PREFACE

Our report provides complete information on the topic “E-WASTE AND ITS
RECYCLING” and maximum efforts has been taken to make the project more
comprehensive and lucid to understand. Every topics have been discussed with
statistics and figures which gives a perfect look.

Our topic covers a variety of subtopics like the way of recycling of E-Waste, challenges
to be faced during recycling of E-Waste in India, and the unawareness about the E-
Waste in the developing nation.

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 ABSTRACT
The main objective of our report is to eradicate the issue regarding recycling of E-
waste in India. E-waste is a highly complex waste stream, as it contains both very
scarce and valuable as well as highly toxic components. We define electronics as all
that object which are making the world being smarter. But this thinking of being much
smarter have some harmful effects directly as well as indirectly.

To maintain the footsteps with the developed nations, Government of India should
also check the wastage whether they can still recover some percentage of their
investment back or not. Electronics are not made for the wastage, it should be recycled
and reused over and over again.

Development of a nation lies into the hand of electronics and all electronics gadgets
contains precious metals which should be recovered. As this is the new issue, so the
public of India is less aware. This unawareness may be the cause of regret in near
future for the nation.

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 CONTENTS

SL.NO. TOPICS PAGE NO.

01. INTRODUCTION 05
02. METHODOLOGY 07
03. SOURCES OF E-WASTE 08
04. WASTE FLOW WITHIN INDIA 10
05. QUANTITY 11
06. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EFFECTS OF E-WASTE 14
07. PERCEPTION OF THE PROBLEM 17
08. CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SITUATION 19
09. PROPOSAL 20
10. CONCLUSION 21
11. REFERENCES 22

3
 LIST OF FIGURES

SERIAL NO. FIGURE NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

1. 1. INTRODUCTION 5
2. 2. SOURCES OF E-WASTE 8
3. 3. WASTE FLOW WITHIN INDIA 10
4. 4. QUANTITY OF E-WASTE 11
5. 5. CITY WISE E-WASTE GENERATION IN 12
INDIA
6. 6. GOLD RECOVERY IN INFORMAL 16
SECTOR
7. 7. THINK GREEN 19
8. 8. WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH THE E- 20
WASTE

4
 1. INTRODUCTION

In recent decades, the use of electronic and electrical devices has increased significantly,
leading to rapidly rising amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), often
also called e-waste, throughout the world.

As of now, no standard definition of e-waste exists and the understanding of what is considered
as such varies significantly among different regions of the world. In this paper, we are going to
use the terms WEEE and e-waste synonymously and in accordance with the predominant
concept of the region we are dealing with.

FIG - 1
Currently, around 20-50 million tonnes of WEEE are generated worldwide. The rate increases
by as much as 3-5% each year, making e-waste one of the fastest-growing hazardous waste
streams on a global level. When compared to growth rates of municipal waste streams, e-waste
increases nearly three times faster. The factors behind this development are the rapid
obsolescence and replacement of electronic products caused by technological innovation and
aggressive marketing. Moreover, demand for electronic products is also fuelled by unsaturated
markets, mainly in non-industrialized countries, and by low prices for many electrical goods
created by economies of scale. These aspects will contribute considerably to the dimension of
e-waste quantities in the future.

E-waste is a highly complex waste stream, as it contains both very scarce and valuable as well
as highly toxic components. Mobile phones, for instance, consist of up to 1000 different
components, many of which contain toxic elements such as lead, cadmium or brominated flame
retardants. When burned, these elements release toxic emissions. Many detrimental health
effects are connected to the recycling and disposal of e-waste when performed without the
necessary safety precautions. For instance, lead affects the nervous and blood system. Its effects
on children are particularly negative, damaging their brain development.

Although the term e-“waste” suggests otherwise, it is also made up of – if only to a very small
percentage – precious metals like silver or gold and special metals such as indium. A PC
produced today contains roughly 1 g of gold; in the early phases of PC generation, it reached
amounts of up to 4 g. This illustrates that the recycling and disposal of obsolete products
requires highly sophisticated methods so as to recover as many resources as possible and keep
the risk to humans and the environment as low as possible.

5
The US and the EU represent industrialized entities that produce large amounts of e-waste. In
contrast, India is, in addition to China, one of the biggest importers of e-waste. Accordingly, e-
waste poses a major problem in India. In particular, an informal recycling sector has emerged
over the last couple of years in large cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The activities of
this sector have caused many to worry about the related environmental and health aspects.
Our report needs to be placed in the context outlined above. It focuses on the problematic health,
environmental and economic issues that are connected with e-waste and on the currently
existing measures to counter the problem on the policy level.

