CHAPTER-II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

‘Good research does not exist in vacuum’.

A review of related literature gives an insight into the various aspects of the

problems under study. The review serves as an integrated function that facilitates the

accumulation of knowledge. Hence, review of literature is important to a research in

order to know what has been established and documented.

(polit & hungler, 1991)

A review of literature helps in many ways. It helps to assess what is already

known, what is still unknown and, what is untested. Also it justifies the need for its

replication, and throws some light on the feasibility of the study and problems that

may be encountered. It also helps to uncover promising methodology tools, which

shed light on ways to improve the efficiency of data collection and obtain useful

information on how to increase the effectiveness of data analysis.

Review of published and unpublished research and non research literature is an

integral component of any scientific research. It involves a systematic identification,

location, scrutiny and summary of written material that contains information

regarding a research problem. It broadens the understanding and gives an insight

necessary for the development of a broad conceptual context which the problem fits.

2.1 Review of literature related e-waste management and its impact.

2.2 Review of literature related knowledge regarding e-waste management and

its impact.

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2.1 Review of literature related e-waste management and its impact.

(Rabani and Thakur, 2020), Research on e-waste management is taking

momentum in recent years but has yet to become rich considering different aspects

affecting it. Studies indicate that there are many factors which lead to the rise of e-

waste such as advancements in technology, production of variety of electrical and

electronic products and continuous upgrading of them (Wang et al., 2019), short life

cycle of EEE (Electronic and Electrical Equipment), low recycling consumer’s

demands etc. Besides these, e-waste statistics have jumped significantly due to the

huge export of e-waste into developing countries from the developed ones. The

United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) suggests that only 10% of the e-

waste produced in the world today is managed in developed countries, the rest 90% is

sent to developing countries in different parts of the world. The developing countries

become the dumping ground for e-waste by developed countries in the name of

donation so that they can keep up with the latest technologies in the developed

countries (Albuquerque et al., 2018). In India, under current regulations, e-waste can

be imported only for recycling and reuse but like other countries we too lack the

adequate infrastructure and recycling equipment for dealing with such a huge amount

of e-waste (Turaga et al., 2019). Industrialization and consumerisation are

proliferating and this dumping process is too expected to sustain in future (Armijo et

al., 2011, Holgate, 2018). One of the possible reasons that literature indicates for such

mismanagement is the weak regulations in developing countries. Another factor that

contributes to the ineffective working of the regulatory body is the presence of

informal handling of e-waste.

(Mondal, 2017).Annually, India generates approximately 1.85 million tonnes

of e-waste and stands among the top 5 countries in the world in the production of e-

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waste. More than 90% of the e-waste in India is managed by the informal sector

which negatively affects the well-being of the people and results in massive

environmental pollution (Henzler et al. (2018)). Although from February 2020,

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been provided to 1500 producers, there

are only 34 registered Producer Responsibility Organisations (Wankhede, 2020).

Thus, due to ineffective implementation of EPR, a large chunk of e-waste is pumped

into the informal sector. According to a study by Assocham, formal recyclers recycled

only 1.5% of the total e-waste generated. It is observed that presently, companies are

not even taking back 10% of their products nor are they undertaking any steps in

making their customers aware of such schemes

(Kaushik, 2018, Ikhlayel, 2018, Abalansa et al., 2021)Informal recycling

practices are quite prevalent in developing countries which result in informal handling

and extraction of the resources from e-waste, and exposes the workers to hazardous

content like lead, cadmium and chromium etc.. Majority of the toxic and hazardous

materials are released into the environment from improper disposal and handling of e-

waste; Islam et al. (2020) mentions it is around 70%. These organic and other toxic

pollutants can bio-accumulate and bio-magnify through the food web (Borthakur,

2016) and have serious health impacts for the whole ecosystem (Robinson,

2009, Sansotera et al., 2013, Cesaro et al., 2017). Therefore, here the role of

government rules and regulations regarding e-waste management becomes critical as

it acts as a regulatory body for the legal and illegal activities performed in a nation.

Research also highlights that the presence and command of the informal sector over e-

waste collection and informal management can be utilized as an advantage but mostly

acts as a barrier in the efficient management in formal means. Research talks about

how being the old, familiar and convenient waste management, which even provides

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monetary value for the waste by the informal recyclers like local scrap dealers have

more reachability to the consumers than formal e-waste management recyclers.

