A ComprehensiveStudy On E WasteManagement:Present SituationAnd FutureImplication OnBangladeshMOSFIQUR RAHMANMasters of Science in Disaster &

Environmental Engineering, Cuet

E-mail: mr_sunnyctg@yahoo.com

Contents

Abstract : 1

Keyword : 1

1 Introduction : 2-4

1.1 Environmental and Human’s Health Effect : 2-4

2 Management of E-wastes : 5-7

2.1 Inventory management : 5

2.2 Production-process modification : 5

2.3 Volume reduction : 6

2.4 Recovery and reuse : 6

2.5 Sustainable product design : 6-7

3 International Initiatives for E-waste Management Policy : 7-10

3.1 Basel Convention : 7-9

3.2 G-8 3Rs Initiative : 9

3.3 StEP - Solving the E-waste Problem : 9-10

3.4 UNEP/ DTIE (IETC) : 10

3.5 GeSI: Global e-Sustainability Initiative : 10

4 Global Situation of E-waste : 11-13

5 E-Waste Bangladesh Scenario : 13-17

5.1 Informal Recycling Practice in Bangladesh : 15-16

5.1.1 Recycling Hotspots in Dhaka City : 15-16

5.1.2 Recycling Hotspots at Chittagong City : 16

5.2 Challenges in Bangladesh : 17

6 Alternative Strategy and Approach : 17-20

6.1 Responsibilities of the Government : 17-18

6.2 Responsibility and Role of industries : 18-19

6.3 Responsibilities of the Citizen : 19-20

7 Conclusion : 20

8 Reference 21-22

A Comprehensive Study on E Waste Management: Present Situation & Future Implication on Bangladesh

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Abstract:

Now-a-days, Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of fastest growing pollution problem for

environment and as well as threaten human body due to its presence in variety of toxic

substances as its disposal system are not properly managed. In Bangladesh, a large number of

electronic waste are generated but its subsequent handling, reuse, recycling and disposal are not

properly handled and can cause significant environmental and health hazards. At present, there is

lack of awareness about the hazards of electronic waste in Bangladesh. The electronic waste may

reuse, broken down into parts or disposed of completely. The present informal practice of

recycling is not carried out safely and it becomes a danger to human health and the surrounding

environment. This paper will share the management system of electronic disposal items and

trend of usage of electronic equipments. It will also share what hazards have been created from

this electronic waste, what are the present dumping practices and what rules are there in place for

dumping. It will also identify the level of awareness regarding e-waste and to determine a way to

reduce environmental hazards.

Keyword: E-waste, Hazardous, Recycling, Reuse, Reduce, Disposal.

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1. INTRODUCTION:

In current era, digitalization of life style changes human behavior on waste generation. The rapid

growth of telecommunication and enormous change in technological sector and mismanagement

in their policy causes generation of electronic garbage. Most of the users are not well known;

about their behaviors where it may contain more than 1000 different substances and its average

in 1-3% of total solid waste in developed countries and darken in their damping process as well

as recycling technique. Most of these increased by 16-28% at every 5years intervals. In terms of

affect to the environment and handling process electronic wastes (E-Waste) are largely differ to

the other waste. Around up to 75% of electronics shipped to computer village in Lagos are

irreparable junk. Commensurate to the global trend, in Bangladesh also the market for electronic

goods is having exponential growth due to the rising disposable income and increasing demand

for the latest electronic gadgets. A large proportion of e-waste generation in Bangladesh

comprises e-waste and generally includes PCs, television , telephone, cell phones, air

conditioners, electronic toys, washing machines etc. and in addition to this, junk electronic

products such as printers, SVDR, lights, radio, horn, compass etc. generated from ship breakage

industry also constitutes a significant quantity of e-waste in Bangladesh.

1.1 Environmental and Human’s Health Effect:

Mostly the electronic wastes are reusable or recyclable. But unplanned disposal effect causes

disturbs to the eco-system and human health effect. So the first approach is to identity the

harmful component which exposed and leeched from waste may lead to effect on environment

and human healths are given below:

Fe and steel.

