E-waste or electronic waste refers to obsolete, unwanted or unusable electronic and electrical devices. Rapid changes in technology and consumption patterns have led to a growing amount of e-waste generated globally each year. India generates around 20 lakh tonnes of e-waste annually, with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi being the top producing states. Most e-waste in India is handled by the informal sector without proper health and safety standards, exposing workers and the environment to toxic materials. International agreements and national regulations have been implemented to promote the environmentally sound management of e-waste, but challenges remain around enforcement, awareness, and the dominance of the informal sector.

3. • Unwanted, obsolete or unusable electronic and electrical products are
commonly referred to as ‘electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or as Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
• Rapid changes in technology, changes in media, falling prices of electronic
gadgets, and developing new electronics and discarding old ones, lead to an
ever increasing load ofe-waste
• The most widely accepted definition of e-waste is as per European
Commission Directive :
“Electrical or electronic equipment, which is waste including all
components, subassemblies and consumables, which are part of the product at
the time of discarding”.

4. • It is estimated that global (2019) e-waste generation is growing
by about 53 million tons a year. (UN)
• Estimated e-waste generation by India (2018) – 20 lakh tonnes
(CPCB)
• 10 States/UT contribute to 70% of the total e-waste generated in
the country
• While 65 cities generate more than 60% of the total e-waste in
India

6. TOP 10 STATES/UT AND CITIES THAT GENERATE
E-WASTE:
Maharashtra Mumbai
Tamil Nadu New Delhi
Andhra Pradesh Bangalore
Uttar Pradesh Chennai
West Bengal Kolkata
Delhi Ahmedabad
Karnataka Hyderabad
Gujarat Pune
Madhya Pradesh Surat
Punjab Nagpur

8. • The incentives for e-waste movement, both legally and
illegally, are enormous.
• A study commissioned by the US Environmental Protection
Agency revealed that it was 10 times cheaper to export e-waste
to Asia than it was to process in the UnitedStates.
• 50-80% of e-waste collected for recycling in developed
countries each year is being exported.
• E-waste recycling hotspots have been identified in Asian
countries, such as China, India, and Pakistan, and in some
African countries, such as Ghana and Nigeria

11. • High volume of e-waste is generated due to the rapid
obsolescence of gadgets combined with the high demand for new
technology.
• Poor design and complexity – Toxic materials are attached to
non-toxic materials, which makes separation of materials for
reclamation difficult.
• Labour issues – include occupational exposures, informal sector
domination causing health and environmental problems, lack of
labour standards and rights.
• Lack of regulation – either lack adequate regulations or lack
effective enforcement of e-waste regulations.
• Informal e-waste recycling dominates the industry in India
• In the informal e-waste recycling sector an employer- employee
relationship is often absent.
• Generally employ the poor, who have little or no formal training
and are marginalized population.
• Most work is carried out with bare hands, without the use of
masks, cleaning, crushing or heating the parts

12. • Child scavengers/ waste-pickers: are those who participate
in “manual sorting and picking of recyclable/reusable
materials from mixed wastes at legal and illegal landfills,
dumpsites, street bins and piles, transfer points, as well as
waste collection trucks”
• Their bodies, minds and judgment are still developing, even
in their late teens, their reproductive systems and brain
functions are particularly susceptible.
• Children are more vulnerable to fatal and non-fatal
accidents.
• Exposure to neurotoxicants, endocrine disruptors, allergens
and carcinogens during this critical period can be highly
unsafe.

13. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORMAL A N D INFORMAL
E-WASTE MANAGEMENT
Formal Informal
Protective
equipments—gloves,
masks, shoes, caps—are
provided to employees.
Unskilled workers are
paid regular monthly
salary (Rs 5000 per
month)
No safety precautions
followed. Unskilled
workers are paid daily
wages as per their
collection (Rs 100-150
per day)
Investment for a
dismantler is about
Rs. 30 lakh and for a
recycling plant, about
Rs. 25 crore.
Minimal capital
investment required.
Cost includes price of e-
scrap, bribes to transfer it
across state borders and
set up and run shops, and
rent for the workspace.

14. Formal Informal
Components of the Cathode Ray
Tubes’ (CRTs) are separated by
heating in a closed chamber,
which sucks out phosphors from the
components.
Then crushed in shredder machines.
Sold to the companies that
manufacture the CRTs.
Cathode Ray Tubes’ are broken
manuallyto separate its components
– glass, metal and copper.
Sold to bangle makers, non-
branded TV makers. Phosphors, if
inhaled, can be toxic.
Circuit boards are crushed in
shredder machines. They are sent to
approved smelters, where after
smelting at 1200°C, the metals in the
circuit board collect together.
The metals—lead, copper, nickel,
tin, gold, silver, palladium—are
then separated by electro-
refining.
Circuit boards have gold plated
brass pins, microchips and
condensers which are separated
by heating. Fumes released
during heating are toxic. Gold-
plated brass pins are soaked in
acid to recover the gold and brass
separately.
Heated in big containers filled
with acid to extract metallic parts.

