Recycle e-waste

Bangalore’s reputation as India’s premier tech town could be swamped soon by a less savoury aspect of its technological advancement – the avalanche of electronic waste it is generating.

India’s third largest generator of e-waste, Bangalore is recycling just 12.5 per cent of the 37,000 MT of e-waste it generates, a report on e-waste management released by industry watchdog Assocham points out.

This means that the bulk of the e-waste generated is out there contaminating our soil, water and air. Worryingly, 70 per cent of the e-waste recycled in the City is done by the unorganized sector. Scrapping units in this sector adopt the most rudimentary methods of recycling, which release toxins into the air and deadly acids into the soil and water. Workers in these recycling units are exposed constantly to hazardous gases and substances.  By not using clean methods to deal with e-waste not only are we undermining our health and environment but also, we are denying ourselves the benefits of recycling waste.  Precious metals like gold, silver and platinum can be extracted from printed circuit boards and other computer components. Lacking smelting units for such extraction, India is failing to draw wealth out of its waste.

Households account for roughly 15 per cent of e-waste. The Assocham report draws attention to failure of households to recycle properly their e-waste. Their reluctance to segregate waste has resulted in arsenic, cadmium and chromium finding their way to organic landfills. E-waste toxins thus enter organic manure and the food chain. Studies have found e-toxins in breast milk.  While lack of awareness is an important reason for poor e-waste disposal by households, laziness is a factor too.

Legislation on handling e-waste clarifies responsibilities of manufacturers as well as consumers and seeks to formalize and regulate the unorganised sector with a view to protecting workers from health hazards. It entrusts State Pollution Control Boards with the responsibility of enforcing the rules. A little more than a year after this legislation took effect across the country, progress remains limited. Being weak entities with limited human and material resources, PCBs are reportedly unable to enforce the rules. Besides, an approach that depends on policing rather than creating incentives for compliance is unlikely to succeed. The way we look at e-waste and its impact on our lives needs to change. Simply brushing the issue under the carpet will not do.