate e-waste recycling, sell their electronic waste to informal recyclers for quick money as it is easier and faster. Thus, registered recycling units are deprived of a regular supply of e-waste which is crucial for their sustenance. Currently, the authorized e-waste recycling facilities in India capture only small amount of the total e-waste generated and the rest makes its way into informal recycling. Advanced recycling technology is expensive and makes large investments risky, especially when sourcing of e-waste is a challenge. Most of the formal recycling companies in India limit their role to only pre-processing of e-waste, wherein the crushed e-waste with precious metals is exported to smelting refineries outside India. An end-to-end solution for e-waste recycling is still not available in India.
2. lack of awareness
Most consumers have little or no knowledge of the consequences of poor e-waste management. very few cities or locations have dedicated collection points where consumers can drop off their so-called electronic scraps voluntarily. There required to run awareness campaigns at regular intervals. Many producers have already provided information on their websites but evidence shows that the overall awareness levels, even among bulk consumers, remain low alternatively, the producers should be mandated to run these campaigns through grassroots level organisations working in the area of e-waste. These awareness efforts should be geared towards not only achieving safe handling of e-waste but also reducing consumption of electronic products in the long run. Overall, the public awareness generation initiatives should be based on partnerships and collaboration among various stakeholders
3. Unsustainable practises
Despite the growth in the formal recycling sector, the actual waste processed in the formal sector still it is low. Most of these formal facilities are operating below their approved capacities. The lack of awareness regarding e-waste and the costs of returning the end-of-life equipment to formal collection centres are reducing the willingness of household and institutional consumers to return their waste to the formal sector. Most importantly, the informal sector, through the convenience of household collection and monetary incentives (even if nominal), makes it more attractive for consumers to dispose their waste with them. The informal e-waste sector provides livelihoods to millions of people, often belonging to the most marginalised groups; on the other hand, the sector’s waste management practices pose serious environmental and health hazards to the workers themselves as well as to the larger public.
Solutions to E-Waste Management
1. Public awareness:
India needs to educate people through community organizations and self- help groups about separating waste, recycling, and reuse to make the process more effective and sustainable. Also in order to create the awareness in future generation, the E-waste management technics and their consequence shall be added in the syllabus of primary and secondary school level.
2. Return them to the store
A buy-back program establishes a contract between the consumer and the seller which suggests that the seller has agreed to buy back the product sold, at a later time. This is offered by a few stores. Before you go out and buy a new gadget, see whether the store will buy your old camera, computer, or other items.
3. Practise the 3-R Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Reduce – Minimize the e-waste generation by purchasing the electronics equipment’s you genuinely need and extend their life by proper maintenance.
- Reuse– Whenever possibly try to reuse the electronics equipment’s or donates a organization that can make the use of them
- Recycle – Unused or damaged electronic equipment’s shall be handed over to authorized recycler.
4. Legal Framework of E-Waste Management in India:
- In India, the management of electronic waste was addressed within the framework of the Environment and Forests Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Regulations of 2008. In 2011, a significant notice pertaining to the E-waste (Management and Handling) Regulations of 2010, governed by the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, was issued. Extended producer’s responsibility (EPR) was its main feature.
- E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 was enacted in 2017, with over 21 products (Schedule-I) included under the purview of the rule. It included Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and other mercury containing lamps, as well as other such equipment.
- In 2018, the 2016 rules underwent an amendment that broadened their scope to emphasize the promotion of authorization and product stewardship.
- Product stewardship is a concept and approach that emphasizes the responsibility of producers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders for the entire life cycle of a product, from its creation to its disposal or recycling
- Government of India notified E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 with a major aim to digitize the e-waste management process and enhance visibility.
- It also restricts the use of hazardous substances (such as lead, mercury, and cadmium) in manufacturing electrical and electronic equipment that have an adverse impact on human health and the environment.
