3. BACKGROUND
โข There is no generally accepted
definition of e-waste
โข Unwanted, obsolete or unusable
electronic products such as
computers, computer
peripherals,televisions,VCRs,DV
D Players, stereo equipment,
hand cell phones are commonly
referred to as โelectronic wasteโ
4.
5. Problems
โข Management and disposal of e-waste
has become a serious problem
among states nationwide, WHY?
โข The problem of electronic waste (e-
waste) is growing at an
unsustainable rate.
โข E-waste is now the fastest growing,
and most toxic, component of
municipal garbage.
โข Local governments are facing huge
costs to handle e-waste, and even
greater costs if they do not capture
this toxic stream and handle it in an
appropriate manner.
6. Mobile phones; facts
โข Production today- 23 phones/sec
โข Sales 2003- 515 million
โข Sales 2004- 665 million
โข Sales 2005- 870 million
โข Subscribers-1.9 billion in 2005
โข Subscribers- 2.6 billion in 2009
โข Lifespan- 0.5- 1.5 (with 1st user)
โข (estimates from the Basel
convention based study 2006)
8. 1.It is taking up valuable
landfill space
โข A study by the USA showed that 1-
2% of municipal waste is made up of
e-waste
โข A further research estimates the
growing of e-waste at 3 times the
rate of other waste streams.
โข It is also estimated that between
1997 and 2007,500 million
computers would become obsolete
9. 2.e-waste contains
hazardous material
โข The leaching of heavy material
from e-waste may a pose a
potential long term human
health and environmental
impacts
โข ground Water especially is more
likely to be polluted (note, more
half the country reliant on
ground water resources)
10.
11. Of particular concern is
Lead in e-waste
โข Lead is a toxic substances which
may cause lead poisoning and
can be especially harmful young
children.
โข A typical 17-inch computer
monitor contains approximately
2.2 pounds of lead
โข the 500 million computers that
will become obsolete between
1997 and 2007 will contain nearly
1.6 billion pounds of lead
12.
13. Cathode ray tubes
โข Much of the focus of managing e-
waste revolves around Cathode
Ray Tubes-which converts an
electronic signal into a visual
image. Computer
monitors,televisions,camcorders
and other electronic devices
contain CRT.
โข Atypical CRT contains between 2
and 5 pounds of lead.
14. Other problems
โข Illegal exporting especially to
Asia
โข Uncontrolled burning and
disposal are causing env
problems
โข The toxicity of some of the
substance, eg mercury,cadmium
may also pose an environmental
and health challenge
15. Management and
disposal options
โข Due to increased
public,regulatory and
commercial scrutiny and also a
commensurate entrepreneur
interest,there has been a
diversion from energy intensive
down cycling processes to more
mature processing systems
โข This has been largely achieved
through reuse and refurbishing
16. reuse
โข Preventing waste in the first
place is the preferred mngt
option
โข This can be achieved through
repairing,upgrading used
electrical equipment
โข Example- adding memory to a
computer,upgrading software
17. recycle
โข Make use of take back
programs
โข Through recycling units are
either reused or dismantled for
recycling.
โข The silver,gold,lead and other
heavy metal are recyclable
18. dispose
โข The least preferred option is to
landfill electronic waste
โข This should only come as a last
option but care to consult with
state regulations on disposal of
any hazardous waste
19. Benefits of reuse (social
and env)
โข Diminished demand for new products and
their commensurate requirement for virgin
raw material
โข There is lessened need for water and
energy for the associated manufacturing
โข Less packaging per unit
โข Availability of tech to wider swaths of
society due to greater affordability of
products
โข Saved landfill space
20. challenges
โข When materials cannot or will
not be used, conventional
recycling or disposal via landfill
will follow
โข The complexity of the items to
be disposed of
โข cost of env sound recycling
systems
21. Each one of us has a
role to play!
โข Need for a e-waste policy and legislation
โข Encourage and facilitate organized
recycling systems
โข Should subsidies recycling and disposal
industries
โข Collect fee from
manufactured/consumers for the
disposal of toxic material
โข Incentive schemes for garbage
collectors and general public for
collecting and handling over e-waste
โข Awareness programme on e-waste for
school children and general public
22.
23. continuation
โข Transparency and accountability to
the public Handling large amounts of
e-waste poses risks of toxic
contamination to workers and
surrounding communities if
conducted carelessly.
โข Thus, the most basic criterion that
employees and citizens should
rightfully expect from any recycling
operation is that it be open to public
inspection.
24. continuation
โข General compliance with
occupational health and safety
standards Observance of health and
safety standards in the workplace is
important for protecting workers
from exposure to toxics whilst
handling e-waste
โข Well-trained workers, who are fully
protected by the law to seek advice
and take action to protect their
health and the environment without
fear of reprisal from their employer,
are the most effective environmental
protection.
25. Conclusion
โข it is important that we create a
national framework for the
environmentally sound management
of e-waste including wide public
awareness and education
โข Conduct detailed inventories of e-
waste
โข Initiate pilot schemes on collection
and sorting of e-wastes,including
take back schemes and schemes for
repair refurbishment and recycling