6
 2. METHODOLOGY
The methodology of this project is mainly dependent on secondary resources. References are
taken from books and internet sites. The results of this study are based on careful research of
publications, statistics, and studies on e-waste coming from government and business
organisations, NGOs, and academia. Depending on limited resources on informative project is
made to ensure the project is understandable to all and make a successful project. Most of the
information are gathered from magazines and public demand. Several ideas are taken from our
teachers and seniors.

Many of the books based on E-waste management helped us in doing this project. A lot of
information was needed in its completion.

7
 3. SOURCES OF E-WASTE
The majority of Indian e-waste is generated domestically. Imports still account for a substantial
amount of WEEE, but their share is decreasing. The main sources of WEEE are governmental
institutions public and private sector institutions, product and component manufacturers, and
individual households. The following sections will examine the above named sources more
closely. In order to enable a comparison to other parts of this report, the Indian definition of e-
waste primarily includes old computers and associated equipment as well as mobile phones.
These items become obsolete much more quickly than other electronics. In India, the general
lifespan of a computer is three to five years. In contrast to that, the lifespan of a television,
refrigerator or washing machine is ten to fifteen years.

FIG - 2

3.1 PRIVATE CONSUMERS

While there is no public waste service system for municipal waste in place in India, the waste
sector, despite its informality, is highly organized. “the Indian system has developed very
organically, as a natural branching of the scrap industry which accepts scrap from many sources
including old ships, end-of-life vehicles and building waste.” Residents of Europe and the US
pay fees to service providers that take away the municipal waste. In India, on the other hand,
such a model has not been established and would be difficult to implement. In contrast to the
developed world, waste in India is often considered a resource with its own value. Accordingly,
Indians are often unwilling to pay for waste disposal. Many households and businesses simply
put the waste in front of the door and wait until the waste collectors (kabadiwallahs) come and
get it.

Rather than paying for waste disposal, Indians often expect to receive money in exchange for
giving the waste away. “Even if people are environmentally consciousness, they think: Why
should I give it (the e-waste) to somebody so he can make a profit out of it?” He also described
a take-back campaign run by Nokia in three cities in India that collected 9000 phones in one
8
month. Consumers received a free coffee mug as an incentive for handing over their phones. In
addition to being unwilling to pay for e-waste disposal, many private consumers in India store
old equipment rather than giving it away for reuse or recycling.

3.2 MANUFACTURERS, BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS

While it is estimated that private consumers generate only about 20% of India’s e-waste,
governmental institutions, industry in general, and especially manufacturers of electrical and
electronic equipment share the main responsibility for the constantly growing stream of e-
waste. One of the biggest consumers of electronic products in India is the government. Sectors
such as health care and defence rely on up-to-date equipment. Consequently, they replace their
old electronic products frequently, thus creating a vast amount of e-waste.

Another major source is the EEE manufacturing industry. In addition to the Indian companies,
nearly all global electronic manufacturers have set up facilities in India. While it is in the self-
interest of the manufactures to increase their sales by producing products with a short lifespan,
the side effect is an ever-increasing amount of e-waste.

If government agencies and manufacturers need to replace their electronics, they often auction
of the e-waste. However, there is no regulation in place requiring the highest bidder to have a
certificate that would ensure an environmentally sound management of the e-waste. As a
consequence, the informal sector can easily outbid the formal one. The practice of auctioning
is common not only with manufacturers but also with the majority of the stakeholders that
produce large amounts of e-waste.

3.3 IMPORTS INTO INDIA

The e-waste that reaches India comes from all across the world. Some comes direct, some goes
to Dubai, from Dubai to Sri Lanka and from Sri Lanka to India. Some goes from the US to
Malaysia, from Kuala Lumpur to India. Some goes to Indonesia, from Indonesia to India, some
goes from Australia to India and so on. So it goes like this. The exporter there and the importers
here are smarts.

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 4. WASTE FLOW WITHIN INDIA
As stated in Section 4.2.3, imports still represent a major issue in e-waste management in India.
However, the share of domestically produced e-waste is constantly growing. In order to increase
understanding of how legislators can frame a comprehensive e-waste regulation, the following
chapter provides an overview of the way the waste travels from its various sources to the formal
or informal recycling sector.