15. • Little is known about the toxicity and environmental properties of
over 1,000 of the chemicals identified in the e- waste streams.
• E-waste composition is changing with technological development
• In addition, even if individual components in a mixture do not
separately have harmful effects, the mixture itself may produce
harmful effects – known as the “COCKTAILEFFECT”
• Daily “cocktail” of chemicals has been shown to potentially disrupt
hormonal systems, adversely affect reproductive functions and
cause certain types of cancer
• Contamination of soil, surface water and air leads to
secondary exposure.
• The pollution generated by e-waste processing brings about toxic
or genotoxic effects on the human body, threatening the health not
only of workers but also of the residents and future generations
living in the local environment.

16. Lead
Mechanical breaking of CRTs (cathode ray tubes) and removing
solder from
microchips release lead as powder and fumes
A neurotoxin that affects the kidneys and the
reproductivesystem. It affects mental
development in children.
Plastics
Found in circuit boards, cabinets and cables
Burning PVC, a component of plastics, also
producesdioxins. BFRs or brominated flame
retardants give out carcinogenic brominated
dioxins and furans.
Dioxins can harm reproductive and immune systems.
Chromium
Used to protect metal housings and plates in a computer from
corrosion.
Inhaling hexavalent chromium can damage liver and kidneys
Also affects respiratory system causing asthmatic bronchitis and lung
cancer.

17. Mercury
It is released while breaking and burning of circuit boards and
switches.
Affects the central nervous system, kidneys and
immune system. It impairs foetus growth and
harms infants through mother’s milk.
Methylated mercury is toxic and can enter the human food chain
through aquatic life.
Cadmium
Cadmium is released into the environment as powder while crushing
and millingof plastics, CRTs and circuit boards.
Is a known carcinogen.
Long-term exposure causes Itai-itai disease, which causes severe pain
in thejoints
and spine. It affects the kidneys and softensbones
Beryllium
Found in switch boards and printed
circuitboards. It is known
carcinogen and causes lung diseases

18. • The basic principles of e-waste
management is reduce, reuse and
recycle
• Reduce – the number of electronic
and electrical equipment
• Reuse – when the equipment is still
working, it can be sold or donated,
thus continuing the "life" of the
product
• Recycle – the equipment is
disassembled and the components
recovered and used to manufacture
new products

20. • The Basel Convention (Switzerland, 1989)
• The Rotterdam Convention (Netherlands, 1998)
• The Stockholm Convention (Sweden, 2001)
• The StrategicApproach to International Chemicals Management SAICM
(Switzerland, 2009)
• Synergies (Switzerland, 2013)

21. Various legislations cover different aspects of e-waste
• Basel convention (1989) for regulating trans boundary movement
• The hazardous waste (management and handling ) rules, 1998 as amended
in 2008 for Toxic content – registration mandatory for recyclers
• Guidelines’ by Central Pollution Control Board ( 2008) provides guidelines
for best practices, producer responsibility and restriction of hazardous
substances.
• Foreign Trade policy (2009-2014) restricts import of second- hand
computers and does not permit import of e-waste

22. • Accurate figures not available for rapidly increasing e-waste
volumes—generated domestically and by imports
• No accurate estimates of the quantity of e-waste recycled
• Major portion of e-waste is processed by the
informal (unorganized) sector using rudimentary
techniques.
• Low level of awareness among manufacturers and
consumers of the hazards of incorrect e-waste disposal
• E-waste workers have little or no knowledge of toxins in e-
waste.
• Inefficient recycling processes result in substantial losses
of material value and resources

23. • Technological changes to introduce less toxic/ non-toxic
substances/
reduce amount of toxic substance
– The production of “halogen-free” appliances, not
contributing to the production of PCBs (polychlorinated
biphenyl) and dioxins
– The replacement of CRT screens with LCD
screens(Pb elimination)
– The introduction of optical fibers (Cu elimination
from the cablings)
– The introduction of rechargeable batteries (Ni, Cd
reduction)
• Non-governmental organizations and citizen movements
pressing for the elimination of hazardous substances in
electronic appliances, resulting in manufacturers competing
for a more “green” profile

24. • Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of E-waste.
Ministry of Environment & Forests, Central Pollution Control
Board. New Delhi, 2018.
• E-waste in India, Research Unit, RajyaSabha Secretariat, New
Delhi, 2019.
• Implementation of E-Waste Rules 2019: Guidelines. Central
Pollution Control Board, Delhi.
• Synergies Decisions: Compilation of decisions related to enhancing
cooperation and coordination among the Basel, Rotterdam and
Stockholm conventions, 2018.
• List of Registered E-Waste Dismantler/Recycler in the country.
Ministry of Environment & Forests, Central Pollution Control
Board. New Delhi.
• The global impact of e-waste:
Addressing the challenge. International Labour
Organization, Geneva 2016.