CHALLENGES IN MANAGING E-WASTE IN INDIA

S. SIVA RAMA KRISHNAN

Asst. Professor, High-End Computing Division, School of Information Technology and Engineering, VIT University Vellore. E-mail: siva.s@vit.ac,in Ph no: +91-9944454400

ABSTRACT The developing countries are facing a huge challenge in the management of electronic waste (e-waste) which are either internally generated or imported illegally as used goods. E-waste contains hazardous constituents that negatively impact the environment and human health. In India, because of lack of adequate infrastructure to manage wastes safely, these wastes are buried, burnt in the open air or dumped into the surface water bodies. We should have in place legislation mandating electronic manufacturers and importers to take-back used electronic products at their end-of-life (EoL) based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR). This paper gives an insight into various forms and the quantum of e-waste in the Indian scenario, the source and the circulation routes, the nature and the amount of toxic and valuable constituents of e-waste, potential pollution threat to environment, recycling methods, efficient management techniques for e-waste, awareness of people and legal requirements. Keywords Extended producer responsibility (EPR); e-waste; product take-back

INTRODUCTION ectronic waste, (WEEE) is loose Esurplus, obsolete,e-scrap, ororWaste Electrical and Electronic Equipment which have abecomecategory of broken, discarded electrical or electronic devices out-of-use
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due to advancement in technology nearing the end of their useful life. This includes used electronic components and gadgets which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal. It is also disturbing to note that computer wastes containing hazardous heavy metals in large quantity are accumulating very fast.

Extended Producers Responsibilities (EPR): The most important component of any legislative exercise for establishing a WEEE management system should be a focus on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The original motivation for EPR was: first, to relieve municipalities of some of the financial burden of waste management, especially when it comes to

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complex wastes such as e-waste, and, second, to provide incentives to producers to reduce resources, use more secondary materials, and undertake product design changes to reduce waste (OECD, 2001).

E-WASTE MAIN SOURCE: 1) Imports 2) Government, public and private sector discards (over 70%) 3) PC retailers and manufactures 4) Secondary market of old PCs; and 5) Individual Households. LIST OF SUBSTANCES CONTAINED IN ELECTRONIC WASTE An average composition of e-waste is given in the TABLE I while an average material constituent of consumer electronics which forms a significant component of solid waste stream is presented in TABLE II.
TABLE I: AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF ELECTRONIC WASTE

METALS PLASTICS SCREENS METAL-PLASTIC

MIXTURE

60.2 % 15.2 % 12.0 % 5.0 % 2.7 % 2.0 % 3.1 %

POLLUTANTS CABLES PRINTED CIRCUIT

BOARDS

On an average when one tone of e-waste is shredded and undergoes other separation steps during mechanical recycling, approximately 40 kg of dust-like material is generated containing precious metals, which are otherwise toxic if they exist in nature in high concentration. Substances found in large quantities include epoxy resins, fiber glass, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and thermosetting plastics; lead, tin, copper, silicon, beryllium, carbon, iron and aluminum. Elements found in trace amounts include mercury, cadmium, americium, antimony, arsenic, barium, bismuth, boron, gold, cobalt, gallium, nickel, platinum, rhodium, silver, tantalum, titanium, vanadium and yttrium. RECOVERABLE AND RECYCLABLE METALS CONTAINED IN E-WASTE The elements present in bulk include lead, tin, copper, silicon, carbon and iron. The devices containing theses elements are:

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Lead: Solder, CRT monitors (Lead in glass), lead-acid battery. Tin: Solder Copper: copper wire, printed circuit board tracks. Aluminum: Heatsinks Iron: Steel chassis, cases and fixings Silicon: glass, transistors, ICs, printed circuit boards. Nickel and cadmium: rechargeable batteries Lithium: lithium-ion batteries Carbon: resistors The distribution of various metals present in personal computers is presented in the below table:
TABLE II: MATERIAL COMPOSITION OF PERSONAL COMPUTER

SILICA/GLASS ALUMINUM FERROUS METAL PLASTICS LEAD, COPPER, ZINC AND CADMIUM

26% 14% 20% 23% 17%

PROBLEMS AT LARGE 1) E-waste is a crisis of not quantity alone but also a crisis born from toxic ingredients, posing a threat to the occupational health as well as the environment. 2) Rapid technology change, low initial cost, high obsolescence rate have resulted in a fast growing problem in our country. 3) Legal framework, proper collection system missing. Trade in electronic waste is controlled by the Basel Convention. This is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations. It does not, however, address the movement of radioactive waste. HAZARDS TO HUMAN HEALTH Up to 38 separate chemical elements are incorporated into electronic waste items. Many of the plastics used contain flame retardants such as Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB) and Polybrominated Diphenylebethers (PBDEs). Inhaling or handing such substances and being in contact with them on a regular basis can damage the brain, nervous system, lungs, kidneys and the reproductive system. In our country, people are unaware of these and are risking their life and environment as well. Electronic Waste Hazards The cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in computer and television monitors contain lead - which is poisonous to the nervous system - as do circuit boards. Mercury - like lead - a neurotoxin, is used in flat-panel display screens. Some batteries and circuit boards contain cadmium, known to be a carcinogen. When disposed in landfills, these products have the potential to contribute significant levels of toxic
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materials to the leachate produced in landfills. These include lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, cadmium, arsenic, zinc, chromium, and selenium. PVC is a chlorinated plastic used in some electronics products and for insulation on wires and cables. Chlorinated dioxins and furans are released when PVC is produced or disposed of by incineration PVC is a chlorinated plastic used in some electronics products and for insulation on wires and cables. Chlorinated dioxins and furans are released when PVC is produced or disposed of by incineration. Hazardous Elements

