E-waste recycling

Abstract

The changing lifestyle and urbanization has led to increasing rate of consumption of electronic goods. The estimated life of such goods is 3-5 years and waste generated from such discarded products are e-waste. Generation of e-waste is growing exponentially in the developing countries. Increasing market penetration, large replacement market and high obsolescence rate make e-waste one of the fastest growing stream of wastes in developing countries. The developed countries on the other hand find it convenient and economical to export to India rather than taking any trouble to process the e-waste to generate any wealth from it. In India the main source of e-waste are manufacturers, government agencies, public and private companies and household etc. Such e-waste are dumped at sites and results in deposition in river beads, reservoir, landfills where toxic chemicals can reach out to water bodies contaminating the drinking water. This e-waste can affect the wild life also,. Moreover in the times to come there will be severe space problems to dump such e-waste. It is, therefore, the need of the hour to have an eco-friendly e-waste disposal where approach should be scientific supported by strong technological cost-effective process and Government regulations. The paper highlights the definition of e-waste; current system of generation, collection and disposal of e-waste; its impact on environment; e-waste recycling technologies used by formal as well as informal sectors in India vis-à-vis internationally; available regulations in India and other countries; recommended action plans to mitigate the problem.