(Chaudhary, 2018) On exploring the aiding factors in the e-waste

literature, Srivastava and Sharma (2015) highlights government support as one of the

important factors that can support the efficient e-waste management by producers.

The collection and recycling of e-waste through the informal sector in place of the

formal sector need to be taken care of (Wu and Chen (2008)) by the government

(Srivastava and Sharma, 2015). Such illegal mishandling needs to be handled by

penalising the responsible person or the authority

(Jinglei et al., 2009; Khetriwal et al., 2009; Bhaskar et al., 2015) Another

factor they mentioned was the responsibilities of the producer. Ministry of

Environment, Forests and Climate Change have circulated a notification on 12th May,

2011 that mentions the responsibilities of the producers in chapter II, that the producer

of electrical and electronic equipment listed in schedule I shall be responsible for the

following – collection of e-waste generated during the manufacture of e-products and

channelizing it’s recycling or disposal, collection of e-waste generated from ‘end of

life’ of their products in line with the principle of (Extended Producers Responsibility

(EPR) or channelizing the waste to authorizing agency, setting up collection centres,

financing and organizing a system to meet the cost, providing contact details of

authorized collection centres to consumers, and creating awareness about hazardous

constituents, hazards of improper handling, handling the equipment after its use,

affixing a visible, legible and indelible symbol on the product to prevent it from

dropping in garbage bins, obtaining authorization from the concerned State Pollution

Control Board or Pollution Control Committee in accordance with the procedure

under rule 9, maintaining records in Form 2 of the e-waste handled, and filing annual

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returns in Form 3. Research on e-waste handling responsibilities too asserts that

taking responsibilities like information, physical responsibility, complying on the part

of producers helps in moving towards a safe and formal way of managing e-waste.

(Nivedha and Sutha, 2020; Salhofer, 2017; Singh et al., 2011; Daum et al.,

2017) Now if the producers try to get away from their responsibilities, then the

attitudinal and behavioural practices become the hurdle to effective e-waste

management. Research indicates that the market for e-waste management is still

growing and to make it a smooth and stitched process, basic resources need to be

present like infrastructure. Lack of infrastructure for transportation, skilled resource

persons, machineries, lack of collection centres etc. are areas which are addressed in

the e-waste management literature as the crucial aspect. To enable the availability of

infrastructure, financial support is the basic requirement. Inadequate funds to meet the

e-waste management services like cost of collection (e.g., Shanshan and Kejing,

2008); safety kits like personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g., Lissah et al., 2021)

is one of the major factors in the effective e-waste management.

Awareness is an important factor suggested by research on e-waste management.

Lack of awareness is a bane to humans and their environment. Producers and

consumers both need to be aware about their roles and responsibilities regarding how

to dispose and process e-waste. Producers have a bigger role here as the EPR policy

makes them responsible for making consumers aware about formal and safe disposal

means. Related literature (e.g., Stephenson, 2006; Sarker et al. (2012); Sinha, 2008)

also asserts that awareness is an important factor in guiding one’s e-waste disposal

means.

(Lissah et al., 2021; Sivathanu, 2016; Wang, et al., 2011; Haron,

2019; Ram and Maheswari, 2018) Attitude is another factor which is seen to be a

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deciding factor in organised e-waste management. Research on attitude and e-waste

management indicates that it can act as barrier in effective management of e-waste.

Producers who are ignorant of their responsibilities and try to escape from the time

costing e-waste management process, negatively affects the effective management

management (Giorgi et al., 2022, Zhang et al., 2019).

The study takes into account specifically the perspective of the producers

towards e-waste management in India. The study adopts a qualitative approach and

conducts in-depth interviews with six experts. Qualitative analysis that used in-depth

interviews has been widely emphasised in the literature as an effective technique to

understand the barriers and the drivers of waste E-waste which is also called e-scrap is

currently the largest growing waste stream which comprises discarded electrical or

electronic devices and is the waste generated from various used household appliances.

These gadgets are now not fit for their original use and are intended for recycling or

disposal. Electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, computers, etc. can be

included in ewaste. Small household appliances like toasters, iron, heaters, etc., and

large household appliances like washing machines, air conditioners, etc. are a few

products that come under e-waste.

