Analytical study into the issue of E- Waste: An Article

        Edited by : Rajlakshmi Dutta

                           Ashay Anand       

The E- Waste scrap market of Seelampur

                        

                                                    INTRODUCTION

 “Electronic waste” has become one of the major environmental concerns in today’s Delhi. The issue came to light only after widespread coverage by prominent newspaper dailies and magazines in the early part of 2011. According to Tehelka Magazine (Vol. 8, Issue 2, Dated January 15, 2011) “Seelampur”, a small settlement approximately 15km from the centre of Delhi is reputedly the largest electronics- dismantling-recycling-selling market in the country. Residents work every day to extract gold and copper from circuit boards. Some extract metals independently, some work with big traders — most earn about Rs. 200 per day.[1] "Electronic waste" may be defined as discarded computers, office electronic equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators. This definition includes used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling, or disposal. The discarded and end-of-life electronic consumer products ranging from computers, equipment used in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), home appliances, audio and video products and all of their peripherals are popularly known as Electronic-Waste popularly abbreviated as E-waste. There, is however, no standard definition of e-waste in any part of the world leaving it to be interpreted differently in different countries. Also there is a lack of consensus as to whether the term should apply to resale, reuse, and refurbishing industries, or only to product that cannot be used for its intended purpose.

Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) is defined in the ‘Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of E-waste’ published by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India. As per this definition, “E-waste comprises of wastes generated from used electrical, electronic devices and household appliances which are not fit for their original intended use and are destined for recovery, recycling and/or disposal”. Such wastes encompass wide range of electrical and electronic devices such as computers, handheld devices, domestic electronic equipment including refrigerators, air conditioners etc. E-waste also includes rejects from electronic manufacturing units. According to WEEE Directive (EU, 2002a) of the European Union, “Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment” (WEEE) is defined as waste material consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliances. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes discarded Cathode Ray Tube monitors in its category of "hazardous household waste" but considers CRTs that have been set aside for testing to be commodities if they are not discarded, speculatively accumulated, or left unprotected from weather and other damage.                                                                                                                               

 Since the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) entered the spotlight around 2000, as a potential policy alternative for waste management, legislation on e-waste management has been promoted at and international level. Similar policy tendencies can be found in Asian countries. The countries leading the change are Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. They have been tacking the problem of e-waste since around 2000. Moreover, in recent years several developing Asian countries including China have been readying themselves for implementing new regulations on e-waste management.

The e-waste inventory in India for the year 2005 showed approximately 1,46,180 tonnes and is expected to exceed 8,00,000 tonnes by 2012 as projected in the ”Guideline for Environmentally Sound Management of E-waste” published by the Government of India, MoEF and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in March 2008. Delhi being the capital of India faces a major wrath of electronic waste. Many of it's slums near Seelampur, Shastri Nagar etc. are becoming dumping ground for electronic waste. Many Indian cities as well as foreign nations are using these slums as their favourite dumping ground. The problem tends to escalate even more in the future. An assessment made in Chennai city in 2004-05, on the e-waste generated from personal computers, televisions and mobile phones revealed that about 26,183 tons e-waste was generated in the year which was estimated to increase to 1,32,778 tonnes by 2013-14*.1

Children playing near piles of e- waste in Seelampur, New Delhi

E-WASTE MANAGEMENT SITUATIONS IN DEVELOPING ASIAN COUNTRIES – A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

  As a general proposition, it is reasonably uncertain if regulations adopted by developing countries will bring about similar outcomes in developing countries. This can be understood intuitively considering different legislative backgrounds of different countries and is also applicable to e-waste management. The first consideration is the low cost of labour, which is the characteristic common feature of the current situation regarding e-waste management within developing Asian countries. Secondly, because the diffusion rate of home appliances is comparatively low demand for second hand goods is fairly high. Lastly, commercial recycling countries play a more significant role in e-waste recycling than in developed countries.