FIG - 3

The e-waste trade value chain as depicted in Figure 1 shows the complexity of the e-waste flow
within India. Not only does the e-waste have a number of different points of origin, but the
different stakeholders involved in the value chain are also interlinked with each other.
Accordingly, the e-waste does not follow one set path.

While the green coloured steps in Figure 1 show the formal recycling sector and the red one
indicates the informal one, the yellow stakeholders are semi-formal. Their status depends very
much on their interaction with the other stakeholders. They thus link both sectors together.
Direct interactions between the informal and formal sector occur as well, but are less common.
All studies that have tried to trace the way e-waste travels have shown that the waste most likely
ends up with scrap traders and dealers. For economic reasons, these traders and dealers
commonly opt to send the e-waste on to the informal sector.

10
 5. QUANTITY
This section will attempt to give an overview of the quantities of e-waste generated both
domestically within and imported into India. Informal recyclers dominate e-waste recycling in
emerging economies. Because this sector does not use standardised accounting tools, reliable
information about the sector is difficult to acquire. Usage patterns further complicate the
estimation of e-waste. For example, a diverse group of actors use a computer over its life span
because the computer is frequently resold, refurbished, and repaired, moving between different
groups with different incomes and budgets before it is finally recycled. Despite these
difficulties, some statistics are available. A GTZ (Khattar et al., 2007) study provides the most
widely accepted statistics although other sources will be used to complement this and to
highlight the difficulties of estimating e-waste quantities.

5.1 GTZ STUDY

The most widely used and generally accepted as accurate statistics about e-waste are from a
2007 GTZ study of e-waste. The study examines e-waste quantities but restricts the scope of
the waste to computers, televisions, and mobile phones and uses a three level 'funnel approach'.
The first level examined is 'potential annual e-waste', which includes end of life products that
enter the stream as well as products that could potentially enter the e-waste stream but are, for
example, stored or otherwise held by consumers. The second level is 'e-waste available for
recycling'. This level includes all products that have been exchanged or sold by their owners.
A large volume of this e-waste is refurbished, reused, or resold. 'E-waste recycled' is the final
level and includes only those products and components that are dismantled and recycled each
year.

Fig - 4: Quantity of E-Waste

11
The study (Khattar et al., 2007:8) found that in 2007 382,979 metric tonnes (MT) of e-waste
were generated, which includes approximately 50,000 MT of illegally imported e-waste. Of
this 'potential annual e-waste', 144,143 MT move to the second part of the funnel and become
'available for recycling'. However, 'e-waste recycled' is only 19,000 MT because of the
significant role of the refurbishment market. Of the 19,000 tonnes recycled, it is estimated that
only 5% is handled by formal recyclers. The remaining 95% is recycled by informal recyclers
who do not comply with environmental protection or health and safety legislation. This statistic
is consistent with an estimate made by an interviewee that the informal sector handles
approximately 90% of e-waste, while the remaining 10% is handled by formal recyclers.

FIG - 5
The majority of e-waste is generated in the West (36%) and the South (30%) of India, while the
Northern (21%) and the Eastern (14%) parts of India contribute less to the generation of e-
waste. Despite its minor role in e-waste generation, the North is the leading processor of e-
waste in the country.

5.2 FUTURE GROWTH

The following section examines the future growth of PCs, mobile phones and televisions. The
section will show that, given the high growth rates of each of these products in India, the role
of waste imports in India will decrease in the future.

5.2.1 PCS IN INDIA

In 2006 more than six million computers (notebooks & Desktop PCs) were sold in India, with
sales growing 26% on the previous year. Although the sale of Desktop PCs has slowed recently,
the market is expected to continue growing by 15-20% in the coming years, driven by continued
growth among households, government, education and media professionals. The sales of
notebooks have continued to grow over the past three years: they now account for 13% of
computer sales in India. However, some of this growth is moderated by fewer desktop sales, as
notebooks replace PCs.

The sale of desktop computers in India is both dominated by large companies and concentrated
in large cities in India, indicating the legislation targeting these companies would have a broad

12
effect. As it is concentrated in specific locations, such legislation would also be easier to
enforce.

