E-Waste Management in India: Challenges and Opportunities

During the year 2020-2021, around 3.4 lakh tonnes of electronic waste has been recycled. Thinking how massive it is, well, in reality, it’s not. The continuous boost in technological advancement is directly related to the surge in the production of electronic gadgets. The more people walk towards buying the latest electronic products, the greater the count of their previous products landing in the garbage. This process keeps repeating until the electronic waste level surpasses the limit. India is currently the third-largest producer of e-waste, and the main reasons are its escalated consumerism and terrific technological obsolescence. Ensuring that electronic waste is safely disposed of is unquestionably one of the greatest e-waste management challenges experienced by India.

To understand more about the challenges and opportunities that India experiences concerning EPR e-waste have been comprehensively described in the article.

But First, What is E-Waste Management?

Electronic waste is placed under the Electronic Waste Management Rules of 2016 issued by the Central Pollution Control Board. In a simplified version, e-waste or electronic waste involves materials like plastics, metals, liquid crystals, mercury, lithium, inkjet cartridges, etc. Items used, discarded from recycling and dismantled are generally considered electronic waste. Some common examples of electronic waste are screens, computers, televisions, CDs, printers, calculators, etc. The worst part is e-waste is present with immensely toxic materials like mercury, lead, and beryllium that can be quite menacing to the surrounding.

E-Waste Management Challenges Faced by India

Though it might seem that waste management in India is being conducted seamlessly, it is filled with numerous discrepancies. The problem lies at the grassroots levels - policy and regulation, environment and health safeguards, operational issues, the dominance of informal sectors, supply chain and logistics issues, financial constraints, and more. Let us check out some of the notable issues:

a)    Disparity in the Estimation of E-Waste

There is no dearth of the fact that the per capita generation of e-waste in India is low compared to the developed nations. As economic growth is on the constant rise, it would result in heightened purchasing power and illegal waste dumps - posing a significant threat to e-waste recycling in India. If you count the sources of e-waste, it is diverse - bulk consumers, individual households, commercial establishments, retailers, manufacturers, and more.

The problem lies with the limited classification of e-waste, unlike the international count. Furthermore, the sphere of data management and data collection also contained discrepancies.

b)   High Degree of Air, Water, and Land Pollution

One major concern about developing countries like India or Pakistan is the low metal concentration in electronic waste. These act as shoddy treatment facilities. E-waste is filled with jeopardizing chemicals like lead, mercury, cadmium, polybrominated flame retardants, barium and lithium. Do you know what these chemicals will lead to? These toxins can potentially undermine your heart, liver, kidney, brain, and skeletal system. Remember, e-waste produces deadly carcinogens that might cause lung and skin cancer.

c)    Dearth in Awareness of Different Players Across the E-Waste Management Sphere

If you notice carefully, you will observe how stakeholders actually don’t have comprehensive knowledge of the possible threats, ideal disposal approach, and regulatory framework of e-waste management. The bulk consumer is either entirely unaware or lacks fundamental knowledge. In fact, the roles of urban local bodies are also not thoroughly clear.

d)   Supremacy of the Information Sector

The informal sector majorly handles E-Waste management. Factors contributing to the matter's complication are the need for correct knowledge, the unavailability of ideal formal collection mechanisms, and more. This leads to the unorganised sector managing the maximum of e-waste. Furthermore, the recycling setups of the informal sector are not located in the industrial sectors and generally constitute a scrapyard-like atmosphere. The workers/labourers tend to work in the most unhealthy conditions, prone to deadly illnesses.

E-Waste Management Opportunities Experienced in India

India is among those nations worldwide that have been tagged as developing countries indulging in underdeveloped waste disposal systems. It lacks the infrastructure, technical capacities, and systematized communication requisite for complying with the e-waste management Rules 2022. As a result, India has also become one of those places where people undergo different critical health concerns due to improper e-waste disposal. Therefore, India has a vast scope to get hold of the necessities.

Conclusion:

Certain factors that can help in the development of India in terms of e-waste recycling are adapting to new technologies, uniting the informal sector, inventorization of e-waste, strengthening the policy framework, and more. E waste recycling in India is in its developing stage, and this is the ideal time to direct its growth.