*NEWS*INDIA’S E-WASTE PROBLEM

[Anonymous]

The e-waste problem(INDIA)
The hazardous effects of e-waste are a worrisome problem.
You
may be a software professional working on the latest PC, a call-centre
employee on your first job, or a teenager tapping away furiously on an
assembled computer at home. Whatever slot you fall into, have you
stopped to think what happens when you get parts of your PC, or all of
it, replaced? Where do these parts go and where does all the unwanted
or unusable stuff land up? e-waste or Waste from Electronic and
Electrical Equipment (WEEE) is no longer a subject for academic
discussions at environmental forums. Instead, there is a growing
realisation that the issue may assume dangerous proportions over the
next few years if it continues to be left unaddressed.
The situation
is alarming. According to a survey by IRG Systems, South Asia, the
total waste generated by obsolete or broken-down electronic and
electrical equipment in India has been estimated to be 1,46,180 tons
per year based on select EEE tracer items. This figure does not include
WEEE imports. At the rate at which technological changes are taking
place, not only in computers and cell phones but also in domestic
appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens and
TV sets, the problem seems to be compounding.
India a dumping ground
End-of-life
products find their way to recycling yards in countries such as India
and China, where poorly-protected workers dismantle them, often by
hand, in appalling conditions. About 25,000 workers are employed at
scrap-yards in Delhi alone, where 10,000 to 20,000 tons of e-waste are
handled every year, with computers accounting for 25 percent of it.
Other e-waste scrap-yards exist in Meerut, Ferozabad, Chennai,
Bangalore and Mumbai. About 80 percent of the e-waste generated in the
US is exported to India, China and Pakistan, and unorganised recycling
and backyard scrap-trading forms close to 100 percent of total e-waste
processing activity. Many of India’s corporations burn e-waste such as
PC monitors, PCBs, CDs, motherboards, cables, toner cartridges, light
bulbs and tube-lights in the open along with garbage, releasing large
amounts of mercury and lead into the atmosphere.
IT is the largest contributor
Toxics
Link, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), says that
India annually generates $1.5 billion worth of e-waste. As per a study
done last year by Bangalore-based NGO, Saahas, that city generates
around 8,000 tons of e-waste every year. It is true that the e-waste
spectrum is broad, but we see that IT companies are the single largest
contributors to the growing mountains of it. This is because 30 percent
of their equipment is rendered obsolete every year. The average
computer monitor or television set holds, apart from complex plastic
blends that are either difficult to recycle or non-degradable, valuable
components such as gold and platinum, aluminium, cadmium, mercury, lead
and brominated flame-retardants.
Above and left: work being carried out at a recycler in Delhi. Photos courtesy Greenpeace India
Slow poisoning
As
is the case in the disposal of medical waste, private sector
participation is needed to handle the huge quantities of e-waste that
are being generated
“It is a means of livelihood for unorganised
recyclers. Due to lack of awareness, they are risking their health and
the environment as well. They use strong acids to retrieve precious
metals such as gold. Working in poorly-ventilated enclosed areas
without masks and technical expertise results in exposure to dangerous
and slow-poisoning chemicals,” says Wilma Rodrigues of Saahas. She says
there are no clear guidelines for the unorganised sector to handle
e-waste.
The trade in e-waste is camouflaged and is a thriving
business in India. It is conducted under the pretext of obtaining
‘reusable’ equipment or ‘donations’ from developed nations. According
to K K Shajahan, Principal Consultant, Indian Institute of Material
Management, Bangalore, “Trade in e-waste, like that in other scrap, is
dominated by the ‘informal’ sector. Although the waste trade sector in
India is known as part of the ‘informal’ sector, it has a system that
is highly organised with extensive co-ordination in an established
network. The recycling of e-waste is undertaken in an unscientific
manner, impacting both health and environment.” Recently, the Karnataka
State Pollution Control Board has given authorisation for two
commercial enterprises to handle e-waste in Bangalore-e-Parisaraa and
Ash Recyclers. The authorised companies get e-waste from corporates to
manage the menace following the rules and regulations set down by the
Pollution Board.
In India, organised recycling companies extract
metals through copper smelting, which is followed by pulverisation. The
use of chemicals for bleaching is avoided. They also ensure safety
aspects such as employees wearing masks.
State of denial
As of
now, NGOs are carrying out an inventory of e-waste. Like the disposal
of medical waste, private sector participation is needed to set up
units to handle the huge quantity of e-waste that’s being generated.
The Central Pollution Control Board, the Government of India’s
regulatory and monitoring body, continues to deny that e-waste is
coming into India. Unfortunately, it’s true that countries such as
India and Pakistan are becoming the dumping yards of e-waste from the
US and other industrialised nations. e-waste recycling is lucrative
because electronic equipment has small quantities of valuable material
such as gold and copper. Loopholes in law and enforcement are utilised
by all parties-the importers, traders and recyclers.
The problem is
compounded by the fact that imported equipment is brought in duty-free
and is customs-bound. It is high time that the Government and port
authorities in India implement the Hazardous Waste Rules and check the
illegal imports of e-waste at the entry point itself. The awareness on
the hazardous effects of e-waste has not yet sunk in, barring a handful
of IT and consumer electronics firms. Companies such as LG, Sony
Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, Sony, Wipro and Infosys are involved in
eliminating toxic chemicals from electronic goods. Says Y B Yoo,
Vice-president, Manufacturing, Samsung India, “We encourage our vendors
to ensure lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium-free components. In
addition to 1SO 14001-compliant vendor facilities, they should have a
manual for ensuring conformity with the Restriction of Hazardous
Substances Act. Our audit team regularly checks vendor facilities for
environmental compliance. The waste generated is either returned to the
suppliers for recycling and reuse or disposed off to vendors certified
by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for treatment of the waste.”
Under its Ozone Initiative, Infosys complies with all legal
requirements. It meets and exceeds the ISO 14001 standards for
environmental initiatives.
The government’s responsibilities
Inadequate governance
The
IT sector is taking baby-steps towards dismantling e-waste through the
organised sector. Says P Parthasarathy, Managing Director of
e-Parisaraa, “IT companies are bypassing [the proper procedures to deal
with] their obsolete hardware products through donations and the
unorganised sector. The rules, regulations and maintenance of records
involved in going through organised recyclers are holding back many
companies.”
Additionally, the support from the Government is not up
to expectations. The draft of the policy and guidelines for e-waste
management which are ready are waiting for the approval of the
Government adds Parthasarathy who is also a member of the e-waste
management task force.

[Author]

November 28, 2005 at 11:04 AM