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Framework for e-waste Management
Enterprise Development
T he
electronic industries have emerged as the fastest growing segment of
Indian industries in terms of production, internal consumption and
export. This growth has had significant economic and social impact as
the rapidly increasing consumption and obsolescence rates of electronic
products are leading to higher generation of discarded material known as
e-waste (Study on status and potential for e-waste management in India,
February 2009, ELCINA). According to the WEEE Directive, Electronic
waste, ‘e-waste’ or ‘Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment’ (WEEE)
is waste material consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or
electronic appliances. Domestic generation (3,30,000 MT), along with the
dumping of e-waste from developed countries (50,000 MT), has further
augmented the quantities of e-Waste in India (e-Waste Assessment in
India: A Quantitative Understanding of Generation, Disposal & Recycling
of Electronic Waste in India, November 2007, IRG). A large part is
refurbished and sold in the second hand market. It is a
predicament not only of quantity but also a concern born from the
hazardous recycling practices followed in India. Here, e-waste is
segregated, dismantled and recycled by and large by the informal sector
based in urban slums. It is commonplace to find operations such as open
burning of wires to extract re-saleable copper, soaking of circuit
boards in open acid baths followed by manual scrapping to extract copper
and precious materials next to open drains. Burning of printed circuit
boards to remove chips and final metals results in contamination of soil
and water due to discharge of metals such as tin, lead, cadmium and
mercury, while chemical processing of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) to
recover copper and other metals leads to emission of hydrocarbons, heavy
metals, halogenated substances, and acids in causing water, soil, air
pollution (e-Waste Assessment in India: A Quantitative Understanding of
Generation, Disposal & Recycling of Electronic Waste in India, October
2008, D. Rochad, A. Gantenbein, Swiss Institute for Materials Science
and Technology, EMPA, Switzerland; W. Rodrigues, Saahas, Bangalore,
India).
At present, nearly 95%
of the total e-waste in India is treated by the informal sector (IRG,
November 2007). No specific laws or regulations govern e-waste recycling
in India, as a result of which the poorest strata of the society find an
economic benefit in recovering valuable components from e-waste using
non-scientific methods while simply dumping the non-profitable and
hazardous material in the open. This has a negative impact on the
environment as well as the health of the workers. The informal sector of
e-waste recycling is a spontaneous and immeasurable network of
collection, segregation and material recovery facilities spread across
major cities in India.
•
The first layer in the
sequence is of the scrap collectors (kabadiwalas). They have the
widest reach in the city and cater to collection from households and
small and medium commercial establishments
•
These scrap collectors
are linked to bigger traders, who also take up responsibility for
dismantling the e-waste. They are involved in dismantling of the e-waste
into various parts like integrated circuits, capacitors, yoke cores,
etc.
•
The next level is the recyclers or
e-waste processors, who are involved in the final material recovery.
They extract the metals and sell it to refineries for purification, from
where the materials finally reach the market for reuse
The formal recycling system in
India mainly caters to e-waste generated from big corporate companies
with which they can have formal tie ups. It is highly improbable for
them to reach individual households of a city for e-waste as the
collection process makes it economically unviable. The informal sector
collects e-waste through government auctions, second hand dealers, and
individual households. Lack of legislations, lack of adequate
technology, and above all, lack of awareness among users makes it even
more difficult to compete against these informal recyclers.
It is clear from the argument
stated above that an economically feasible relationship between formal
recyclers and the informal sector must be developed to tackle the
problem of e-waste in India. The most critical barrier that formal
recycling system faces - apart from lack of consumer awareness - is the
absence of a robust e-waste collection mechanism. The informal sector
currently plays a vital role in collection, segregation and dismantling
of e-waste. With the presence of such a system, it would be logistically
easier as well as financially lucrative for the recycler to treat the
waste. Such a system could be put in place if the informal sector is
involved in the value chain. The informal sector needs to be aware of
the economic and health benefits that are accrued to proper recycling of
e-waste. It has been well documented that the efficiency of product
recovery through formal recycling is much more efficient than what is
achieved through non-scientific, environmentally harmful and hazardous
informal recycling procedures. There should be a clear definition of
operations that are suitable for informal and formal sectors, standard
and transparent pricing to ensure fair distribution of value across the
stakeholders; best recycling technologies to enable extraction of
maximum value with minimal losses as well as legal intervention.
The e-waste recycling industry
is poised to grow exponentially in India in the coming years as
development is taking place at a phenomenal speed. The time is right for
governments to take initiatives and make laws on proper e-waste
recycling. It will create opportunities for the private sector to invest
in the creation of such a mechanism.
q
Akshay Gopal
agopal@devalt.org
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