Non-ferrous metals (Pb, Cu, Al, Au)

Glass

Plastic

Electronic components (R, C, L, ICs)

Others (rubber, wood, ceramics).

A recent report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found nearly 90 percent

of e-waste is being illegally dumped and traded. Due to the relatively new issue of e-waste

disposal, many countries – especially developing ones – do not yet have protocols or laws on the

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topic in place yet. A growing black market has thus emerged, with illegal traffickers posing as

legitimate disposal services and then dumping tons of e-waste in random spots across the

developing world. This has led to environmental risks from the internal components of discarded

electronics, specifically heavy metals. Here are some of the main ways that different types of e-

waste can negatively affect the planet and its inhabitants given on Table 1.

Table 1: Environmental effect due to E-waste

Effected Area Mechanism of Effect

Air Many rudimentary e-waste “processing plants” are not ethically run – or safe.

For example, some e-waste trafficker’s burn open computer wires in order to

get to the copper inside – a valuable commodity. The open burning can

release hydrocarbons into the air, while the chemical stripping of gold-plated

computer chips leads to emissions of brominated dioxins and heavy metals. A

recent study of the environmental effects of the largest e-waste landfill in the

world in Guiyu, China, found airborne dioxins to be 100 times more prevalent

than previously measured

Water Cathode ray tubes, often found in older televisions, video cameras and

computer monitors are often broken apart, the yoke removed and the shell

dumped. Contents in the shell, such as lead and barium, could leach through

the soil and into the ground water of local communities. This endangers not

just the people who drink and bathe with this water but also the different

species of wildlife that rely on the water to sustain

Soil Another study of the Guiyu landfill found wind patterns in Southeast China

disperse toxic particles across the Pearl River Delta Region. The area, which

contains a population of 45 million, is at-risk due to the toxins entering the

“soil-crop-food pathway,” which is one of the most common ways that heavy

metals enter the human body

Again if these electronic items are discarded with other household garbage, the toxics pose a

threat to both health and vital components of the ecosystem. In view of the ill-effects of

hazardous wastes to both environment and health, several countries exhorted the need for a

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global agreement to address the problems and challenges posed by hazardous waste. Here Table

II summarizes the health effects of certain constituents in e-wastes

Table II: Effects of E-Waste constituent on health

Source of e-wastes Constituent Health effects

Solder in printed

circuit boards, glass

panels and gaskets

in computer

monitors

Lead (PB) Damage to central and peripheral

nervous systems, blood systems and

kidney damage.

Affects brain development of children.

Chip resistors and

semiconductors

Cadmium (CD) Toxic irreversible effects on human

health.

Accumulates in kidney and liver.

Causes neural damage.

Teratogenicity.

Relays and switches,

printed circuit

boards

Mercury (Hg) Chronic damage to the brain.

Respiratory and skin disorders due to

bioaccumulation in fishes.

Corrosion protection

of untreated and

galvanized steel

plates, decorator or

hardner for steel

housings

Hexavalent

chromium (Cr) VI Asthmatic bronchitis.

DNA damage.

Cabling and

computer housing

Plastics including

PVC

Burning produces dioxin. It causes

Reproductive and developmental

problems;

Immune system damage;

Interfere with regulatory hormones

Plastic housing of

electronic

equipments and

circuit boards.

Brominated flame

retardants (BFR) Disrupts endocrine system functions

Front panel of CRTs Barium (Ba) Short term exposure causes:

Muscle weakness;

Damage to heart, liver and spleen.

Motherboard Beryllium (Be) Carcinogenic (lung cancer)

Inhalation of fumes and dust. Causes

chronic beryllium disease or

beryllicosis.

Skin diseases such as warts.

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2. MANAGEMENT OF E-WASTES

It is estimated that 75% of electronic items are stored due to uncertainty of how to manage it.

These electronic junks lie unattended in houses, offices, warehouses etc. and normally mixed

with household wastes, which are finally disposed at landfills. This necessitates implementable

management measures.