Americium: smoke alarms (radioactive source). Mercury: fluorescent tubes (numerous applications), tilt switches (pinball games, mechanical doorbells, thermostats). There are no liquid mercury switches in ordinary computers, and the elimination of mercury batteries in many new-model computers is taking place. Sulphur: lead-acid batteries. PBBs: Predecessor of PCBs. Also used as flame retardant. Banned from 1973-1977 on. PCBs: prior to ban, almost all 1930s1970s equipment, including capacitors, transformers, wiring insulation, paints, inks, and flexible sealants. Banned during the 1980s. Cadmium: light-sensitive resistors, corrosion-resistant alloys for marine and aviation environments, nickel-cadmium batteries. Lead: solder, CRT monitor glass, lead-acid batteries, some formulations of PVC. A typical 15-inch cathode ray tube may contain 1.5 pounds of lead, but other CRTs have been estimated as having up to 8 pounds of lead. Beryllium oxide: filler in some thermal interface materials such as thermal grease used on heat sinks for CPUs and power transistors, magnetrons, X-ray-transparent ceramic windows, heat transfer fins in vacuum tubes, and gas lasers. Polyvinyl chloride Third most widely produced plastic, contains additional chemicals to change the chemical consistency of the product. Some of these additional chemicals called additives can leach out of vinyl products. Plasticizers that must be added to make PVC flexible have been additives of particular concern. Burning PVC in connection with humidity in the air creates Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), an acid. Table below shows the details of hazards of each element [9].

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SCENARIO IN OUR COUNTRY IT and telecom are the two fastest growing industries in the country. The statistics collected by Manufacturers Association for Information Technology (MAIT) on the growth of electronics and IT industry in INDIA are: The PC sales were over 7.3 million units during 2007-2008, growing by 16 percent. The cellular subscriber base was up by 96.86 percent during 2007-2008. Its installed base is estimated to cross 300 million mark by 2010. 1) India by 2010, should achieve a PC penetration of 300 per 1000 from the existing 250 per 1000 (in 2007-08). 2) At present, India has 35 million computers (on 2008). 75 million computers will be there by 2010. 3) The Basel Action Network (BAN) which works for prevention of globalization of toxic chemicals as stated in a report that 50 to 80 per cent of e-waste collected by the US is exported to India. 4) More than 2 million old PCs ready for disposal. 5) Life of a computer reduced from 7 to 3 years. 6) Memory devices, MP4 players, iPods etc. are the newer additions. 7) Preliminary estimates suggest that the total WEEE generation is approximately 1,76,000 tons per year. The consumers find it convenient to buy a new electronic device rather than upgrade the old one due to
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the changing configuration, technology and the attractive offers from the manufactures. Due to the lack of governmental legislation on e-waste, standards for disposal, proper mechanism for handling these toxic hitech products, mostly end up in landfills or partly recycled in an unhygienic condition or thrown into waste streams. The Indian PC industry has been growing at a 45% compounded annual growth rate, a survey made by leading Indian computer magazine Data quest. At present Bangalore alone generates more than 10,000 tones of computer waste monthly and in the absence of proper disposal, they find their way to scrap dealers. The Indian states in the order of their contribution to WEEE are as follows. [2] Maharashtra > Andhra Pradesh > Tamil Nadu > Uttar Pradesh > West Bengal > Delhi > Karnataka > Gujarat > Madhya Pradesh > Punjab. Cities in the order of their generation of WEEE are as follows. Mumbai > Delhi > Bangalore > Chennai > Kolkata > Ahmadabad > Hyderabad > Pune > Surat > Nagpur. According to the study conducted by the NGO Toxic Link [3], the Mumbai city faces grave health and environmental risk posed by a whopping 19,000 tonnes of electronic waste produced here apart from a good amount of same being imported clandestinely. The rate of generation and the current methods of disposal pose an adverse effect to the dense population and the environment [7]. Study by the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, found that people in Delhi are about twice as likely to suffer from lung ailments due to the huge amount of e-waste generated [3]. Workers in e-waste disposal sector are poorly protected as they dismantle the e-waste often by hand. About 25,000 workers are employed at scrap-yards in Delhi alone, where 10,000 to 20,000 tons of e-waste is handled every year. Thus in India, the electronic waste is generated in huge amounts and there is no proper management method to handle this e-waste and also people are unaware of the health hazards and pollution these ewaste generate. RECOVERY PROCESSES The procedure of metal extraction includes manual sorting, magnetic separation, reverse osmosis, electrolysis, condensation, electrolytic recovery, filtration and centrifugation. Electronic waste processing usually first involves dismantling the equipment into various parts (metal frames, power supplies, circuit boards, plastics), often by hand. The advantages of this process are the human's ability to recognize and save working and repairable parts, including chips, transistors, RAM, etc. In an alternative bulk system, a hopper conveys material for shredding into a sophisticated mechanical separator, with screening and granulating machines to separate constituent metal and plastic fractions, which are sold to smelters or plastics recyclers. Such recycling machinery is enclosed and employs a dust collection system. Most of the emissions are caught by scrubbers and screens. Magnets, eddy currents, and screens are employed to separate glass, plastic, and ferrous and nonferrous metals, which can then be further separated at a smelter. Leaded glass from CRTs is reused in car batteries, ammunition, and lead wheel weights, or sold to foundries as a fluxing agent in processing raw lead ore. Copper, gold, palladium, silver, and tin are valuable metals sold to smelters for recycling. Hazardous smoke and gases are captured, contained, and treated to mitigate environmental threat. These methods allow for safe reclamation of all valuable computer construction materials. The bio-hydro-metallurgical techniques provide us with a better solution i.e. to apply a bacterial leaching process (bioleaching) for the mobilization of the metals from the e-waste. Bacteria and fungi (Bacillus sp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yarrowia lipolytica) have already been used to mobilize lead, Copper and Silicon from the printed circuit broads. At electronic scrap concentration of 5-10g/l in the medium, Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were able to leach more than 90% of the available Cu, Zn, Ni and Al. Aspergillus niger and Penicillium simplicissimum were able to mobilize Cu
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and Sn by 65% and Al, Ni, Pd,Zn by more than 95% at a scrap concentration of 100 g/l in the medium. Leached and recovered metals might be reused as raw materials by the metal manufacturing industries. This method has a potential to reduce e-waste and raw material costs, and also provide income from ewaste. RECYCLING PROGRAMS The E-Management strategies that can be adopted from 4 Rs policy reduce, recover, recycle and reuse. A. Consumer recycling

