RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF LAW, PUNJAB

ENVIRONMENT LAW PROJECT

TOPIC: INTERNATIONAL
EFFORTS TO ERADICATE
PROBLEM OF E-WASTE

SUBMITTED TO:
SUBMITTED BY:
DR. SANGEETA TAK
HEMAKSHI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
ROLL NO- 15055
OF LAW
GROUP NO- 2
RGNUL
4TH YEAR

RGNUL

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
S.NO CONTENTS PAGE
NO.
1. INTRODUCTION 3-4
2. CAUSES AND PROBLEM OF E- 5-6
WASTE
3. E-WASTE AND SUSTAINABLE 7-11
DEVELOPMENT
4. E-WASTE AND 12-14
INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS
5. CONCLUSION 15
6. REFERNCES 16

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 INTRODUCTION
Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and
its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.1

E-waste is also referred to as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), electronic
waste or e-scrap in different regions and under different circumstances in the world. It includes a
wide range of products – almost any household or business item with circuitry or electrical
components with power or battery supply.2

E-waste could be broadly categorized into following categories:

1. Temperature exchange equipment, more commonly referred to as cooling and freezing

equipment. Typical equipment includes refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, heat pumps.
2. Screens, monitors. Typical equipment includes televisions, monitors, laptops, notebooks, and
tablets.
3. Lamps. Typical equipment includes fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, and
LED lamps.
4. Large equipment. Typical equipment includes washing machines, clothes dryers, dish-
washing machines, electric stoves, large printing machines, copying equipment, and
photovoltaic panels.
5. Small equipment. Typical equipment includes vacuum cleaners, microwaves, ventilation
equipment, toasters, electric kettles, electric shavers, scales, calculators, radio sets, video
cameras, electrical and electronic toys, small electrical and electronic tools, small medical
devices, small monitoring and control instruments.
6. Small IT and telecommunication equipment. Typical equipment includes mobile phones,
Global Positioning Systems (GPS), pocket calculators, routers, personal computers, printers,
telephones.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment management (E-waste or WEEE) is a crucial issue in
the solid waste management sector with global interconnections between well-developed,
transitional and developing countries. Consumption society and addiction to technology dictate
the daily life in high and middle-income countries where population consumes large amounts
EEE products (electrical and electronic equipment) which sooner become e-waste. This fraction
is a fast-growing waste stream which needs special treatment and management due to the toxic

1
Baldé, C.P., Forti V., Gray, V., Kuehr, R., Stegmann,P. : The Global E-waste Monitor – 2017, United Nations
University (UNU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) & International Solid Waste Association (ISWA),
Bonn/Geneva/Vienna.
2
Ibid.
3|Page
potential of public health and environment. On the other hand, the e-waste contains valuable
materials which may be recovered (precious metals, Cu) reused and recycled (metals, plastics) by
various industries mitigating the consumption of natural resources.3

3
Florin-Constantin Mihai and Maria-Grazia Gnoni, E-waste management as a global Challenge, https://mpra.ub.uni-
muenchen.de, last visited on 29th March 2019.
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 CAUSES AND PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH E-WASTE

While electronic waste is nothing new, a number of issues are causing it to become an issue
increasingly on the forefront of sustainability efforts.

With nearly each passing day, technology becomes more and more integrated into our daily lives;
homes can now be equipped with smart systems; our mobile devices serve as our cameras,
calendars, and access to entertainment; our TV’s now connect us with our favorite streaming
shows. The world of technology has changed drastically over the last few decades, resulting in a
constant flow of new and better versions of our much-loved electronic goods.

And while this has made our lives and the way we communicate more convenient and more
advanced than ever, it also adds up to increased consumption.

Also in part to blame is the shorter lifespans and planned obsolescence of our gadgets. Companies
produce products with changes in the design, or updated software, rendering “old” versions as
outdated, obsolete, or no longer supported. The world has become conditioned to get the latest
and greatest device, kicking our old ones to the curb with hardly a second thought. In 2012, only
29% of the 3,420,000 tons of the e-waste generated was recycled.

 PROBLEMS

o Increases The Need To Mine Finite Resources

Cellphones, computers, and other technological products contain a number of valuable materials
that must be mined. Rare earths, gold, palladium, copper, and more all reside within our cell
phones, TVs, and more.

These valuable materials are acquired through intensive mining operations. The recycling of such
materials from our old gadgets would allow us to reuse these valuable materials, ultimately
requiring less mining and conserving our finite resources.