McAllister (2013) Today with the rapid increase in the use of technology and

innovation, there is also an increase in the manufacturing and usage of these

electronic products. Because of having large consumption, there is an issue of its

disposal. McAllister (2013) in her study claims that “Around 40 million metric tons of

electronic waste (e-waste) are produced globally each year, and about 13 percent of

that weight is recycled mostly in developing countries” (McAllister, 2013). It is

hazardous, complex, and expensive to treat e-waste in an environmentally sound

manner, and there is a general lack of legislation or enforcement surrounding it. These

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products are made of toxic and harmful substances which cause harm to the

environment and to human health. So it’s important to have safe and proper disposal

of these electronic items.

Wildmer (2005) E-waste is not only an issue but also a great business

opportunity because this e-waste not only consists of harmful and toxic substances but

also several valuable materials and metals. According to Wildmer (2005) metals such

as gold, iron, copper, etc. are found in many electronic products, which around 60%

and other toxic pollutants are 2.70% (Widmera, et al., 2005). Recovery of these

metals will reduce the demand for mining heavy metals and will reduce the

greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing virgin materials (Cifani, 2017). Hence

e-waste management is an important aspect not only from an environmental point of

view but also for obtaining these valuable materials. Both developed and

underdeveloped countries face problems with e-waste management.

(Agnihotri, 2011) Electronic waste is the largest growing waste stream in

India. Before 2011, there was no separate ewaste collection in India. There is no

definite data that defines the quantity of waste generated in India (Agnihotri, 2011).

There are estimations based on independent studies. As per the CII report, the total e-

waste generated by obsolete electronic products in India until 2005 has been estimated

to be 1, 46,000 tons per year (CII, 2006). Manish and Chakraborty (2019) in their

study claim that around 7.2 MT of waste is generated from industries, 1.5 MT of

plastic waste, 1.7 MT of medical waste, 48 MT of municipal waste, and

approximately 4 lakh tones of e-waste are generated in India every year (Manish &

Chakraborty, 2019).

Manish and Chakraborty (2019) since 2005, there are around ten states that

contribute to 70% of the total e-waste generated in the country. The ten largest e-

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waste generating states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,

West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab (Manish &

Chakraborty, 2019). Developing countries like India not only produce e-waste from

their internal consumers but also from various other developed countries. According

to McAllister (2013) around 70% of e-waste managed in India is from other

developed countries. UNEP had also estimated that e-waste between 2007 and 2020

would be doubled (McAllister, 2013). Making this true since 2018, India has

produced around 2 million tons of e-waste annually (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019).

In India, the whole e-waste management process is divided into various stages which

include collection, transportation, separation, processing, and recycling. All these

stages are majorly governed by the networked but unregulated informal sector.

Because of this, the value that could be potentially recovered is not obtained. This

process involves processes such as acid-leaching and open incineration. These

informal channels have connections with the used product dealers, repair shops, e-

commerce portal vendors who collect these discarded electronic parts and components

for reusing these parts (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019).

In India, E-waste generation comes from multiple sources such as institutional

sectors, manufacturing, household, government, and commercial sectors. As per

Chatterjee here government and private sector account for 70% whereas the

household is 15% and another contribution is from manufacturers (Chatterjee, n.d.).

Authors Manish & Chakraborty (2019) claim in their study that computers and their

components contribute to 70% of their E-waste. Followed by mobile phones at 12%,

electrical equipment at 8%, medical equipment at 7%, and household e-waste

remaining (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019).

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 E-waste compositions are diverse and can be classified into hazardous and

non-hazardous compositions. It consists of iron, plastics, wood, glass, PCBs, and

other metals. Chatterjee claims that “Iron and steel constitute about 50% of the waste,

followed by plastics (21%), non-ferrous metals (13%) and other constituents”

(Chatterjee, n.d.). All these compositions are valuable as they can be reused and they

come under non-hazardous compositions. E-waste also consists of compositions like

lead, arsenic, mercury, and other toxic metals that are flammable and hazardous. It is

important to follow regulatory measures and safety standards when treating these

hazardous components.

E-waste especially consists of motherboards, pc video show units, cellular

phones and chargers, television, headphones, fridge, air conditioner, and so forth. In

step with the worldwide e-waste reveal 2017, it may be said that there may be a

technology of two million plenty of e-waste that may be said as the fifth rank inside

the entire globe that has produced e-waste after America, Japan, China, and Germany.