In industries management of e-waste should begin at the point of generation. This can be done by

waste minimization techniques and by sustainable product design. Waste minimization in

industries involves adopting:

Inventory management,

Production-process modification,

Volume reduction,

Recovery and reuse,

Sustainable product design.

2.1 Inventory management

Proper control over the materials used in the manufacturing process is an important way to

reduce waste generation (Freeman, 1989). By reducing both the quantity of hazardous materials

used in the process and the amount of excess raw materials in stock, the quantity of waste

generated can be reduced. This can be done in two ways i.e. establishing material-purchase

review and control procedures and inventory tracking system.

2.2 Production-process modification

Changes can be made in the production process, which will reduce waste generation. This

reduction can be accomplished by changing the materials used to make the product or by the

more efficient use of input materials in the production process or both. Potential waste

minimization techniques can be broken down into three categories:

(a) Improved operating and maintenance procedures,

(b) Material change and

(c) Process-equipment modification.

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2.3 Volume reduction

Volume reduction includes those techniques that remove the hazardous portion of a waste from a

non-hazardous portion. These techniques are usually to reduce the volume, and thus the cost of

disposing of a waste material. The techniques that can be used to reduce waste-stream volume

can be divided into 2 general categories: source segregation and waste concentration.

Segregation of wastes is in many cases a simple and economical technique for waste reduction.

Wastes containing different types of metals can be treated separately so that the metal value in

the sludge can be recovered. Concentration of a waste stream may increase the likelihood that the

material can be recycled or reused. Methods include gravity and vacuum filtration, ultra

filtration, reverse osmosis, freeze vaporization etc.

2.4 Recovery and reuse

This technique could eliminate waste disposal costs, reduce raw material costs and provide

income from a salable waste. Waste can be recovered on-site, or at an off-site recovery facility,

or through inter industry exchange. A number of physical and chemical techniques are available

to reclaim a waste material such as reverse osmosis, electrolysis, condensation, electrolytic

recovery, filtration, centrifugation etc. For example, a printed-circuit board manufacturer can use

electrolytic recovery to reclaim metals from copper and tin-lead plating bath.

However recycling of hazardous products has little environmental benefit if it simply moves the

hazards into secondary products that eventually have to be disposed of. Unless the goal is to

redesign the product to use non-hazardous materials, such recycling is a false solution.

2.5 Sustainable product design

Minimization of hazardous wastes should be at product design stage itself keeping in mind the

following factors,

Re-think the product design: Efforts should be made to design a product with fewer

amounts of hazardous materials. For example, the efforts to reduce material use are

reflected in some new computer designs that are flatter, lighter and more integrated.

Other companies propose centralized networks similar to the telephone system.

Use of renewable materials and energy: Bio-based plastics are plastics made with

plant-based chemicals or plant-produced polymers rather than from petrochemicals.

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Bio-based toners, glues and inks are used more frequently. Solar computers also exist but

they are currently very expensive.

Use of non-renewable materials that are safer: Because many of the materials used are

non-renewable, designers could ensure the product is built for re-use, repair and/or

upgradeable. Some computer manufacturers such as Dell and Gateway lease out their

products thereby ensuring they get them back to further upgrade and lease out again.

3. INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR E-WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY:

There is a huge gap between developed and developing countries related to WEEE/E-waste

policies/ laws/ regulations and institutional mechanisms. Recognizing the urgency to address this

gap, a number of agencies like as,

Basel Convention,

G8 3Rs Initiative,

StEP,

GTZ,

UNEP/DTIE (IETC),

GeSI and

SECO have undertaken initiatives at global, regional and country level.

A brief description of these initiatives is given below.

3.1 Basel Convention:

The fundamental aims of the Basel Convention are the control and reduction of Trans-boundary

movements of hazardous and other wastes including the prevention and minimization of their

generation, the environmentally sound management of such wastes and the active promotion of

the transfer and use of technologies.