According to the EPA, the recycling of one million cell phones yields 35,000 lbs. of copper, 772
lbs. of silver, 75 lbs. of gold, and 33 lbs. of palladium. DoSomething.orgclaims that over $60
million in gold and silver in the form of phones is dumped by Americans annually.

o Encourages Hazardous Working Conditions

Despite efforts to thwart such practices, many of our outdated electronics end up in developing
nations, where legislation around e-waste is lax or even non-existent. Here, workers sort through

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the products by hand or use crude processing methods to recover the desired components – a
highly toxic endeavor.

A recent study by the Basel Action Network (BAN), in which GPS trackers were put on items of
e-waste and then donated or brought to recycling centers, found that 40% of the items delivered
to US recyclers were exported, 93% of which went to developing countries.

o Endangers The Environment

The toxic components in e-waste not only pose risks to workers in developing nations, but they
also pose risks to the environment; where e-waste is either improperly handled or disposed of,
there is risk of soil and groundwater contamination.

Mercury, lead, cadmium, and other components have the potential to seep into soil and
groundwater, contaminating these valuable resources.

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 E-WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The new challenge of e-waste management system is to shift the paradigm from a toxic pollution
source to a viable resource in the context of sustainable development.

E-waste has been identified as the fastest growing waste stream in the world at present. Rapid
socio-economic development and technological advancement are the main drivers of this trend.
The hazardous chemical components of e-waste have potential adverse impacts on ecosystems
and human health if not managed properly. This represents an imminent challenge to achieving
sustainable development goals. Although technologically developed countries are the main source
of e-product production and e-waste generation, the generated volume has also been increasing in
developing countries and those in transition due to transport and transfer from e-waste source
countries. Consequently, developing countries are in a vulnerable situation due to their lack of
inventory data, waste management policies and advanced technology for environmentally sound
management.4

The volume of generated e-waste has been increasing in line with economic development all over
the world. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), e-waste
growth has significantly increased as a proportion of global solid waste generation and now
comprises 8% of the total volume of current municipal solid waste (MSW). The Basel Action
Network (BAN) estimated that global e-waste generation increased from 9.3 million tons (MTs)
in 2005 to 50 MTs in 2012, and currently 20–50 MTs are generated every year. Furthermore, this
proportion increased from 1 to 2% of total solid waste by 2010 and is increasing at an alarming
rate as the fastest growing waste fractions.7 In terms of developed countries, it comprises 1% of
total MSW. By 2020 however, it is expected to rise to 6%, with a range of 0.01% to 1% for
developing countries with more than 1 kg per year and this growth rate is exponential. 5

Although e-waste is omnipresent and generated everywhere, high income countries such as the
US, countries of the European Union, and Australia, Japan, etc. are considered to be the main
sources of e-waste. E-waste constitutes on average 8% of total solid waste generation in these
countries. Rapidly developing countries in transition such as China, Latin America and Eastern
Europe will be major producers of e-products in the next ten years and will represent 1–3% of the
1636 million tons of MSW generated per year of MSW. These wastes can be classified into 26
common categories and contain more than 1,000 diverse toxic substances including heavy metals

4
Md. Sahadat Hossain , Sulala M.Z.F. Al-Hamadani , Md. Toufiqur Rahman, E-waste: A Challenge for Sustainable
Development, Journal of Health & Pollution Vol. 5, No. 9 — December 2015.
5
Ibid.
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and organics, which pose adverse effects to human health and ecosystems due to improper
handling and disposal.6

Developing countries and those in transition are gradually being affected by this imminent toxic
threat from e-waste because of their rapid movement towards technological development without
the accompanying procedures, policies and infrastructure to deal effectively with the waste. In
these circumstances, both recently produced and used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE)
are being consigned from their parent producers from high-income countries to low-income
countries.16,17 In this case, some Asian and African developing countries, particularly India,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Benin, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria
and Liberia are the most common destinations for dumping.7

In September 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted as an outline for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. 17 goals and 169 targets were set to be achieved to end poverty, protect the planet,
and ensure prosperity for all. The environment is embedded in each of the 17 integrated goals,
with e-waste specifically linking to a number of these targets. Increasing levels of e-waste globally
pose challenges for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
requiring an efficient approach and coordinated action by the UN system to support countries in
their efforts to manage their e-waste in a sustainable manner and to minimise the creation of e-
waste.8

In particular, targets 3.9. 8.3, 8.8, 11.6, 12.4 and 12.5 relate to the issues associated with e-waste.
This relationship involves the link between deaths and illnesses, and hazardous substances across
their life-cycle; decent work and labour rights; air quality and municipal waste management; and
the reduction of waste generation through use of the waste hierarchy. At the same time, it is
possible that the proper implementation of parts of the 2030 Agenda could generate new e-waste
issues. The large-scale roll-out of renewable energy technologies, including solar photo-voltaic
cells, batteries, grid equipment, etc., will improve the lives of many but may equally generate
increasing amounts of e-waste.

