E waste

 E-waste 

The ever increasing and rapidly growing volume of waste electrical and electronic 

equipment’s has become a serious threat to the environment in many countries like 

china India and others so a proper procedure is required to be followed up to save 

the environment and the  life on Earth  from its dreadful effects. The ewaste 

generally unrecognized and undefined and people are unaware of the harmful effect 

generated through electronic waste. All the electronics that you use at home in 

general life enters into a category of electronic wastes after a certain period. 

Whether it is your television, computer, cell phones, laptops or any other equipment's 

,all of them will have to enter into the e waste category. So it becomes free from its 

hazardous effects. Weather it is computers , laptops smallest devices like cell 

phones or tabs that you use in your daily life, every electronic item has its life span. 

Moreover, almost every day the new advanced and hi-tech devices replace the old 

electronic. So as a result millions of tonnes of electronic waste is generated, which 

is harming the environment and the life existing on this earth.

List of Common E-waste Items:

Home Appliances

• Microwaves

• Home Entertainment Devices

• Electric cookers

• Heaters

• Fans

Communications and Information Technology Devices

• Cell phones

• Smartphones

• Desktop Computers

• Computer Monitors

• Laptops

• Circuit boards

• Hard Drives

Home Entertainment Devices

• DVDs

• Blu Ray Players

Stereos

• Televisions

• Video Game Systems

• Fax machines

• Copiers

• Printers

Electronic Utilities

• Massage Chairs

• Heating Pads

• Remote Controls

• Television Remotes

• Electrical Cords

• Lamps

• Smart Lights

• Night Lights

• Treadmills

• FitBits

• Smart Watches

• Heart Monitors

• Diabetic Testing Equipment .

However most electronics contain some form of toxic materials, including 

beryllium, cadmium, mercury, and lead, which pose serious 

environmental risks to our soil, water, air, and wildlife. When E-waste 

gets buried at a landfill, it can dissolve in microscopic traces into the 

gross sludge that permeates at the landfill. Eventually, these traces of 

toxic materials pool into the ground below the landfill. This is known as 

leaching. the more E-waste and metals at the landfill, the more of these 

trace toxic materials show up in the groundwater. In era of technological 

advancements more and electronic goods are invented and 

manufactured , According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 

health risks may result from direct contact with toxic materials that leach 

from e-waste. These include minerals such as lead, cadmium, 

chromium, brominated flame retardants, or polychlorinated biphenyls

(PCBs). Danger can come from inhalation of the toxic fumes, as well as 

from the accumulation of chemicals in soil, water, and food.

This puts not just people in danger but land and sea animals as well. In 

developing countries, the risks are exceptionally high because some 

developed countries send their e-waste there. Studies have shown this 

global e-waste has detrimental effects on the people that work with the e-

waste but also the people that live around it.Because of this, a proper 

recycling process needs to be put in place to protect us and future 

generation’s. 

When we talk about India, India is generating e-waste more than 8,00,000

tonnes annually. The 70% of e-waste is being generated by 10 states in the 

country. The obsolete, short lived, end of life EEEs (Electrical and 

electronic equipments ) all together made e-waste a fast growing waste in 

the country. In India, it industry has promoted both software and hardware 

segment and become leader in the world. The growth rate of IT 

(Information Technology) industry was 42.4% between 1995 to 2000. The 

use and dynamism agencies manifolds, resulted a huge infrastructure 

expansion in the country. The new technologies needs new compatible 

infrastructure replacing the old one in a very short duration of time. In view 

of that EEEs in installation have increased manifolds in the country and a 

huge quantity of e-waste has been generated due to obsolescence. The 

computers, television, servers, music systems, mobile phones, 

refrigerators, air conditioners, medical equipments and their respective 

assemblies and illegal outsourcing are the major contributions of e-waste in 

the country. There may be more obvious reasons behind their generation in 

huge quantity. The flow of e-waste is very rapid causing threats to the 

human health, environment due to its toxic and hazardous attributes it is all 

due to presence of toxic and hazardous substances like mercury, lead 

,calcium, chromium etc. In the components of these e-wasted EEEs when 

not handled in controlled while storage. Transportation, recycling, recovery 

process Maharashtra among many states and Mumbai among many 

metropolitan cities are leading in the e-waste generation in the country. In 

this states the various sectors like manufacturing industries, commercial 

institutions, household, research and development are the major 

contributors for e-waste generation. No doubt the e-waste collectors from 

all the sources are the secondary source to e-waste and act as major 

stakeholders and contribute in a big way as the e collection is made from 

door to door by the stakeholders in the society. The recycling and recovery 

of components and materials out of e-waste is a pressing need of today as 

it provides a good support for the components refurbishment and simple 

quantity of secondary recycling metals and other material for the 

manufacturing of new equipments both formal or informal stakeholders are 

participating in the e-waste treatment in the country presently the informal 

are dominating over formal and treating 90 to 95% of the total e-wastegenerated by environment friendly manner in the country. The informal 

recyclers are not serious about the guidelines issued by CPCB (central 

pollution control board) and using hazardous method of e-waste disposal 

like Open burning for the recovery of targeted metals like copper, 

alluminum, steel from equipment peripheral and acid leaching for the 

recovery of the copper and precious metals from PCB (Printed circuit 

boards) and mother board and leave all hazardous metals like PB, Hg, Cd 

etc. At the treating sites in open causing an explosion of pollutants in the 

environment. Apart from this material 36 chemicals are also being used in

the manufacturing of these e-wasted equipment. However CPCB has 

registered 23 for recyclers for treating e-waste by environmental sound 

method. Also, the CPCB has encouraged informal recyclers to be a part of 

recycling which can be carried out with compliance under single umbrella 

guidelines issued in 2008. Presently there is no separate law for e-waste.