Khattar et al. (2007:17) forecast the growth of PCs to 2012, with desktops predicted to sell
12,571,000 units, with notebooks expanding to 7,777,000 units. Streiche-Porte et al. (2007)
also estimate the future quantities of computers in India. However, restrictions in their model
prevent imported e-waste and refurbishment from being considered. Their analysis of the
number of installed computers in India, based on projections of computer penetration rates (150
per 1000 population, which compares to the current penetration in Switzerland of more than
800) and population growth, predicted the number of installed computers in India to reach 200
million by 2050.

5.2.2 MOBILE PHONES

Although the urban market for mobile phones is saturated, the continuing growth of rural usage
rates will support the industry's forecasted annual growth rate of 47%. Increasing replacement
rates in cities will also cause large quantities of mobile phones to potentially enter the waste
stream. However, despite high unit sales, the low weight of the devices means their contribution
to India's 'potential annual e-waste' (1655 MT), 'total e-waste available for recycling' (143 MT),
and 'total e-waste recycled' (negligible) is small, and is likely to remain so in the future.

Similar to computers, e-waste stemming from mobile phones is concentrated among a small
number of actors, in this instance, however, mobile phone producers. Nokia, the market leader,
holds an estimated 54% market share while Motorola (11%), LG (11%), Samsung (6%), Sony
Ericsson (6%) and other brands (12%) account for the remaining percentage. The high market
concentration indicates that the legislation creating a system of producer responsibility would
be both effective and enforceable.

5.2.3 TELEVISIONS

Television sales in India have grown strongly recently. Up to 2006, television sales increased
at a compound annual growth rate of 22%; annual sales in 2007 reached 16 million units.
However, India's low market saturation (50%) in comparison to other countries, such as China
(99%), Japan (250%) and the US (333%) will enable this strong growth to continue. By 2015
the number of households with a television is expected to have increased to 234 million from
58 million in 2007. Subsequently the compound annual growth rate is expected to drop to
from 22% in 2007, to approximately 10% in 2015.

5.2.4 QUANTITY CONCLUSION

Despite wide variations between sources, the GTZ study (Khattar et al., 2007) reveals that e-
waste in India is largely generated domestically and is processed primarily by the informal
sector. Furthermore, as the country continues to develop and the use of the electronic goods
examined in the study continues to rise, the effects of imported waste will dwindle in
comparison to the domestically generated waste.

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 6. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EFFECTS OF E-WASTE RECYCLING
The following section examines the economic, social and environmental effects of e-waste
recycling in India. The environmental, social, and economic effects of formal e-waste
recycling in New Delhi and informal recycling will be discussed.

First, the hazards in e-waste will be dealt with. Literature connecting informal e-waste
treatment in New Delhi with increased levels of a variety of toxins will be discussed. A direct
comparison will then be made between gold recovery processes employed in the informal and
formal sectors in Bangalore, illustrating the toxicity of informal methods in comparison to
formal methods. Although the facilities compared are in Bangalore, the conclusions are
equally applicable elsewhere.

6.1 TOXICITY OF E-WASTE RECYCLING

Inappropriate e-waste recycling exposes workers and the environment to large numbers of
toxins. The following section will detail the levels of different toxins found at and surrounding
informal e-waste treatment sites before comparing, in more detail, the toxins released by formal,
informal, and state-of-the-art recycling facilities. The results, unsurprisingly, highlight both the
dangers of inappropriate e-waste treatment and the urgent need to establish a formal sector.

6.1.1 TOXINS IN INFORMAL RECYCLING

This section examines toxins arising from e-waste processing in informal facilities in New
Delhi, with additional data from studies elsewhere in India and China being used to support the
conclusions. Although not exhaustive, the effects and quantities of lead, PBDEs, PCCDs,
PCDFs and, where relevant, other metals will be examined illustrating the dangers of
inappropriate e-waste treatment. The absolute toxin levels will then be compared with other
sites and definitions of dangerous levels from various sources of legislation, which will give a
relative indication of the toxicity of informal recycling.

6.1.1.1 LEAD AND OTHER METALS

Lead affects the kidneys and endocrine system (which regulates hormones) and is especially
toxic for children, affecting their brain development and intelligence. Lead also affects child
development during pregnancy and has been linked with increases in the occurrence of
stillbirths and miscarriages.

