e-Waste in India:

A ground perspective

Dr Kishore Wankhade
Toxics Link
28th November 2006
Electronic Waste

• It includes computers,
entertainment electronics, mobile
phones and other items that have
been discarded by their original
users.
• It consists of electronic products
that were used for data
processing, telecommunications,
or entertainment in private
households and businesses that
are now considered obsolete,
broken, or un-repairable.
• The e-waste pile growing around
the world and statistics show that
it runs into millions of tonnes
annually.
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
e-Waste: the Current
Scenario

• Domestic e-Waste,
growing exponentially in
volumes.
• Increases in demand for
PCs with penetration
density in India
• Imports regularly coming
to the recycling markets.
• Poor working conditions
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
for recycling.
Hyper-Growth and Hyper-
Obsolescence
• India, by 2008, should achieve a PC
penetration of 65 per 1,000 from the
existing 14 per 1,000 (MAIT)
• At present, India has about 15 million
computers. The target being 75 million
computers by 2010.#
• Over 2 million old PCs ready for disposal in
India.
• Over 75 million current mobile users in
India, expected to increase to 200 million
by 2007 end.*
• E-waste
Memory devices,
in India: A Ground PerspectiveMP3 players, iPods etc.
Hyper-Growth and Hyper-
Obsolescence
• Computer industry brings new
technology and 'upgrades' to market
every 18 months. (innovation)

• No incentive for “design for

longevity”.
(planned obsolescence)
average life span of a personal
computer now 3-5 years (from the
earlier 7 years)

•E-waste
Consumer preference for newer
in India: A Ground Perspective
models and features in cell phones
Growth in the number of
computers
• India had the
second highest
growth in
number of
computer
users per
capita in the
period 1993-
2000.
• It grew a
massive 604%
as compared to
a world
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
average of
Piles of discarded computer parts in a
waste shop in Mumbai. These parts are
sorted, broken apart and sent to various
'recycling' workshops.

E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective

 India: a dumping
•ground
End-of-life products find their way to
recycling yards in countries such as
India
• About 80 percent of the e-waste
generated in the US is exported to
India, China and Pakistan
• Collected by recyclers abroad and
sold to waste traders from India
• Passed through customs as second
hand, mixed metal scrap, for
charity/donations etc.
• Landing in ports like Mumbai,
Chennai, Cochin, Kandla etc
• Ends up recycling units in Delhi,
Mumbai, Chennai amongst others.
• The trade in e-waste is camouflaged
and is a thriving business in India. It
is conducted under the pretext of
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
obtaining ‘reusable’ equipment or
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
It doesn’t look like hazardous
waste but it contains…

E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective

 Hazardous e-Waste Constituents

• Toxic Metals
Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Beryllium,
Selenium, Lithium, Antinomy, Arsenic
• Brominated Flame
Retardants
TBBA (tetrabromo-bisphenol-A)
• OtherPBDE
Halogenated Hydrocarbons
(polybrominateddiphenyl) etc.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
CFCs (chloroflourocarbons)
• Rare Earth Elements
Yttrium, Europium, Americium
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
e-Waste as Toxic Waste
In India Two million PCs of 286, 386, 486
configuration are supposed to be in waste
stream which would mean..
Average PC of approx. Two million
31.5 kg wt. contains: obsolete PCs
7.24 kg - Plastics would mean:
1.98 kg - Lead  14,427,000 kg
0.693g - Mercury  3,962,700 kg
0.4095g - Arsenic  1,386 kg
2.961g - Cadmium  819 kg
1.98g -  5,922 kg
Chromium  3,969 kg
9.92g - Barium  19,845 kg
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
4.94g - Beryllium  9,891 kg
For a few dollars more…

• As per available data; Cost to

recycle a single PC in US is
around 20 dollars
• As per conversations; Recycling
cost of single PC in India is
about 2 dollars
• There is saving of 18 dollars per
PC if shipped to India
• Thus, it is 10 times cheaper to
ship PCs to India than it is to
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
recycle them in United States
e-Waste trade in India

• Trade in e-Waste, is like that

in other scrap, is dominated
by the ‘informal’ sector.
• Although ‘informal’, it has a
system that is highly
organized with extensive co-
ordination in an established
network.
• It thrives on low-tech,
backyard type setup with
cheap
E-waste in India: Aunskilled
Ground Perspective labour
Mumbai Scenario

• In India, Mumbaikars use

electronic products the most
and also very fast to grab
modern technology
• Thereby, dumping old
electronic products as scrap,
generating more e-Waste
which is growing at a rapid
pace.
• Being a port city, also keeps
thein India:
E-waste constant inflow of e-
A Ground Perspective
Mumbai Scenario

• Places like Saki Naka, Kurla, Grant

Road etc are the hub of e-waste
trade in Mumbai.
• Here, such e-waste is traded,
handled, dismantled and recycled
by unskilled labourers without any
safety measures risking their
health as well as polluting
environment.
• In these scrap godowns, waste
trade dealers stores it and then
trades tem as far as to Delhi,
Agra, Meerut, where these waste
electronics are broken to extract
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
metals like copper, aluminum and
 Existing Recycling/ Recovery
Operation
•High-risk backyard operation.
•Women and children employed.
•Risk awareness non-existent or very low.
•Breaking, acid baths, open burning.
•High environmental and occupational risks.
E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective
Opening of monitor

E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective

Burning of Circuit Board on stove as the
smoke is rising from the computer
motherboards being melted over open fires
in a recycling yard in Delhi.

E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective

Child labour in inhuman
working conditions

E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective

 Copper
from
PVC
wires

E-waste in India: A Ground Perspective

Hidden Costs that India must
bear…
• Occupational disease, asthma to
cancer
• Genetic damage, endocrine
disruption
• Developmental and neurological
dysfunction among children and
birth defects
• Loss of arable land to residual
dumpsites
• Food contamination from fish and
farms
•E-waste
Loss of
in India: groundwater
A Ground Perspective resources
Recommendations for
Action
• Adequate implementation of legislation
and ban on Imports.
• Move solutions to product design – toxics
and hazard free.
• Design for Longevity, Upgrade, Repair
and Re-use
• Minimize toxics in production (lead free
solders)
• Tie recycling in with take-back product
responsibility.
• Adequate technologies for recycling.
• clear guidelines to handle e-waste.
• Incentive schemes for garbage collectors
and general public for collecting and
handing over e-waste
• Awareness programme on e-waste for
school
E-waste children
in India: and general public
A Ground Perspective
 Thank You!

For more information contact

Toxics Link Mumbai

Garage No.2, Plot No.4
Baba Nanik Sahib CHS Ltd
Laxmi Colony, R C Marg
Chembur, Mumbai-400074, India
Tel: +91-22-25534312
Email: tlmumbai@toxicslink.org
Web: www.toxicslink.org