E-Waste in India...

Abstract:

The massive generation of e-waste has created a new e-waste stream in the country containing obsolete, WEEE (waste from electrical and electronic equipment) discarded after their intended uses. The innovation, dynamism in product design and globalization replacing these equipments in very duration and made it fast growing waste in the world. WEEE comes under a special category of waste which is the result of industrialization and ever increasing demand of electronic products in daily life. The situation is alarming as a huge quantity of waste is generated by India as well as other countries. In India about 80 percent of the e-waste generated in the US is exported to India, China and Pakistan. Only 3% of total WEEE-waste generated is recycled properly in India. The rest of it is handled by workers who work with bare hands, without masks under unhygienic conditions, informally recycling tons of e-waste for about 12-14 hours a day. It causes both environmental as well as health problems. The formal e-waste collection from all sources is ambiguous. E-waste contains a good amount of valuable recyclable materials also and has potential to become lucrative business in the country.