Among Asian developing countries, China and Thailand are ready to implement new regulations that include EPR perspectives. In respect drafts of these two countries e-waste management policies, two common characteristic aspects are confirmed. One is that economic responsibility for e-waste management is imposed on manufacturers, reflecting that manufacturers should bear the costs of recycling e-waste. However, physical responsibility for e-waste recycling is not clearly stipulated in either draft. The other is that manufacturers pay third parties to undertake the e-waste recycling.

E-WASTE MANAGEMENT IN JAPAN

Japan deals with e-waste in two ways. One is the Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources (LPUR), which focuses on enhancing measures for recycling goods and reducing waste generation. The other is the Law for Recycling of Specific Kinds of Home Appliances (LHRA), which imposes certain responsibilities related to the recycling of used home appliances on manufacturers and consumers. LPUR covers personal computers and small sized secondary batteries designated as recyclable products, while LHRA deals with four classes of items: television sets, refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners.

Treatment and policy challenges

Under the LHRA, the manufacturers are required to construct a recycled infrastructure for used home appliances. Japan came to have two types of recycling techniques, Group A and Group B, which is because of the promotion of competition between manufacturers and the need to avoid violating anti-trust legislation. Group A and Group B provide 190 collection sites. Group A attempted to keep the recycling costs down through maximum utilization of existing waste management companies which can be classified into three main types: industrial waste treatment companies, existing local scrappers, and companies belonging to a marisoru network. In contrast, Group B built 16 recycling plants and attempted to reduce total costs by adopting an efficient logistics system. Although the initial investments were higher, Group B is able to make adjustments to match operating conditions at recycling plants. Unlike Group A, Group B generally uses transport company warehouses as collection sites.

E WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CHINA

  Issued at a meeting of Basel Convention and other world chemical authorities prior to UNEP’s Governing Council meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the report, “Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources,” used data from 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation – which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions. In China, the report predicts that by 2020 e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 200 to 400 percent from 2007 levels. By that same year in China, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 7 times higher than 2007 levels and, in India, 18 times higher. China already produces about 2.3 million tonnes (2010 estimate) domestically, second only to the United States with about 3 million tonnes. And, despite having banned e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries. It was found that the material and the financial flows of e-waste in China had their own specific characteristics. Nearly 60% of the generated e-wastes were sold to private individual collectors and passed into informal recycling processes. More than 90% of Chinese citizens are reluctant to pay for the recycling of their e-waste. This is due to their traditional understanding that there remained value in these end-of-life products. Regulations concerning e-waste in China have been drafted but their deficiencies are obvious. The extended producer responsibilities (EPR) have been introduced but are not well defined. Eight formal facilities have been planned and are under construction or are in operation along the eastern coast of China but it will be difficult for them to compete with the informal processes.

E-waste recycling and disposal processes

The e-waste recycling and disposal in China is typically disorganized at present and the legislation to regulate e-waste recycling has not yet been finalized. Private individual collectors formed the main channel for e-waste collection. However, it must be noted that there are also semi-organized collection networks which exist even though they do not exclusively collect e-waste. About 60% of the total discarded e-waste is collected by individual peddlers (Beijing Morning News 2005). In contrast to industrialized economies, the consumers are paid by collectors for old, used and non-working appliances in China. The two major ways of recycling in China are:

·        Informal e-waste recycling processes

Currently the majority of e-waste in China is processed in backyards or small workshops using primary methods such as manual disassembly and open burning. The appliances are stripped of their most valuable and easily extracted components/materials such as printed wiring boards (PWB), cathode ray tubes (CRTs), cables, plastics, metals, condensers and the worthless materials such as batteries; liquid crystal displays (LCDs) or wood. These fractions are processed to directly reusable components and secondary raw materials in a variety of refining and conditioning processes. The remaining parts are dumped or stockpiled directly. The most prominent regions with small-scale, unlicensed processes are located in the southern Guangdong province and in Zhejiang province in eastern China.

