A growing menace

E-waste disposal norms should not be relaxed

With just a fraction of the estimated two million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste), such as discarded computers, phones and batteries,  generated annually being disposed of safely, this hazardous refuse is getting accumulated in the country at an alarming pace, causing grave concern for public health and environment. Most of the discarded and age-expired electronic and electrical gadgets either remain stacked in the offices and homes or are sold to junk dealers to be ultimately recycled in the unorganised sector in a crude and clumsy manner, which causes more harm than the unprocessed items. More worryingly, a sizeable part of the e-waste is mixed with garbage and finds its way to landfill sites where it emits harmful radiation, degrades the soil, and releases toxins to pollute air and ground water. About 40 per cent of lead and 70 per cent of other heavy metals found in landfills are traceable to e-waste.

Mumbai tops the list of e-waste generating cities, followed by Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. India, as a whole, is third in Asia and fifth in the world as an e-waste producer; the others being the US, China, Japan and Germany. Proper dismantling and recycling of these items is essential as they contain several hazardous substances, such as mercury and arsenic. Studies indicate that prolonged exposure to these pollutants and their toxic fallout can damage the nervous system, kidneys, and brain,  and can cause respiratory disorders, lung cancer, skin ailments and other health problems. Unsurprisingly, nearly two-thirds of the workers in the unorganised e-waste recycling sector suffer from breathing difficulties, coughing, irritation, and other maladies. 

Nothing much is, indeed, amiss in the country’s e-waste disposal policy. The e-waste management rules, laid down by the environment ministry in 2011, and amended in 2016, revolve round the judicious concept of “extended producer responsibility” (EPR). Manufacturers are mandated to take back 30 per cent of the discarded electronic equipment for appropriate disposal in the first two years of the enforcement of these rules and raise this level to 70 per cent in the next five years. However, none of the electronic hardware-producing companies is expected to hit this goal. The industry bodies, such as the Manufacturers’ Association of Information Technology (MAIT) and the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), have already begun to lobby with the environment ministry to get the EPR norms diluted. But, regardless of the validity of their plea of facing practical difficulties in collecting the used products, their demand for relaxation of the norms seems untenable. Many of the companies have put up elaborate collection systems abroad. Why can’t they do it here as well?

India has a vibrant, even if unsophisticated, informal waste-gathering sector with millions of waste pickers going door-to-door to collect garbage. The industry can use this infrastructure gainfully to retrieve its discarded e-gadgets. Besides, the government, especially the local pollution control boards, needs to consider training the unskilled e-waste recyclers to do their job in a safe and scientific manner. A well-planned integration of the informal and organised waste-processing sectors can help reduce the menace of e-waste amassing to a perceptible extent.