As a result of e-waste burning at facilities in New Delhi, lead concentrations in bottom ash at
two informal WEEE recyclers was 3560 mg and 6450 mg per kilo. This is 254-461 times higher
than levels found at three major power stations in and near New Delhi, many thousands times
higher than levels elsewhere in Delhi, and 6-12 times the Ministry for Social Building, Regional
Planning and Environment Administration of the Netherlands' 'action level'.

Such high levels of lead contamination are consistent with the results of analysis of water, soil,
and ash in China and of soil, air, and the workers' hair in Bangalore.

14
6.1.1.2 PBDES AND PCDD/PCDFS
PBDEs (poly-brominated dephenyl ethers) are chemicals commonly used in flame retardants
and are found in high concentrations in printed wiring boards. PBDEs are persistent chemicals
and bio-accumulate. The effects of their accumulation in people include memory loss, reduced
brain activity, impaired immune system function, and impaired brain development, especially
in children.

PCDD/Fs (polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans), also referred

to as dioxins and furans, are volatile organic chemicals that arise when PVC in e-waste is burnt.
Dioxins and furans also bio-accumulate, are carcinogenic, and cause skin problems and nervous
system damage at low concentrations.

6.1.2 TOXINS IN INFORMAL E-WASTE PROCESSING: CONCLUSION

The frequent occurrence of toxins above safe levels at and around informal recycling facilities
gives an indication of the toxicity of informal processes. Additionally, the prevalence of the
toxins at sites around facilities indicates that it is not just workers being exposed to the
chemicals, but also the environment. The high concentrations of toxins in several sights, not
only in Delhi, but also across India and in China give a clear indication of the dangers, both to
people and to the environment, of informal e-waste processing.

6.2 EFFICIENCY/ RECOVERY RATES

The following section examines the efficiency of each sector in recovering materials from e-
waste. As the largest market for non-working electronic equipment is printed wiring boards,
which are rich in precious metals, such as silver, gold, palladium and platinum (BAN/SVTC,
2002:12), they make a suitable tracer item. The results of a substance flow analysis reveal the
recovery rates of both the formal and informal sectors for printed wiring boards (PWBs) for
Pentium II processors. The analysis shows that informal recyclers, assisted by their ability to
externalise environmental and health related costs, are able to outbid formal recyclers when
purchasing e-waste. Additionally, the informal sector’s externalities confer cost advantages
that ensure the sector’s advantage under a variety of other economic circumstances.

6.2.1 COMPARISON OF GOLD RECOVERY

The following sections examine the gold recovery rates achieved by formal, informal, and state-
of-the-art recyclers. A substance flow analysis is used, detailing the gold recovery rates
achieved by informal and formal recyclers. Although a substance flow analysis to analyze
Attero's recovery rates was not possible, an interview was conducted enabling at least some
comparison. Attero’s techniques result in almost 100 percent recovery rates: however, the crude
dismantling techniques used by the other formal recycler prevent it from achieving a
significantly higher recovery rate than the formal recycler.

6.2.1.1 FORMAL AND INFORMAL

The substance flow analysis used to compare recovery rates in this section examines the same
facilities. This allows the results to be referenced against the toxicity of each process. The
analysis also distinguishes between gold recovered from dismantling (dismantling yield) and
gold recovered from dismantled e-waste (gold recovery yield). Poor dismantling techniques
prevent the formal recycler’s crude recycling practices from recovering more gold than the
informal recycler. In the informal sector, dismantling is done crudely with hammers and chisels
15
 FIG – 6
in basic workshops. These processes yield 16-50% of the gold contained in the e-waste. The
cyanide leaching process then yields 36-60% of the gold recovered from dismantling (input
gold), resulting in an overall gold yield of 10-18%. Although specific recovery rates for e-waste
burning are unavailable, metals recovery from burning is also inefficient.

6.2.1.2 BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY

Attero, using the best available technology – equivalent to that used by Umicore in Belgium –
dismantles and processes e-waste using the best available machinery. State-of-the-art facilities
have minimal material loss and minimal environmental impact. Attero also uses mechanical
and metallurgical processes that are optimised for the differing properties of different materials.
Shredded and separated materials are then sent to appropriate smelters and metal processing
plants. Materials not suitable for recycling are treated before being disposed of in landfills. The
multiple intermediate steps involved in recycling base and precious metals result in very high
recovery rates, while waste treatment systems ensure that emissions are purified and liquids
reused.

