UN report on electronic/electrical waste in India

• The UN has warned about the health and environmental dangers from the processing of e-waste -- the discarded electronic and electrical material -- by the informal sector in India without proper safeguards.
• This report is released by International Telecommunications Union and the UN University.

Main highlights of the report:

• Over 1 million poor people in India are involved in manual recycling operations, but "most of these people have very low literacy levels with little awareness of the dangers of the operations.
• The dangers come from improper and unsafe treatment and disposal through open burning or in dumpsites.
• Domestically India produced 1.95 million tonnes of e-waste last year -- or about 1.5 kg per person -- and it also imports it from developed countries.
• E-waste includes a whole variety of small and large appliances, and electronic equipment including cell phones, TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, computers and lamps, small appliance and large appliances, lamps.
• Last year, the world produced 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste or 6.1 kg per person, which is four times more than the e-waste produced by each Indian. Only 8.9 million tonnes -- or 20 per cent -- per cent of total global e-waste was recycled.
• The report estimated that the value of recoverable precious materials like gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium contained in last year's e-waste was $55 billion and much of it was going to waste.
• A formal e-waste recycling sector is now being developed in major Indian cities and under the country's rules producers have extended responsibility for the handling the waste that ultimately results from their products, the report said.

Analysis:

• India is the fastest-growing market in the world for smartphones with 27 million units shipped in the second quarter of 2016 alone, and though the lifespan of a mobile phone is higher in India than in the West, one can imagine the number of “obsolete” phones contributing to electronic waste (e-waste). Such phones and other electronics contributed to 1.5 million tonnes of e-waste produced in India in 2015, 90% of which was managed by the informal sector using unscientific methods that cause harm to human health and the environment.
• To streamline e-waste management, the government notified Electronic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 that became effective in May 2012. These rules are based on extended producer responsibility (EPR), a popular framework across the world for e-waste management. EPR makes manufacturers of electronic products responsible for the end-of-life management of their products. They have to set up collection centres and ensure that waste is recycled and disposed of in an environment-friendly manner. All collection centres, dismantling units and recyclers must register with state pollution control boards and comply with their norms.

By: Vishal