The quantity of e-waste that is handled with the aid of way of India is at best zero.036

MT (Bhat and Patil, 2021). It is able to be said that 90 in step with cent of the e-waste

in India is recycled in the form of informal vicinity that may be stated crudely. Inside

the international financial machine, it is able to be stated that the Western circulate

has reached about 48. Five in 2018 and it is able to be expected that it'll double the

amount if the scenario stays the same as in keeping with the file in 2019(Chaudhary

and Vrat, 2018)

2.2 Review of literature related knowledge regarding e-waste management and

impact on the environment and society Electronic trash, often known as E-waste, is a

type of garbage generated by electronic in the industrial world, trash is one of the

19
most difficult and rapidly expanding issues. E-waste is made up of old or end-of-life

electronic appliances such as computers, laptops, televisions, generators, DVDs,

mobile phones, freezers, and other items that are typically discarded by their original

owners due to their short lifespan. It contains a number of hazardous constituents that

have a negative impact on the environment and, more importantly, human health if

not properly managed. Because it includes harmful chemical elements, E-waste

proves to be a significant difficulty. Since it is believed that E-waste is a future of

communications but due to the short life span of various appliances, they are being

trashed and pollutes the environment. Many groups and governments from various

nations have implemented a variety of ways to address the problem and threat to the

environment and human health. Hence, this review presents a compendium of various

sources of E-waste, environmental hazards, its composition and characterization, E-

waste scenarios in India and global world. For the sake of the future, techniques of

handling and processing, as well as E-waste recycling, should be used. This paper

mainly outlines the issue of E-waste also covering the improvement and plan to tackle

the issue.

Ranjeeta Jaiswal 2018 Assess Knowledge Regarding E-Waste Management

and Its Impact on Health Among People at Selected Urban Community”

Methodology: An evaluative approach with descriptive design was used for the

study.30 samples were selected through the non probability convenient sampling

technique. Structured questionnaires were administered to evaluate the knowledge

regarding e-waste management and its impact on health among people at selected

urban community. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive and

inferential statistics. Results: Findings revealed that mean level of knowledge was

11.3 and there was a significant association of level of knowledge with educational

20
qualification, experience, previous knowledge and sources of information. Thus, the

study revealed that people of urban community (chikitsak nagar, Indore) had good

knowledge.

Roslina Md Dan 2021 Knowledge, Attitude and Practices on E-Waste

Management among Business Students in A Public University As in many nations, e-

waste is an environmental concern in Malaysia. Therefore, effective e-waste

management is important to reduce and control pollution. E-waste management

awareness is also essential for students as they are using electronic gadgets in their

course of studies. However, the knowledge, attitude and awareness e-waste

management among students is still lacking. This study aims to examine knowledge,

attitude, and practices on e-waste management among business students in a public

university. A quantitative method was employed in this study and questionnaires were

distributed to collect data from which involved business students in a public

university. Findings indicated that business students in the said public university have

a moderate level of e-waste management knowledge, attitude, and practices.

Boopathy Nisha, Shikha Shajil, Ruma Dutta 2022 Consumer awareness and

perceptions about e-waste management in semi-urban area of northern Tamil Nadu: A

mixed-method approach MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a mixed-method

approach using a sequential explanatory technique with both quantitative and

qualitative methods in adult e-consumers. Quantitative data were collected from 350

participants selected via simple random sampling using score-based semi-structured

questionnaire. Qualitative data were obtained purposely from eight selected

consumers such as recyclers, local leaders, and importers of electronics using key

informant interviews. Sociodemographic details and disposal practices were

summarized as frequencies and percentages. The independent t-test and linear

21
regression analysis were used to obtain the determinants. Qualitative data were

analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Of the 350 participants (208 males and 142

females), the majority (76%), had good knowledge of e-waste management.

Consumers (70%) predominantly had a positive perception. Selling e-wastes to scrap

dealers (35%) and disposing of household wastes (21%) were common disposal

methods. Male gender, higher education (≥10th grade), and skilled and professional

workers were significant determining factors of good knowledge and positive

perception toward e-waste management.

Peeyush Kariwala 2023 Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding

Electronic Waste (e-waste) Management Among Users of Electronic Equipments

Living in Lucknow City Material and methods: The study was conducted amongst

users of electronic equipment living in the Lucknow City of Uttar Pradesh. The study

was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Multi-stage random sampling was done for

the selection of participants for the study. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire

was administered in a single setting for all phases. The total optimum sample size is

700 individuals who participated in the study. Data were entered in MS Excel 2016

and descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were calculated,

applying the chi-square test for association using R-4.2.1 Statistical [Link] and

objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding the management

of electronic waste among users of electronic equipment residing in Lucknow

[Link]: Only 37% of users are aware that e-waste adversely affects health. Only

34.3% of users knew that e-waste should be given to the seller or manufacturer for

recycling while rest told that it should be stored at home, sold to a scrap dealer, or

disposed with normal waste. 87.3% users are not aware about e-waste govt guidelines.