6.2.2 OTHER ECONOMIC ASPECTS

Although the total recovery yields of the formal and informal sectors are roughly comparable,
other economic forces act as a barrier to formal recycling. Recycling the plastic in e-waste
presents several difficulties because of the range of fire-suppressant and heat-resistant
chemicals added to the product. While physically possible, environmentally sound recycling of
plastic is not yet economically efficient.

6.3 CONCLUSION: RECOVERY RATES AND ECONOMICS

An examination of the economic factors involved in e-waste recycling has revealed a number
of reasons for the informal sector’s superior performance. Unburdened by environmental
legislation, the informal sector is able to employ gold recovery techniques that are more
efficient than the basic techniques employed by formal recyclers. While state-of-the-art
technology is able to recover more gold, the formal recyclers’ significant operating costs
prevent them from being more efficient than the informal sector. Furthermore, the informal
sector enjoys substantial economic advantages. Changes in metal prices and threshold values
are unlikely to erode this advantage. Additionally, current economic and legislative practices
prevent formal recyclers from become more active.

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 7. PERCEPTION OF THE PROBLEM
In order to be able to assess whether India can enforce e-waste legislation or not, this section
presents an overview of how the country perceives environmental problems. Being aware of a
problem is a necessary prerequisite to acting upon it and thus acknowledging and adhering to the
corresponding legislation.

7.1 PUBLIC AWARENESS

In India, environmental awareness in general is rather low. This is mainly due to the fact that in
many areas in India, people are struggling to earn enough money to live. Thus, environmental
concerns rank low on their personal agenda. This is especially true for the issue of e-waste, as it is
a rather new issue and has no directly visible consequences for the general public. Toxics Link and
Greenpeace, the first NGOs to start campaigning on the topic, began their campaigns back in 2002
and 2003 respectively. Still, neither of the two NGOs have the necessary funds nor the resources
to run campaigns that would attract a large amount of attention over a longer period of time.
However, over the last few years, the issue has increasingly gained notice. Nevertheless, the major
drivers of this process remain the NGOs working on the issue, as the state has not made any
attempts to educate the general public. Moreover, most manufacturers ship their products without
any information about how to handle them after their end-of-life. Consequently, consumers are
unaware of proper e-waste disposal.

7.2 AWARENESS AMONG DISMANTLERS AND RECYCLERS

For the formal dismantlers and recyclers, the lack of consumer awareness represents one of the
biggest challenges. Accordingly, they invest heavily in awareness campaigns. According to
Khattar et al. (2007:20), one formal recycler stated that they would „spend around 80% of their
overall revenue on awareness creation program.” While formal dismantlers and recyclers are very
aware of the health and environmental problems surrounding e-waste, the informal collectors,
traders, dismantlers and recyclers working with e-waste are often either unaware of the problems
or do not see the necessity to act upon them. The collectors have no reason to change anything, as
their business causes harm neither to the environment nor to health. The same applies to the waste
traders who often do not even see the waste but rather coordinate the waste flow. The problems
affect informal dismantlers and recyclers most. As a result, the severity of the environmental and
health hazards depends very much on the processes applied. While the workers are often aware of
the problems, they are unable to change anything. Due to the illegal nature of their business, they
have no possibility to ensure that the e-waste is recycled in an environmentally and health friendly
way (Mahesh, 2009).

7.3 AWARENESS AMONG MANUFACTURES

The awareness among manufactures has increased over the last couple of years. Until recently the
manufacturing industry was very reluctant to associate itself with the problem and acknowledge
its responsibility. A study conducted by Greenpeace India in 2008 assessed which manufacturers

17
had a take-back policy in place and actual take-back systems in operation. Of the 20 monitored
brands, nine had no take-back service in place. Several had only one collection centre or limited
the take-back to one product (e.g. mobile phones). Moreover, the majority of the brands had no
information on their take-back systems on their websites and none of them had spent a considerable
amount of money on raising awareness. Only a few brands scored well in the overall assessment,
while only two had supported a new law based on the concept of Individual Producer
Responsibility.

The report’s findings, however, have caused some companies to become more active. Samsung,
for example, had only one collection point at the time the study was conducted. Now the company
has a system with 31 collection points in place (Acharya 2009). Moreover, the big players in the
market are now working together with the Manufacturer’s Association for Information Technology
(MAIT) to tackle the problem (Raghupathy, 2009). The IT manufacturing industry has taken two
courses of action: phasing hazardous materials out of their products and implementing take-back
schemes. According to Mr. Pratap, these actions are mainly the result of public pressure from
NGOs like Greenpeace which call attention to the effects of e-waste and counter industry’s claim
of being “green”.