A Draft Strategic Plan has been proposed for the implementation of the Basel Convention. The

Draft Strategic Plan takes into account existing regional plans, programs or strategies, the

decisions of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies, ongoing project activities

and process of international environmental governance and sustainable development. The Draft

requires action at all levels of society: training, information, communication, methodological

tools, capacity building with financial support, transfer of know-how, knowledge and sound,

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proven cleaner technologies and processes to assist in the concrete implementation of the Basel

Declaration. It also calls for the effective involvement and coordination by all concerned

stakeholders which is essential for achieving the aims of the Basel Declaration within the

approach of common but differentiated responsibility.

A set of interrelated and mutually supportive strategies are proposed to support the concrete

implementation of the activities as indicated in the website is described below:

1. To involve experts in designing communication tools for creating awareness at the

highest level to promote the aims of the Basel Declaration on environmentally sound

management and the ratification and implementation of the Basel Convention, its

amendments and protocol with the emphasis on the short-term activities.

2. To engage and stimulate a group of interested parties to assist the secretariat in exploring

fund raising strategies including the preparation of projects and in making full use of

expertise in non-governmental organizations and other institutions in joint projects.

3. To motivate selective partners among various stakeholders to bring added value to make

progress in the short-term.

4. To disseminate and make information easily accessible through the internet and other

electronic and printed materials on the transfer of know-how, in particular through Basel

Convention Regional Centers (BCRCs).

5. To undertake periodic review of activities in relation to the agreed indicators;

6. To collaborate with existing institutions and programs to promote better use of cleaner

technology and its transfer, methodology, economic instruments or policy to facilitate or

support capacity-building for the environmentally sound management of hazardous and

other wastes.

The Basel Convention brought about a respite to the trans-boundary movement of hazardous

waste. India and other countries have ratified the convention. However United States (US) is not

a party to the ban and is responsible for disposing hazardous waste, such as, e-waste to Asian

countries even today. Developed countries such as US should enforce strict legislations in their

own country for the prevention of this horrifying act. In the European Union where the annual

quantity of electronic waste is likely to double in the next 12 years, the European Parliament

recently passed legislation that will require manufacturers to take back their electronic products

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when consumers discard them. This is called Extended Producer Responsibility. It also mandates

a timetable for phasing out most toxic substances in electronic products.

3.2 G-8 3Rs Initiative:

Taking 3Rs Initiatives at Minister Level, held in April 2005 in Tokyo, formally launched the 3Rs

Initiative agreed upon by the G8 leaders at the Sea Island Summit. During the Conference,

participating countries and organizations shared information on 3R-related activities. The Basel

Secretarial works closely with 3Rs initiative on E-waste issue. The Senior Officials Meeting on

the 3Rs Initiatives (SOM) was held in Tokyo, Japan on 6 to 8 March 2006 and was hosted by the

Ministry of Environment, Japan. Twenty countries participated in the meeting apart from the

European Commission, eight international organizations and network, including the Basel

Convention Secretariat. The Asia 3Rs Conference was held in Tokyo, Japan on 30 October to 1

November 2006 and was hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Japan. Twenty Asian countries

and six G-8 countries participated in the meeting, which included eight international

organizations and 32 networks, including the Basel Convention Secretariat. At the Working

Group on E-waste Management, the progress of the Asia Pacific E-waste Project was presented

by the Basel Secretariat and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for SEA in Jakarta.

3.3 StEP - Solving the E-waste Problem:

The StEP initiative, developed in 1984 and formally launched in March 2007, is based in the UN

University, Bonn, Germany. The StEP initiative is the offspring of UNU, the UN Environment

Programme (UNEP) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The role

of SteP is to provide analysis and dialogue from a neutral standpoint in order to find solutions,

which reduce environmental risk and enhance development. Its prime objectives are optimizing

the life cycle of electric and electronic equipment by:

(a) Improving supply chains;

(b) Closing material loops;

(c) Reducing contamination;

(d) Increasing utilization of resources and reuse of equipment;

(e) Exercising concern about disparities such as the digital divide between the industrializing

and industrialized countries;

(f) Increasing public, scientific and business knowledge.