·        Facilities with large-scale and advanced technical processes

 As the business prospects for e-waste recycling in China are good, several large-scale facilities with formal and advanced technical processes have been built or are being planned and constructed. All these facilities are spread along the eastern coast of China where there is relatively developed economy. Two of the facilities have started operating but at present the raw materials for recycling are mainly by-products from the manufacture of electronic products as very few end-of-life electronic appliances are collected and transported to them. Their profits are poor because of an insufficient supply of materials for processing. A manager from Nanjing Jinze Corporation explained that it was very difficult for them to compete with the informal workshops because of the high cost of pollution control (Environmental Times 2004).

Analysis

From the above, it is evident that, in Japan, the LRHA provides a legal framework for assigning responsibilities to manufacturers, retailers and consumers, with manufacturers having the responsibility of physically collecting and recycling used home appliances disposed of by consumers. However, the LRHA does not regulate the activities performed by second hand dealers and recycling plants.

In China, the informal e-waste recycling processes must be prohibited by legislation and replaced by large-scale facilities as soon as possible. It will be difficult to establish an e-waste management system based on the EPR principle due to difficulties in drafting the regulations. Some research must be done in order to estimate and more precisely predict the amount of e-waste that is likely to be generated and then to quantify the cost and environmental impacts of the whole recycling system. It is essential that the EPR is defined well enough to establish an effective management framework in China.

 Broken down by e-waste type, the report estimates e-waste generation today as follows:

China:	500,000 tonnes from refrigerators, 1.3 million tonnes from TVs, 300,000 tonnes from personal computers
India:	over 100,000 tonnes from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones
Colombia:	about 9,000 tonnes from refrigerators, over 18,000 tonnes from TVs, 6,500 tonnes from personal computers, 1,300 tonnes from printers, 1,200 tonnes from mobile phones
Kenya:	about 9,000 tonnes from refrigerators, over 18,000 tonnes from TVs, 6,500 tonnes from personal computers, 1,300 tonnes from printers, 1,200 tonnes from mobile phones

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF E-WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN LEADING NATIONS OF THE WORLD

BRAZIL

  Brazil is the fifth biggest electronics and IT market globally. A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report highlighted Brazil as “generating more e-waste per capita from personal computers than the other (11) countries surveyed”. E-waste is an economic opportunity for Brazil to take a leadership role in recycling and re-using electronic items, reclaiming valuable materials, and dealing effectively and safely with non recyclable substances and parts. On one hand, Brazilian economic growth leads to strong sales, but on the other, estimates on electronic waste (e‑waste) disposal point to a decrease in the useful life of these products, due to fast technological evolution and consumerism.   Isolated initiatives seek to minimise the problem of e‑waste. One of the solutions has emerged from the Electronic Computing Center at the University of São Paulo (CCE-USP). In December 2009, an e‑waste recovery and processing centre (CEDIR) was opened at the university, following the adaptation of a 400-square-metre warehouse with areas for loading and unloading and a depot for categorising, screening and dismantling. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sustainability Lab is one of USP’s partners in this project. Besides collecting e‑waste, the initiative has resulted in the acquisition of eco-friendly computers manufactured without lead or other heavy metals, and the creation of a green seal of approval, with its own certification, identifying equipment using eco-friendly materials and manufactured in environmentally safe conditions.                                                                                                                 Mato Grosso, a state in Brazil, became the first Latin American state to pass a WEEE (WASTE ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC BILL) in 2008 which passes a specific law to prevent e Waste. The new law creates a take-back regime and makes manufacturers and importers of WEEE responsible for setting up in the state systems for the recycling, reuse, treatment and/or final disposition of their end-of-life (EOL) products. 