In the current study electronic and print media like television, radio and news paper

22
were not found to be source of information for e-waste disposal.

Sapna Mishra B. R. Shamanna 2017 Exploring the Awareness Regarding E-

waste and its Health Hazards among the Informal Handlers in Musheerabad Area of

Hyderabad Methodology: Ethical approval and informed consents were obtained from

Institutional Ethical Committee, University of Hyderabad and from the participants

respectively before the commencement of study. This was a descriptive cross-sectional

study conducted in randomly selected twenty-six waste handling centers from sixty of

them in the locality. From each of the centers four handlers agedbetween 18 and 45

were randomly selected. Total of 104 handlers were interviewed using semi-structured

schedule. Interviews were also conducted among 10 owners of such centres on the

waste management practices. Results: About 72% of the handlers did not know the

meaning of electronic waste and 71% were not aware of associated health risks, 85%

did not use any protective gears, while 16% acknowledged health issues attributed to

improper handling of e-waste, 77% felt their handling of e-waste was appropriate.

Majority of center owners felt that informal e-waste handling does not pose any health

risks, and reported that there was no awareness campaign by any agency as of then.

Pranav S Kshtriya, Anchala Raghupathy 2023 Knowledge, attitude,

practice, and generation of electronic waste (e-waste) among students of health

sciences in a private college in Pune Methodology: A web-based and institution-based

cross-sectional study of students pursuing different health science courses was

conducted. Out of 680 students, 405 were randomly selected, dispersed in six strata,

and the Google questionnaire was disseminated using a proportionate probability to

size ratio, with 188 participants responding at a 46.41% response rate. Results: Out of

188 respondents, 95 (50.6%) and 77 (41.2%) study subjects knew about the health and

environmental risks associated with e-waste. Physical damage caused 126 (67%) of

23
the research participants to replace their electronics. 67% would learn about e-waste

management if it were on the course. 66% purchase 1-3 electronics devices every

year, while 23% purchase 4-6. Overall e-waste generation rates among the

participants were 0.223 units/capita/year for computers and 0.42 units/capita/year for

mobile phones. Conclusion: This research reveals a lack of understanding and

behaviours related to e-waste among students of health sciences, highlighting the need

for health education on e-waste for public health and awareness on safe e-waste

disposal, both of which are critical for a risk-free future.

Priyanka Sharma , Sneha Kumari , Geeta Yadav , Sanjeet Panesar 2019

E-Waste awareness among Medical Undergraduates’ in a Tertiary Care Teaching

Hospital in Delhi, India: A Cross-Sectional Study, Methodology: The present study

was a cross-sectional one, done among 300 medical undergraduate students of a

tertiary care hospital and teaching institution in Delhi, India. A pre-tested, semi-

structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to gather information from study

participants. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Result: More than two-

thirds of the (77.3%, 232) study participants were aware about concept of e-waste.

Out of these 232 students, only about half had adequate knowledge about equipment

contributing to e-waste and constituents of e-waste. Most common reason for

purchase of new electronics was desire for new technology.

Mrs, Archala Khemnar [Link] Mhaske, [Link] Madake,

[Link] Warulakar, [Link] Metkari, Ms. Shraddha Memane 2019 A

Study To Assess The Knowledge Regarding Hazards Of E-Waste Among EWaste

Handlers In Selected Area Of Pune City.’’ Material and Methods: In present study,

researcher adopted non- experimental design. The study carried out 200 samples.

Ethical clearance was taken. A Non-probability Convenient Sampling Technique was

24
used. The significance was calculated by using mean, standard deviation, and

calculated ’t’ value, and association was done by Fisher's exact test with demographic

variable. Result Most of the samples 68% were having average knowledge regarding

hazards of E-waste, 22% handlers having good knowledge and 10% E-waste handlers

were having poor knowledge. Conclusion: Study concludes that knowledge about e-

waste and its hazards on health is very little known among the general public. There is

a need to create awareness among the people in order to prevent risk related e-waste.

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