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Principles:

1. StEP's work is founded on scientific assessments and incorporates a comprehensive view

of the social, environmental and economic aspects of E-waste.

2. StEP conducts research on the entire life-cycle of electronic and electrical equipment and

their corresponding global supply, process and material flows.

3. StEP's research and pilot projects are meant to contribute to the solution of E-waste

problems.

4. StEP condemns all illegal activities related to E-waste including illegal shipments and

reuse/ recycling practices that are harmful to the environment and human health.

5. StEP seeks to foster safe and eco/energy-efficient reuse and recycling practices around

the globe in a socially responsible manner.

3.4 UNEP/ DTIE (IETC)

UNEP through International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) is implementing

“Integrated Solid Waste Management Project” based on 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle). ISWM

covers all types of wastes in an integrated manner. UNEP DTIE-IETC is also focusing on

WEEE/E-waste management and is developing two manuals on WEEE/E-waste assessment and

WEEE/E-waste management. Earlier UNEP DTIE supported a city level WEEE/E-waste

assessment study for Mumbai and Pune in India.

3.5 GeSI: Global e-Sustainability Initiative:

The Secretary of GeSI is located in UNEP/DTIE. It is an industrial organization for which a

membership fee is paid annually to run the Secretariat and handle other administrative matters.

GeSI consists of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) service providers and

suppliers, with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and International

Telecommunication Union. Their objectives are to share their experience and knowledge, work

with stakeholders, manage their own private sector operations in a sustainable way, raise

awareness of the contribution ICT can make to society and engage in research and

benchmarking.

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4. GLOBAL SITUATION OF E-WASTE:

In the 1990s, governments in the European Union (EU), Japan, the United States (US) and some

other industrialized countries began to tighten the regulatory framework against electronic

wastes and simultaneously commenced the setting up of electronic waste retrieval and recycling

systems. Consequently, therefore, such industrialized countries began exporting their

predicament to developing countries where laws to protect workers and the environment are non-

existent, inadequate or unenforced. Recycling waste in developing countries, as for instance, the

cost of breaking down or recycling of electronics in the US is 26 times more than the cost in

Nigeria. In this most populous African country, labor costs are much lower while safety and

environmental regulations are ignored or corruptly negotiated. Krueger described the general

scenario this way: “in the late 1980s the average disposal cost for one tone of hazardous waste in

Africa was between $US2.50 and $US50, while in the OECD it ranged from $US100 to

$US2000. Electronic waste (or e-waste‘) is the term used to cover all types of electrical and

electronic equipment that has or could enter the waste stream. Although electronic waste is a

general term, it has assumed technical usage as a term covering any household or business item

with circuitry or electrical components with power or battery supply. These may consist of

electrical and electronic equipment and accessories that are non-operational or whose life cycles

are extinguished. Although China and India used to be the dumping grounds for such discarded

global electronic wastes, several studies have exposed illegal exporting of electronic wastes from

developed countries to African countries, and several Asian and Pacific countries, over the past

few decades. Further levels of internally generated electronic wastes are rising across the

developing world as well, a result of increased electronic goods consumption stemming, inter

alia, from upward indices of material wealth in the so-called Third World countries.

Understandably, while the age of information superhighway has brought about many benefits,

rising consumption of electrical and electronic equipment coupled with increasingly rapid

obsolescence due to unrelenting technological advances, and diminishing product lifetimes has

led to significant increases in global electronic wastes levels. Although exact data are difficult to

come by because of the often clandestine nature of the trans-boundary movements of toxic

wastes and hazardous products, researchers estimate that some 50 million tons of electronic

waste is produced annually around the world, of which only ten percent is recycled. The UNEP

study of 2009 warns that by 2020, electronic waste in South Africa and China will have soared

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by 200-400 percent from 2007 levels and by 500 percent in India. Statistics also suggest that the