Recycling and social inclusion

  Legislation of Brazil, establishes that the national and state governments can grant incentives to the recycling industry. Cities will only receive money from the federal government for projects in public cleaning and handling of solid waste after they approve their management plans. Cooperatives dealing with recycled material were included in the shared responsibility, and will also be eligible for government incentives. The federal government has been running an initiative for recycling e‑waste since 2004. The Computers for Inclusion Project (Projeto CI) consists of a national network for recycling IT equipment, training and digital inclusion. Equipment discarded by government institutions, companies and households is recovered in collection centres, refurbished, and later donated to telecentres, schools and libraries throughout the country. The project is coordinated by the Logistics and Information Technology Secretariat of the Ministry of Planning, which establishes local partnerships for the maintenance and recovery of the equipment. Centres have already been set up in the cities of Porto Alegre, Guarulhos, Belo Horizonte, Gama and Recife.

Environmental project for the electrical and electronics sector 

 The Renato Archer Information Technology Centre, which is connected to the Science and Technology Ministry, is now working on a new environmental project for the electrical and electronics sector. The project, called Ambientronic, is expected to work on four fronts: supporting manufacturers in adapting products, promoting ecodesign, analysing the life cycle of technology, and stimulating the recycling industry’s ability to adapt to international practices. It is the responsibility of society as a whole to deal with e‑waste. It may be important to mobilise public opinion in order to ensure that the new legislation on solid waste is regulated, and that proper inspection of e‑waste recycling plants is conducted.

USA

"The fruits of our high-tech revolution are pure poison if these products are improperly disposed of at the end of their useful life," said Ted Smith, founder of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that as much as three-quarters of the computers sold in the United States are stockpiled in garages and closets. When thrown away, they end up in landfills or incinerators or, more recently, are exported to Asia.                                                                                                      In the 1990s, governments in the EU, Japan and some U.S. states set up e-waste "recycling" systems. But many countries did not have the capacity to deal with the sheer quantity of e-waste they generated or with its hazardous nature. Therefore, they began exporting the problem to developing countries where laws to protect workers and the environment are inadequate or not enforced. It is also cheaper to "recycle" waste in developing countries; the cost of glass-to-glass recycling of computer monitors in the United States is 10times more than in China. Demand in Asia for electronic waste began to grow when scrap yards found they could extract valuable substances such as copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold, during the recycling process.  In western developed countries, especially USA, due to the strict supervision of safety regulations, the cost of processing electronic waste is very high. Therefore, many countries export e-waste to developing countries like China. In the United States, it is estimated that 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling is being exported in this way. This practice is legal because the United States has not ratified the Basel Convention.

According to the EPA, more than 4.6 million tons of e-waste ended up in U.S. landfills in 2000. Toxic chemicals in electronics products can leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, impacting nearby communities and the environment. In many European countries, regulations have been introduced to prevent electronic waste being dumped in landfills due to its hazardous content. Another way in which the e waste is generally treated is in the form of incineration. This releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the air and ashes.  Mercury released into the atmosphere can bioaccumulate in the food chain, particularly in fish - the major route of exposure for the general public.

GERMANY

The German government aims to achieve almost complete high-quality recovery, at least of municipal waste, by 2020. This will eliminate the need to landfill wastes, which has adverse effects on the climate. Resource and climate protection will be incorporated into waste management to a greater extent at European and international level over the next years, for example by minimising methane andCO2 emissions or substituting fossil fuels. The German government wants to develop waste and closed cycle management into a sustainable resource-efficient materials flow management over the next years. By strictly separating wastes, through pre-treatment, recycling and the recovery of energy, Germany aims to make full use of substances and materials bound in wastes and therefore make land filling of wastes superfluous. Significant ecological progress was made with the entry into force of the ban on land filling untreated household wastes or general waste from industry on 1 June 2005.

Product responsibility  

 Product responsibility is at the heart of waste management policy in Germany. It puts the idea into practice that waste avoidance is best achieved by holding the generator of waste responsible. This way, producers and distributors must design their products in such a way as to reduce waste occurrence and allow environmentally sound recovery and disposal of the residual substances, both in the production of  

Using innovative waste concepts for responsible resource management and climate protection  

 Sustainable waste management that includes modern and efficient treatment technologies for waste helps to protect both resources and climate. The German government therefore advocates the further development of waste management at European and international level. Germany often takes on a pioneering role in shaping EU waste law.

