Serious public health and environmental issues in India
Electronic waste is emerging as a serious public health and environmental issue in India.[1] India is the "Third largest electronic waste producer in the world"; approximately 2 million tons of e-waste are generated annually and an undisclosed amount of e-waste is imported from other countries around the world.[2][3]
Discarded electronic waste.
Annually, computer devices account for nearly 70% of e-waste, 12% comes from the telecom sector, 8% from medical equipment and 7% from electric equipment. The government, public sector companies, and private sector companies generate nearly 75% of electronic waste, with the contribution of individual household being only 16%.[2]
E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products. Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. There has been an upgrade to this E-waste garbage list to include gadgets like smartphones, tablets, laptops, video game consoles, cameras, e-bikes, and many more. India had 1.012 billion active mobile connections in January 2018. Every year, this number is growing exponentially.[4]
According to ASSOCHAM, an industrial body in India, the Compound Annual Growth Rate of electronic waste is 30%. With changing consumer behavior and rapid economic growth, ASSOCHAM estimates that India will generate 5.2 million tonnes of e-waste by 2020.[5][6]
While e-waste recycling is a source of income for many people in India, it also poses numerous health and environmental risks. More than 95% of India's e-waste is illegally recycled by informal waste pickers called kabadiwalas or raddiwalas (scrap traders).[3] These workers operate independently, outside of any formal organization which makes enforcing e-waste regulations difficult-to-impossible. Recyclers often rely on rudimentary recycling techniques that can release toxic pollutants into the surrounding area. The release of toxic pollutants associated with crude e-waste recycling can have far reaching, irreversible consequences.[3][7]
^Joon, Veenu; Shahrawat, Renu; Kapahi, Meena (September 2017). "The Emerging Environmental and Public Health Problem of Electronic Waste in India". Journal of Health and Pollution. 7 (15): 1–7. doi:10.5696/2156-9614-7.15.1. ISSN 2156-9614. PMC 6236536. PMID 30524825.
^ ab"India fifth largest producer of e-waste: study - The Hindu". The Hindu. 15 May 2016. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016.
^ abcPark, Miles. "Electronic waste is recycled in appalling conditions in India". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
^"E-Waste Disposal Methods And How To Do It? [Complete Guide]". Blog. 2019-01-10. Archived from the original on 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
^"India's e-waste to touch 5.2 MMT by 2020: ASSOCHAM-EY study - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
^"India to generate over 5 million tonnes of e-waste next year: ASSOCHAM-EY study". The Asian Age. 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
^Pandit, Virendra (3 June 2016). "India likely to generate 5.2 million tonnes of e-waste by 2020: Study - Business Line". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018.
and 29 Related for: Electronic waste in India information
Electronicwaste (or e-waste) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. It is also commonly known as waste electrical and electronic equipment...
Electronicwaste is a significant part of today's global, post-consumer waste stream. Efforts are being made to recycle and reduce this waste. The Basel...
Electronicwaste or e-wastein China refers to electronic products that are no longer usable and are therefore dumped or recycled. China is the world's...
Electronicwaste recycling, electronics recycling, or e-waste recycling is the disassembly and separation of components and raw materials of waste electronics;...
Electronicwaste or e-wastein the United States refers to electronic products that have reached the end of their operable lives, and the United States...
Biomedical waste or hospital waste is any kind of waste containing infectious (or potentially infectious) materials generated during the treatment of humans...
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes...
waste include radioactive waste, explosive waste, and electronicwaste. Radioactive waste, often referred to as nuclear waste, is produced by various industries...
estimates that up to 40 percent of municipal wasteinIndia remains simply uncollected. Even medical waste, theoretically controlled by stringent rules...
Waste, unwanted or unusable material, varies in type and quantity in different countries. Developed countries produce more waste per capita because they...
the difficulty of recycling have led to a series of problems with electronicwaste. International regulation and environmental legislation have been developed...
remain in the disposed waste. Currently, Some hazardous wastes can be recycled into new products. Examples may include lead–acid batteries or electronic circuit...
amounts of the produced electronicwaste from developed countries is exported, and handled by the informal sector in countries like India, despite the fact...
Green waste, also known as "biological waste", is any organic waste that can be composted. It is most usually composed of refuse from gardens such as...
other hazardous wastein Karnataka. Bangalore is one of the fastest-growing metropolises inIndia. Bangalore contributes 38% of India's total IT exports...
recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment can create a significant amount of pollution. This problem is specifically occurrent inIndia and China...
the waste from all traditional and electronic tobacco and cannabis products collected at 12 public high schools in Northern California. Councils in England...
road markings); electronic and electric equipment (e-waste); and pharmaceuticals and healthcare. The total amounts of plastic waste generated by these...
Construction waste or debris is any kind of debris from the construction process. Different government agencies have clear definitions. For example, the...
economy of India has transitioned from a mixed planned economy to a mixed middle-income developing social market economy with notable public sector in strategic...
Chemical waste is any excess, unused, or unwanted chemical. Chemical waste may be classified as hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste, universal waste, or household...
Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated...
addition, electronic voting has been criticised as unnecessary and expensive to introduce. While countries like India continue to use electronic voting,...
Indiscriminate waste dumping and open defecation (from animals), Shadda, Cap-Haitien, Haiti Evidence of open defecation along a riverbank in Bujumbura, Burundi...
disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste with daily, intermediate...
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear...
An electronic toilet or eToilet is a type of public toilet that is used inIndia. The increase in use of eToilets is in support of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan...
Global Information