SDG Target 3.9:

6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
Baldé, C.P., Forti V., Gray, V., Kuehr, R., Stegmann,P. : The Global E-waste Monitor – 2017, United Nations
University (UNU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) & International Solid Waste Association (ISWA),
Bonn/Geneva/Vienna.

8|Page
By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and
air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

E-waste contains a number of hazardous components, which when dismantled and processed
inappropriately, can threaten healthy lives through the contamination of water, soil and air. The
elimination of hazardous substances during the design and production of electrical and electronic
equipment, and the dismantling and processing of e-waste should be considered through
environmentally sound activities. Currently in some regions, many dismantling activities are
undertaken by primitive and crude means which cause damage to human health. For example, the
process of open cable-burning to access copper leads to the release of furans and dioxin
emissions.9

SDG Target 8.3:

Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation,
entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalisation and growth of micro-
, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.

In developing economies, a large percentage of e-waste collection and processing is undertaken

by the informal sector, both unorganised and organised in different countries. These jobs are not
decent and the formalisation of this sector is required in order to both bring rights to these workers
and also to ensure the environmentally sound management (ESM) of e-waste.10

SDG Target 8.8:

Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers,
including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.

Formalisation will first and foremost require recognition by the state, and the integration of these
workers into a waste management system. By achieving this, labour rights are more likely to be
protected. In some cases, worker organisation, collectivity, and social solidarity economics have
led to e-waste worker groups being established. In some cases this has reduced the precariousness
of employment for these workers.11

SDG Target 11.6:

9
Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
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By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special
attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

Over half of the world’s population lives in cities, which consumes an enormous 75% of the
world’s natural resources. The rapid urbanisation witnessed across the globe is leading to the
condensing of environmental and human health risks. The unsound management of e-waste in
urban areas is a problem that must be addressed, as there are currently pressing issues concerning
low collection rates, the disposal of e-waste through general household bins with limited
compulsory separate collections, and the open burning and dumping of waste. In some cities, a
move towards smart infrastructure and the use of information communication technologies (ICTs)
for connecting communities and making waste collection more efficient is underway.12

SDG Target 12.4:

By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout
their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their
release to air, water and soil in order to minimise their adverse impacts on human health and the
environment.

Currently, the e-waste management practices most common in developing economies involve
open dumping or the use of other chemical processes such as acid baths and amalgamation to
separate valuable materials in e-waste. During the production of EEE, there is little attention
applied to eco-design, which implies the absence of any life-cycle thinking. Hence, much EEE
still contains hazardous chemicals such as mercury or lead – which do not enable the durability
of products. For some of these chemicals there are substitutes (alternatives) which are non-
hazardous. But this does not apply for all chemicals yet.13

SDG Target 12.5:

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, repair, recycling
and reuse.

By designing EEE which contains parts that are easily separable, that constitute recycled metals
and that are not hazardous, it is possible to prevent waste generation at the end-of-life. It is
important that manufacturers shift from planned and perceived obsolescence design and that
consumers demand more durable products. Manufacturers should also be encouraged to design
products that are easily reparable and which allow for faulty components to be easily replaced. In

12
Ibid.
13
Ibid.
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addition, recycling and reuse would be more easily achieved if manufacturers were obliged to
meet extended producer responsibility (EPR) objectives. Currently, EEE is not designed with
circularity in mind but instead linearity which fails to support prevention, reduction, repair,
recycling and reuse and instead supports a “throw-away society”.

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 INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS FOR INTERNATIONAL WASTE
MANAGEMENT

In response to the exponential growth in the amount of e-waste generated worldwide and
international controversy over its export, recent decades have seen an escalation of used and end-
of-life electronics regulations at the local, national, regional and international levels. These
policies encompass provisions for the production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), as
well as the collection, treatment and export of discarded products. In order by date, this section
provides a brief overview of some of the key international processes and agreements relating to
used and end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.

1. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION FROM

SHIPS (MARPOL)

Together with its six annexes, MARPOL addresses oil pollution from ships, from noxious liquid
substances carried in bulk, from harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form, from sewage
and garbage and the prevention of air pollution from ships. MARPOL has greatly contributed to
a significant decrease in pollution from international shipping and applies to 99% of the world’s
merchant tonnage. In particular, MARPOL Annex V generally prohibits the discharge of all waste
into the sea, unless explicitly permitted under the Annex. Among other wastes, MARPOL includes
e-waste generated during the normal operation of ships and its liability of being disposed of
continuously or periodically.