Consumer recycling options include donating equipment directly to organizations in need, sending devices directly back to their original manufacturers, or getting components to a convenient recycler. B. Donation

Consumer recycling includes a variety of donation options, such as charities which may offer tax benefits. The Environmental Protection Agency maintains a list of electronic recycling and donation options for consumers. The Donate Hardware List and the National Technology Recycling Project provide resources for recycling. However, local recycling sites that do not process waste products on site, and consumers that throw electronics in the trash, still contribute to electronic waste. C. Takeback

Individuals looking for environmentally-friendly ways in which to dispose of electronics can find corporate electronic takeback and recycling programs across the country. Corporations nationwide have begun to offer low-cost to no-cost recycling, open to the public in most cases, and have opened centers nationally and in some cases internationally. Such programs frequently offer services to take back and recycle electronics, including mobile phones, laptop and desktop computers, digital cameras, and home and auto electronics. Though helpful to both the environment and its citizens, there are some downsides to such programs. Many corporations offer services for a variety of electronic items, while their recycling centers are few in number. Recycling centers and takeback programs are available in many parts of the country, but the type and amount of equipment to be recycled tends to be limited. D. Exchange

Many new for-profit electronic recycling companies purchase and recycle all brands of working and broken electronics, whether from individuals or corporations. Such companies also offer free recycling for old electronics without market value.

CONCLUSION The present study reveals that the e-waste are going to become a great challenge for environmentalists and technologists as the rate of growth is much higher than the rate it is disposed, reused or recycled. There is an urgent need for improvement in e-waste management covering technological improvement, operation plan, implementing a protective protocol for the workers working in e-waste disposal and educating public about this emerging issue posing a threat to the environment as well as public health.
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REFERENCES

[1] A K Sahoo, G K Roy, E-waste: A growing menace, CSI magazine July 2009. [2] Prashant, Nitya. "Cash For Laptops Offers 'Green' Solution for Broken or Outdated Computers". Green Technology (Norwalk, Connecticut: Technology Marketing Corporation). http://green.tmcnet.com/topics/green/articles/37567-cash-laptops-offers-green-solution-brokenoutdated-computers.htm. 17-03-2009. [3] Nnorom, I.C., Osibanjo, Overview of electronic waste management practices and legislations, and their poor applications in the developing countries, Recourses Conservation and Recycling. December 2008. [4] E-waste and its management in India. (TERI Information Digest on Energy and Environment, 160-164. [5] Pinto, .V.N. E-waste hazard: The impending challenge,. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2008. [6] Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (2002-02-25). "Exporting Harm: The HighTech Trashing of Asia" (PDF). Seattle and San Jose. http://www.ban.org/Ewaste/technotrashfinalcomp.pdf [7] What is WEEE and why should you care?". http://www.ecopcreview.com/weee1. Retrieved on 200905-27. [8] "Final Rules on Cathode Ray Tubes and Discarded Mercury-Containing Equipment". Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/electron/crt.htm [9] Monika, Kishore J. E-waste management: As a challenge to public health in India. Indian J Community Med 2010;35:382-5

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