An Analysis upon Recycling and Disposal Scenario of Electronic Waste: A Case Study of Indian Context: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Electronic Waste Management in India

Abstract

However, India is rich in ores and mineral, but E-waste recycling is necessary due to the report of national and international studies, which cautioned on the generation, treatment and accumulation of e-waste in India. Current data indicate that the total domestic e-waste generation including imports is around 382979 MT, however waste available for recycling and actually recycled are 144143 MT and 19000 MT, respectively. In which recycling by non-formal and formal sector are 95% and 5%, respectively. On the other hand, India has developed expertise in handling verities of metallic wastes in an organized and safe manner. The development of individual process or combined processes for handling the e-waste is underway. Eco- friendly and energy-saving processes are necessary to comply with stringent environmental regulations.The paper includes the recent trend of e-waste generation, recycling process and its future prospects particularly in India. Informal recycling is a new and expanding low cost recycling practice in managing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE or e-waste). It occurs in many developing countries, including India, where current gaps in environmental management, high demand for second-hand electronic appliances and the norm of selling e-waste to individual collectors encourage the growth of a strong informal recycling sector.New formal e-waste recycling systems should take existing informal sectors into account, and more policies need to be made to improve recycling rates, working conditions and the efficiency of involved informal players. A key issue for India’s e-waste management is how to set up incentives for informal recyclers so as to reduce improper recycling activities and to divert more e-waste flow into the formal recycling sector.E-waste contains precious and special metals, including gold, silver, palladium and platinum, as well as potentially toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium. Therefore, responsible end-of-life management of e-waste is imperative in order to recover valuable components and properly manage hazardous and toxic components. End-of-life management of e-waste includes reuse of functional electronics, refurbishment and repair of electronics, recovery of electronic components, recycling e-waste, and disposal. Reuse, refurbishment or repair of electronic products is most desirable since this option increases the life span of the electronic product and higher resource efficiency. Recycling of electronics allows for precious and special metals to be recovered, reduces the environmental impact associated with electronic manufacturing from raw materials, and ensures that hazardous and toxic substances are handled properly.