2. BASEL CONVENTION ON THE CONTROL OF TRANSBOUNDARY MOVEMENTS OF

HAZARDOUS WASTES AND THEIR DISPOSAL (1989)

The Basel Convention aims to protect human health and the environment against the adverse
effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements and disposal of
hazardous and other wastes. Among the key provisions of the Basel Convention, are
environmentally sound management, transboundary movement, waste minimization and waste
disposal practices.

E-waste is included in Annex VIII, added to the convention in 1998 by the 4th meeting of the
conference of the parties (Decision IV/9). It provides further elaboration as to the wastes regulated
under the convention, and exists under entry A1180 for hazardous waste, as well as being included
in Annex IX to the convention under the entry B1110 for non-hazardous waste. Equipment often
contains hazardous components or substances and therefore may qualify as hazardous waste if it
exhibits the hazardous characteristics listed in Annex III. However, the presence of such a

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component or substance in equipment should not necessarily cause the equipment as a whole to
be deemed hazardous under the convention. E-waste should therefore be presumed to be
hazardous waste unless it can be shown either that it does not exhibit hazardous characteristics or
that it does not contain hazardous components or substances.

3. UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC)

(1994)

Although not directly involved in e-waste, UNFCCC has been active as part of the E-waste from
Toxic to Green initiative. Through the initiative, waste pickers in India have been trained to collect
electronic waste, such as computers and mobile phones, for safe disposal and recycling. The
initiative aims to make waste pickers more resilient to poverty by providing green jobs that
increase their incomes and protect them from the risks of exposure to toxins and heavy metals.

4. STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (2001)

The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty designed to protect human health and the
environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods of time, that
become widely distributed geographically, that accumulate in the fatty tissues of humans and
wildlife, and that have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment. There are several
persistent organic pollutants present in e-waste, and the listing of e-waste requires parties of the
Stockholm Convention to take appropriate measures to eliminate the release of these pollutants
from stockpiles and wastes.

5. HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SAFE AND

ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND RECYCLING OF SHIPS (2009)

This convention was adopted at an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) diplomatic

conference held in Hong Kong. It aims to promote the substitution of hazardous materials in the
construction and maintenance of ships by less hazardous, or preferably non-hazardous materials;
and to minimise the environmental, occupational, health and safety risks associated with ship
recycling.

6. CONNECT 2020 AGENDA FOR GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATION/ICT

DEVELOPMENT (2014)

This global agenda sets out the shared vision, goals and targets that Member States of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have committed to achieve by 2020. These targets
will be achieved in collaboration with stakeholders within the ICT ecosystem.

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With the adoption of the Connect 2020 Agenda ITU Member States have committed to
transitioning to an information society, empowered by the interconnected world, where
telecommunication/ICT enables and accelerates socially, economically and environmentally
sustainable growth and development for everyone. One of the key goals of the Connect 2020
Agenda is sustainability. Within this specific goal, target 3.2 addresses the issue of e-waste
through reducing the volume of redundant e-waste by 50% by 2020.

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 CONCLUSION

The increasing global trend of e-waste generation has come up as one of the major environmental
problems and challenges for achieving sustainable development. Considering its adverse potential
eco-toxicological impacts and diverse health effects, an urgent global multilateral agreement is
needed addressing e-waste handling, storage, transportation, recycling, and final disposal of any
residual waste, whether by land filling or incineration. As it is a global issue from the pollutant
production and transportation perspectives, multinational negotiation as well collaboration is
realistically the only way to achieve sustainable development goals. Formal consecutive inventory
initiatives are needed in vulnerable countries such as those in developing countries in South Asia.
In addition, there is a need to develop health prevention strategies focusing on e-waste by
addressing susceptible groups, i.e., children, pregnant women, and socio-economically
disadvantaged communities. It is also necessary to determine if there are any knowledge gaps and
awareness training needs from the top to the bottom level. Sustainable management techniques
could be included in policy implementation with a focus on knowledge and awareness building.
Furthermore, economic, environmental and technological cooperation could be bolstered among
the high-income producer and supplier countries of e-waste and those adversely affected by it,
especially low-income countries. Comprehensive global e-waste management and policies could
help to offset the hazards of e-waste and are the best approach for achieving sustainable
development.

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 REFERENCES

1. Baldé, C.P., Forti V., Gray, V., Kuehr, R., Stegmann,P. : The Global E-waste Monitor – 2017,
United Nations University (UNU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) &
International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Bonn/Geneva/Vienna.
2. Florin-Constantin Mihai and Maria-Grazia Gnoni, E-waste management as a global
Challenge, https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de, last visited on 29th March 2019.
3. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
4. https://www.journalhealthpollution.org
5. https://www.uncclearn.org
6. Assessing the Challenges and Issues of Electronic Waste Management for Cities in
Developing Countries, International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology
(IRJET), Volume: 05 Issue: 02 | Feb-2018.

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