18
 8. CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SITUATION
The following section examines e-waste legislation in India. First, the section presents the Supreme
Court rulings on environmental issues that form the legal basis for the existing laws that have an
impact on the import and handling of e-waste. Legislation is then discussed in the subsequent
section, followed by a brief overview and evaluation of the E-Waste Guidelines.

8.1 JUDICIAL RULINGS

India’s constitution has no specific article that can be linked to environmental rights. However, the
“Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, Dehra Dun vs. State of Uttar Pradesh” ruling by the
supreme court interpreted Article 21 of the constitution as including “the Right to a Wholesome
Environment”. Article 21 reads: “Protection of life and personal liberty. No person shall be
deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law” (The
Constitution of India).

FIG - 7

The case was about illegal limestone mining that caused harm to the ecosystem. However, a
separate ruling in “Subhash Kumar vs. State of Bihar” asserted that the right to life included the
right to enjoy unpolluted air and water. NGOs and various affected citizens have since filed several
petitions and the court has acknowledged its responsibility to rule on issues concerning
environmental matters.

8.2 LAWS
The following section examines laws linked to e-waste. While there is no specific law in place
regulating the collection of e-waste, some environmental legislation, particularly on a state level,
regulates the handling of e-waste. Thus, the laws examined here deal with the handling of
hazardous wastes rather than e-waste. However, as e-waste often contains hazardous components,
these laws are nevertheless applicable.

19
 9. PROPOSALS
(1) Cost-effectiveness: Smelters require high capital investments. Non-toxic hydrometallurgical
processes can be established in small plants.

(2) Domestic solution: Non-toxic hydrometallurgical treatment methods can be used in the U.S.,
which eliminates the need to ship waste overseas.

(3) Value of e-waste: Shredding and grinding techniques do not need to be used which reduces
the loss of precious metals. In addition, recyclers can be paid based on the actual content of the
e-waste, rather than a sample assay. This is possible because the e-waste is not mixed with other
scrap metals and components to be refined, and therefore the exact value of the e-waste can be
determined after recovery.

(4) Non-toxic hydrometallurgical treatment does not require burning, or generate toxic fumes
or toxic fluid discharge associated with pyrometallurgical treatment.

FIG – 8 : What is to be done with the E-Waste?

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 9. CONCLUSION
Despite the many reasons to recycle e-waste, India recycling and recovery of e-waste is limited
due to:
(1) Insufficient collection
(2) No Federal legislation or policy mandating e-waste recycling
(3) Lack of recycling and recovery technologies and

(4) Illegal exports of hazardous e-waste to developing countries where recycling processes pose
serious risks to human and environmental health.
In order to increase the e-waste recycling rate in the India, Federal regulation is needed in order to
provide a cohesive approach to e-waste recycling. Federal regulation will provide the necessary
structure and framework by setting mandatory recycling targets and establishing the
implementation of financing and enforcement mechanisms for e-waste collection and recycling.
However, EPA is generally reluctant to tell State authorities how to manage their solid wastes.
Local and regional authorities should focus on the increased collection of e-waste through efforts
geared towards convenience of collection and increased public awareness. Increasing the ease with
which consumers can bring electronics to collection points through paid-postage mail in service
and retail collection points, will contribute to collection growth rates. National agendas should
be geared towards capacity building in the e-waste recycling sector. Promising end-processing
methods, such as non-toxic hydrometallurgical processing methods, should be implemented as a
domestic solution to e-waste recycling in the India. In addition, global efforts should be geared
towards increasing the e-waste recycling capacity of existing and additional smelters, and
streamlining the process for e-waste recyclers.

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 10. REFERENCES

1. David W. Wooddell, National Geographic Magazine, August,2014 Print

2. Smedley, Tim. The Guardian, 2013. Web. Date of accession: 23rd January 2016.
<http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/phonebloks-future-sustainable-smartphone

3. More Recycling and Reuse Proposed For Electronic Wastes.web.Date of accession: 23rd January
2016
<http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/smm/electronics/index.htm

4. Proposals for setting up of recycling clusters.web.Date of accession: 23rd January 2016

http://www.edn.com/article/CA6597389.html

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