Strengthening supervision under waste management law

 The German government advocates an efficient and economical supervision of waste. The act for simplification of supervision under laws pertaining to waste management, which entered into force on 1 February 2007, was an important step to ease the bureaucratic burden on waste management administration and industry and to strengthen the efficiency of supervision under waste management law. The German government champions a clear European regulation under which exporters must prove that the appliances to be exported still function and are not waste. Exporters will be charged for the costs of monitoring.

 The German e-waste management system exceeds the minimum collection, recovery and recycling targets stipulated in the (WEEE Directive 2003). The treatment operators are audited and certified annually by third party auditors in order to ensure they have adequate technology, know how and organization for a state-of-the-art treatment of e-waste.

The European WEEE Directive and the German “ElektroG”

 Reacting on the growing amounts of e-waste from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), and the increasing integration of the European market, the European WEEE Directive was enacted in 2003. The WEEE Directive and its implementation into German national legislation, the “ElektroG” in 2005 marked an important further milestone for the management of e-waste in Germany.

                E-WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN INDIA

Legislative Measures 

Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India is the nodal agency for policy, planning, promoting and coordinating the environmental programme including electronics waste. The management of e-waste was covered under the Environment and Forests Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2008. An exclusive notification on E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2010 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 has been notified (S.O. 1035) on 12thMay 2011 to address the safe and environment friendly handing, transporting, storing, recycling of e-waste and also to reduce the use of hazardous substances during manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment. These rules will come into effect on 1st May 2012. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) India had released guidelines during 2008 for environmentally sound management of e-waste, which should apply to all those who handle the e-waste. The salient features of the Rules are discussed as below.

Chapters and schedules	Titles	Issues addressed
CHAPTER I: Preliminary	1.      Short title and commencement 2.      Application 3.      Definitions	Chapter discusses the title and commencement of the laws, applicable stakeholders and related definitions ofthe terminology
CHAPTER II:Responsibilities	4.  Responsibilities of the producer 5.  Responsibilities of collection centers 6.  Responsibilities of consumer or bulk  consumer  7. Responsibilities of dismantler 8. Responsibilities of recycler	Responsibilities  and  the dos and don’ts of the stakeholders are discussed in this chapter
CHAPTER III: Procedure forseeking authorization for handling e-wastes	9. Procedure for grant of authorization 10.Power to suspend or cancel an authorization 11. Procedure for grant of registration	Chapter discusses the procedure and formalities for  potential  e-wasteshandlers to obtain authorization. Procedure for grant of registration at State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)is also discussed.
CHAPTER IV: Procedure for storage of e-waste	12.Procedure for storage of e-waste	Maximum permissible storage period of e-waste with any consumer is 180 days. SPCB may extend the period, if no authorised recyclers are found inthat state.
CHAPTER V: Reduction in the use of hazardous substances in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment.	13. Reduction in the use ofhazardous materials (HS) in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment.	Chapter advises the manufactures to reduce the HS in the electrical & electronic products. Maximum permissible limit of lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium and polybrominated biphenyls andpolybrominateddiphenyl ethers is discussed.
CHAPTER VI: Miscellaneous	14.Duties of Authorities 15.Annual Report 16.Transportation of e-waste 17.Accident reporting and follow-up 18. Collection, storage,transportation, segregation, refurbishment, dismantling recycling and disposal of e-waste shall be in accordance with theprocedures.	Miscellaneous chapter discusses the duties of the authority, & norms of collection, storage, transportation, refurbishment, dismantling recycling and disposal of e-waste, duties of the authorities, etc. and reporting of e-waste
SCHEDULE-I: Categories of e-waste covered underthe rules	Electrical and electronic equipment is categorised as: Consumer electrical and electronics products are categorised as:	Centralized Data Processing, Mainframes, Minicomputers, Personal Computers, Laptop, Notebook, Notepad, Printers Including Cartridges, Copying Equipment, Electrical And Electronic Typewriters, User Terminals And Systems, Facsimile, Telex, Telephones, Pay Telephones, Cordless-Phones, Cellphones, & Answering Systems. Television sets, Liquid Crystal display, Light emitting diode display, Refrigerator, Washing machine, and Air-conditioners.
SCHEDULE-II: Application which are excepted from the requirement of  Sub-rule(1) of Rule 13	Applicable to categories of electrical and electronic equipment as listed at Schedule-I	List of exempted applications of  lead, mercury, cadmium invarious processes with their admissible limit.

