ELECTRONIC WASTE MANAGEMENT- ISSUES & STRATEGIES Author Dr.

Mukti Jain (Bapna) ABSTRACT

Rapid changes in technology, change in media, falling prices and planning obsolesce have resulted in a fast growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. It is an emerging problem as well as a business opportunity of increasing significance, given the volumes of e-waste being generated and the content of both toxic and valuable materials in them. Electronic wastes contain toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and lithium (Cui, Jirang, 2008). These toxic materials can be released upon disposal, posing a threat to human health and the environment. Inconsistencies in worker safety and environmental protection mean potential liability concerns for those sending electronics to recycling facilities especially if these facilities are located in developing countries. However, electronic wastes also contain precious metals such as gold, silver, which offer opportunities for economic extraction.

On a broader scale, analyzing the environmental and societal impacts of e-waste reveals a mosaic of benefits and costs (Alastair, 2004). Proponents of e-waste recycling claim that greater employment, new access to raw materials and electronics, and improved infrastructure will result. These will further boost the regions advance towards prosperity. Yet the reality is that the new wealth and benefits are unequally distributed, and the contribution of electronics to societal growth is sometimes illusory. Most e-waste recycling involve small enterprises that are numerous, widespread, and difficult to regulate.

Electronic waste management, which is already a mammoth task in India, is becoming

more

complicated by the invasion of e-waste, particularly computer waste. There exists an urgent need for a detailed assessment of the current and future scenario including quantification, characteristics, existing disposal practices, environmental impacts etc. Institutional infrastructures, including e-waste collection, transportation, treatment, storage, recovery and disposal, need to be established, at national and/or regional levels for the environmentally sound management of e-wastes. Establishment of e-waste collection, exchange and recycling centers should be encouraged in partnership with private This paper was submitted for eWORLDFORUM 2011 conference Page 1

entrepreneurs and manufacturers.

The hurdles that nations have to navigate in order to carry out proper e-waste management include, uncoordinated government regulation at both the national and regional level; varying compliance requirements from country to country and state to state adding unnecessary costs; consumers not being provided with effective incentives to reuse or recycle and commodities prices often declining below the price point for e-waste management companies to make a profit.

This paper highlights the hazard of Electronic Waste, the need for its appropriate management and option (strategies) that can be implemented in India. This paper also try to analysis the market potential to relevant technologies for the electronic waste recycling sector in India.

This paper was submitted for eWORLDFORUM 2011 conference

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