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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 reach disastrous 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 equipment on 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
As there is no separate collection of e-waste in India, there is no clear data on the quantity
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. According 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.
Although 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 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. Additionally considerable
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quantities of e-waste are reported to be imported (Agarwal, 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 – usually those with cathode ray tubes
(CRTs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), batteries and mercury switches – 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.

IMPACTS OF E-WASTES
Electronic 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. Although 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
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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. All electronic equipments contain printed circuit boards which
are hazardous 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 wastes Constituent Health effects
Solder in printed
circuit boards, Damage to central and peripheral nervous systems,
glass panels and Lead (PB) blood systems and kidney damage.
gaskets in Affects brain development of children.
computer monitors
Toxic irreversible effects on human health.
Chip resistors and Cadmium Accumulates in kidney and liver.
semiconductors (CD) Causes neural damage.
Teratogenic.
Relays and Chronic damage to the brain.
switches, printed Mercury (Hg) Respiratory and skin disorders due to
circuit boards bioaccumulation in fishes.
Corrosion
protection of
untreated and Hexavalent
Asthmatic bronchitis.
galvanized steel chromium (Cr)
DNA damage.
plates, decorator or VI
hardner for steel
housings
Burning produces dioxin. It causes
Cabling and Plastics Reproductive and developmental problems;
computer housing including PVC Immune system damage;
Interfere with regulatory hormones
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Plastic housing of Brominated

electronic flame
Disrupts endocrine system functions
equipments and retardants
circuit boards. (BFR)
Short term exposure causes:
Front panel of
Barium (Ba) Muscle weakness;
CRTs
Damage to heart, liver and spleen.
Carcinogenic (lung cancer)
Beryllium Inhalation of fumes and dust. Causes chronic
Motherboard
(Be) 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
getting revitalized 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.

Evolution of the IT industry

The global perception of the IT industry in India has typically been “software.”
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$4 billion worth of software exports) in 1999-
2000. No other Indian industry has performed so well against the global competition. The annual
growth rate of India’s software exports has been consistently over 50% since 1991. As per the
projections made by the National Association of Software and Services Companies
(NASSCOM) for 2000-2001, India’s software exports would be around US$ 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.
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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).

STATUS OF E-WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

Despite 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). As 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 A1180 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. As 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 sound management 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.
• Action 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.
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• 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.
Although 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. Any 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 numerous job opportunities. The Swiss State
Secretariat for Economic Affairs mandated the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing
and Research (EMPA) 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 in different parts of the world (Switzerland, India,
China, South Africa) 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. At 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. Apart 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.

WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

The 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 the matter 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-policy” and national regulatory frame work for promotion of such activities.
An 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., public–private-partnerships in setting up buy-back or drop-off centers)
and by designing-in additional funding e.g., advance recycling fees.
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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. Among Indian cities, Mumbai ranks first
among top ten cities generating WEEE in India. Along 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. As a result, Mumbai is not only the port of import for
new and used electronics; it is also home to a large user and manufacturer base, both generating
large volumes of e-waste.
As 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 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 Additional 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 with which the municipality is interested in the e-waste
management in Mumbai.
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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 – 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 the wastes. 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?
• 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 Agency) of
decision making and problem resolution in E-waste management must be developed. This could
be a Working Group comprising Regulatory Agencies, NGOs, Industry Associations, 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
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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

Extended 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 to influence 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. Consumers 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:
(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 through a “buy back
approach” whereby old electronic goods are collected and a discount could be given on new
products purchased by the consumer. All 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.
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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-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. Proper recycling 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. Appropriate 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.
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Awareness 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.

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 recycling among 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.
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(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 on industries, 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.
(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 industries

 Generators of wastes should take responsibility to determine the output characteristics of
wastes and if hazardous, should provide management options.
 All 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.
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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.

 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.
 Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers should undertake the responsibility of
recycling/disposal of their own products.
 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. At 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

 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.
 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.
 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 toxic constituents
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. Model
facilities 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. An 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 electronic products.

Bibliography:
 www.e-waste.in
 ww.indiaenvironmentportal.com
 http ://mpcb.mah.nic.in
 www.mpcb.gov.in