State and City wise Electronics Waste generation in India

In India, among top ten cities, Mumbai ranks first in generating e-waste followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur. The 65 cities generate more than 60% of the total generated e-waste, whereas, 10 states generate 70% of the total e-waste.

E-waste Recycling Practices in India

 Non-formal Sector

Ninety-five percentage of the e-waste in India is being recycled in non-formal sector and five percentage of the e-waste volume are handled in formal unit. In and around of metropolitan cities in India, there are over 3000 units engaged in non-formal sector for e-waste recycling. Non-formal units of e-waste recyclers are distributed all over India.  A large cluster of industries are in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, U.P., Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, etc. Non-formal units generally follow the steps such as collection of the e-waste from the rag pickers, disassembly of the products for their useable parts, components, modules, which are having resell value. The rest of the material is chemically treated to recover precious metals. Due to inadequate means, it may cause leaching of hazardous substances to the air, soil, and water.  This recycling method has low efficiency and recovery is carried out only for valuable metals like gold, silver, aluminium, copper, etc. Other materials such as tantalum, cadmium, zinc, palladium etc. could not be recovered.

 Formal Sector

  Few formal recyclers are operating in India. The processes followed in formal sector are mainly limited to the segregation, dismantling of e-waste till the size reduction stage of printed circuit boards (PCBs). A shredder is employed for PCBs size reduction. The pre-processed PCB is exported to smelting refineries in developed countries for further recovery of precious metals like copper, silver, gold, aluminium, palladium, tantalum, ruthenium, platinum etc. and also treating the slag by-product in an eco-friendly manner.  The end-to-end solution of e-waste recycling is still not available in India The recycling/ recovery of valuables substances by units in formal sector is carried out in protected environment and with due care to minimize any damage to the environment or society. The use of advanced processes and technologies leads to efficient recovery of metals. Recovery technology by units in formal sector will be economically viable as the high cost of capital equipments and needed techniques could be shared by the volume of products. Efficiency of recovery in the formal recycling is high and metals at the trace level can also be recovered. Some technology works with zero-landfill approach.                                              

 Most of the e-waste in India is channelized to non-formal sector, whereas, the formal sector is facing problem of not having sufficient input materials. In order to address the issue, MoEF had introduced adequate clauses in the Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling &Transboundary) Rules, 2008. The MoEF had advised all the Government Departments/ Offices that e-waste generated in various offices is essentially to dispose of in an environmentally sound manner in accordance with this Rule. The occupier has now responsible for safe and environmentally sound handling of such wastes generated in their establishments. It was further advised that the units handling and engaged in activity like collection, segregation, dismantling and recycling of e-wastes are required to register with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Following is the list of authorized dismantlers/ recyclers, registered with CPCB. 

 India, being at the brink of being called “superpower” cannot afford to have an “electronic trash market” which would severely impede its progress in the long run. Development of I.T. sector over the years by several leaps & bounds has proven that India has a tremendous potential to make development in the formations and management of computer peripherals, and software technology in a cost effective manner. There is perhaps a need for 2^nd I.T. revolution in the country so as to develop technologies which would engulf the problem of disposal of e-waste in a similar way. A comprehensive policy regarding the management of e-waste must be formed by the process of legislation. Precedent can be taken from Europe which has up to a major extent been able to counter the problem. Likewise amendments are required in the National Health Policy as well so as to spread awareness amongst the masses.

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[1] Tehelka Magazine; “Where Computers go to die”; Vol.8, Issue 2, January 15,2011