EVERY single gadget we use will
sooner or later end up in a trash
can. Computers, mobile phones,
DVD players, TV sets, will all be junk.
From a computer penetration density
of less than 10 per 1000 population
in 2005, India will exceed 60 per 1000
in 2010. Mobile phones will touch
300 million and TV sets over 140 million.
Even today, despite its low density
in electronics, India produces
over 400,000 tonnes of electronic
waste each year and this is rising
three times faster than the municipal
waste stream.
Studies have shown that Mumbai
and Delhi top the list in e-waste generation.
Delhi generates over
12,000 tonnes annually while
Mumbai produces around 19,000
tonnes. Kolkata and Chennai are
catching up with about 9,000 and
10,000 tonnes. Waste from other
cities often lands up in Delhi, the
traditional hub of recycling with
connections to towns nearby.
Globally, between 20 to 50 million
tonnes of electronic scrap is generated
annually.
This e-waste is one of the most hazardous
waste streams worldwide. Electronics contain
over 50 hazardous chemicals or heavy metals.
A cathode ray tube (screen) could have over 1.5 kilos
of lead. Inside the box there can be mercury,
arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, while the plastic casing
can contain brominated flame retardants (BFR).
These chemicals, when released, can cause severe
health impacts, some of which can be intergenerational,
passing from mother to child. When recycled
or dumped, these compounds are let off into the air
or water or landfills. In the US more than 40 per
cent of the lead in landfills comes from e-waste.
On the other hand, the reasons for recycling
such waste are simple – dumped electronics contain
gold, palladium, copper, all precious metals
which can be recovered for use. However, the
process of proper recovery is hi-tech, complicated
and requires vast amounts of investment.
Globally, e-waste is illegally traded. Waste from
the US finds its way to Nigeria and South Africa.
Waste is ‘re-routed’ through the Middle East and
dumped in India. Waste from Japan finds its way
into China through Hong Kong. Everywhere, poor
communities rummage through it and are
exposed to its hazards. Recognising this danger,
over 70 countries including China, Malaysia and
Indonesia have banned the import of e-waste.
However, India has not taken any action and, in
fact, recently allowed such imports.
The logic of such waste trade is simple. Waste
follows the path of least economic resistance.
Cheap labour and lax environment regulations
encourage dumping since it is lucrative for the
exporter and importer at the cost of worker health
and the environment. This was the rationale
behind the United Nation’s Basel Convention,
which is a legally binding international treaty to
regulate the transboundary movement of hazardous
wastes globally. India ratified the treaty in
1995, but it has a poor record of implementation.
NGOs tracking such imports found that e-waste
comes into India mislabeled as ‘mixed metal scrap.’
The shipping papers make it look as if the waste is
coming from the Middle East and not Europe or the
US. In 2005, the UK government acknowledged the
illegal movement of over 23,000 tonnes of e- waste
from its shores. Subsequently, this year, it acknowledged
illegal shipments to Ghana. Much of the
waste is from the US since it is not a party to the
Basel Convention. In 2003, huge quantities of ewaste
were found dumped in coastal villages in
China, where it wreaked havoc.
Another route taken is through the
trade of ‘second hand goods.’
The e-waste trade also brings in
issues of data privacy. UK consumers
who junked their old computers
were shocked to find personal details
like their bank accounts and e-mails
appearing from recycling shops in
Nigeria through their hard disks.
Proper disposal is in the interests of
the consumer.
Unfortunately, the Indian
Government has been slow to react.
It did publish voluntary guidelines
on e-waste in 2007. But, being voluntary
in nature, the guidelines did not
lead to much implementation. One
of the key challenges in e- waste is
its collection. Proper collection can
help divert waste to those facilities
which are geared to deal with it.
Since such waste is generated from
households and businesses, across
cities and towns, it needs an extensive
collection mechanism.
One feasible way is through the
implementation of a two-step system.
First, collected waste can be
taken to a dismantling centre where
it is disassembled manually. This is essentially a
labour intensive operation which is followed even
in countries like Switzerland. It helps create segregated
waste streams like plastics, metals, tubes etc
which are diverted to specialised processors. Such a
regulated ‘channel’ however needs regulation and
the help of industry through an extended producer
responsibility (EPR) regime. It can protect existing
livelihoods, shifting them to less hazardous operations,
and also create jobs.
Currently, a jointly prepared draft legislation
which contains the elements of EPR and livelihood
protection has been drawn up by NGOs and
Industry Associations like MAIT, ELCINA, etc. The
draft has been presented for consideration to the
Indian Government. It is pertinent to mention
that most developed countries and some developing
countries including China have legislated ewaste.
It is the need of the hour in India.
Several recyclers have set up operations in
India. These are mostly in the early stages of
investments, though many have started trading in
e-waste, often collecting and exporting to their
counterparts overseas. Others have tried to organise
recovery operations, though they do not meet
the required standards as yet. Through these interests
there is a growing demand to allow imports of
e- waste, rather than set up collection systems
here. In fact, in July, one recycler was granted permission
to import 8000 tonnes of e- waste annually
from the US and UK, even though it is illegal for India, as a signatory to the Basel Convention, to
trade with the US in hazardous waste.
Ultimately, however, electronic products have to
be made less hazardous. Many of the toxic materials
being used in electronics are replaceable with
safer alternatives. In the European Union, since
2006, a law called the RoHS (Removal of Hazardous
Substances Act) mandates this for six substances
and the list is set to grow. China and Japan too have
similar laws. With most component level electronics
being mass manufactured in China, and southeast
Asia and mainly assembled elsewhere in the
world, such a law is also slowly making materials in
global markets less toxic. Large brands like Dell and
HP are already shifting to cleaner materials.
Likewise, some companies like Nokia have started
intensive consumer level collection systems in
India. However, most of this waste is exported overseas
and till now there is little industry investment
towards creating acceptable recycling infrastructure
in India. There has been more talk than action!
Alongside, consumer awareness in India is low.
Consumer pressure for green products is driving
manufacturers and green product design worldwide.
No longer are people satisfied to see only the
‘recycle’ symbol on their devices. They are also getting
concerned about how and where these are
recycled.
Ravi Agarwal is Director, Toxics Link, New Delhi
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November 2009 Edition |
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