'Less than 5 per cent of e-waste recycled'

Less than 5 per cent of India’s total electronic waste (e-waste) gets recycled due to absence of proper infrastructure, legislation and framework, industry body Assocham said.

In its analysis on the World Environment Day, it said India, growing at a compounded annual growth rate of about 20 per cent, annually generates over 440,000 tonnes of e-waste. Almost half of all unused and end-of-life electronic products lie idle in landfills, junkyards and warehouses, it said. Computer equipment accounts for almost 68 per cent of e-waste material followed by telecommunication equipment (12 per cent), electrical equipment (eight) and medical equipment (seven). Other equipment, including household e-crap account for the remaining 5 per cent, it said. “Over 90 per cent of e-waste generated in India is managed by the unorganised sector and scrap dealers in this market dismantle the disposed products instead of recycling it,” Assocham General Secretary D S Rawat said, while releasing the findings of the chamber’s analysis.

 

However most of these products can be recycled, refurbished and redeployed going down the value chain and reused by a bit of reconstruction process, reducing overall impact on the environment, he said. Though the organised sector accounts for less than 10 per cent of the recycling business, there is a scope for growth as recyclers and suppliers are engaging with IT giants and other enterprises to dispose e-devices efficiently, he said. It suggested used computers and discarded consumer durables be collected and donated to schools and orphanages run by non-profit organisations and other agencies involved in social cause through refurbishment.

“Besides, E-recyclers must use the platform of industry bodies to avoid bottlenecks in building an effective reve-rse supply chain for e-waste and together support the government to promote advanced e-waste collection methods and create awareness amid consumers vis-à-vis environmental impact of e-waste,” he said.