United Kingdom alone is responsible for producing some 1 million tons per year of electronic

wastes while the United States dumps between 300 and 400 million electronic items per year,

and yet, less than twenty percent of those electronic wastes are properly recycled. This mounting

crisis is compounded by low recycling rates, and illegal trans-boundary movement from

developed to developing countries. At the same time, there is a significant increase in demand

for electrical and electronic equipment from within developing countries, thus further

contributing to future potential increases in electronic wastes. Individual demand for electrical

and electronic equipment is rising at a considerable pace across developing countries, driven

primarily by growing disposable incomes and the quest for the monetary values of components

retrieved from obsolete electrical and electronic equipment. Demand in the poorer countries of

Africa and Asia for electronic waste has steadily grown as informal scrap yards found they could

extract valuable substances such as copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold, during the recycling

process. A mobile phone, for example, is 19 percent copper and 8 percent iron.

Despite this growing demand for, and saturation rates of, electronic and electrical equipment

across the African continent, many people are unable to afford new electronic devices. The

resultant quest for cheaper second-hand electrical and electronic equipment, coupled with low

labor costs for reparation and refurbishment, has thus led to a strong electronic re-use market in

developing countries, and is clearly strong across much of the developing world. Taking Nigeria

as case study, for instance, the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) declared that within the

first quarter of 2010 alone, it destroyed over 30 container shipments estimated at three hundred

million Naira (approximately two million US dollars). Ghana is reported to have imported

31,400 metric tons of used electrical appliances in 2010 alone, 75 percent more than what was

imported in 2009, with the United Kingdom accounting for more than half the quantum of

imports into that country. In Tanzania, the World Bank asserts that over the last decade, personal

computer penetration rates has risen ten-fold, while the number of people who own mobile

phones has increased by over a hundred percent. In Kenya, electrical and electronic equipment

was found to contribute up to twenty percent of the stock of second-hand ICT equipment in the

country as of 2009. Much of the remaining demand for secondhand electrical and electronic

equipment in developing countries is met by imports from developed countries. However,

estimates from Greenpeace International, an independent international non-governmental

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organization that acts to transform attitudes and actions in order to protect and conserve the

environment and to promote peace indicate that between 25 and 75 per cent of second-hand

electrical and electronic equipment imported into Africa arrived in an unusable condition,

beyond repair. In summing up this segment, it becomes discernible that the electronic waste

problem is a global concern because of the nature of the generation, distribution and dumping of

wastes in the globalized world economy. While it is hard to calculate overall amounts of

electronic wastes, it is beyond question that hefty quantities end up at locations where

dispensation takes place at very rudimentary levels. This engenders concerns in relation to

capacity building, resource efficiency and also the shorter and longer term apprehensions about

the perils to human beings and the environment. Certainly, there is a lengthy and often complex

sequence of processes in the electronic waste menace, starting from an idea that an info-tech

expert has conceived for making a new invention, then the fabrication of that product, leading to

its commercialization, procurement and, ultimately, it’s dumping by the consumer after the

products life span or usefulness. These are the issues that throw up the questions around waste

management beyond its confinement as a legal issue simplicities.

5. E-WASTE BANGLADESH SCENARIO:

Bangladesh is developing with the increasing of technology usage. Sustainable and safe use of

technology is a big challenge for Bangladesh. The wastes from electronic goods come to

Bangladesh as curse. People consume and dump the useless products without any consideration

of environmental damages and sustainability. Moreover, every year significant number of scrap

ships is imported to Bangladesh by importer legally and/illegally. These ships are broken in ship

breaking yard located mainly in southern part of Bangladesh. During ship breaking, many heavy

metals and toxic pollutants emit to environment and oil spills to land and water bodies. As

Bangladesh has binding to import scrap ships, thus illegal import and trade off of e-waste is

happening by importer to make profit and hence, e-waste vulnerability of Bangladesh is

increasing. The scrap ships are carrying large volume of toxics products and electrical &

electronic waste, includes: antiques, barometers, clothes irons, electronics, lamps/light bulbs,

light switches, paint(Latex), pesticides, television sets, thermometers, mirrors, washing

machines, calculators, desktop liquid crystal display(LCD) monitors, laptop, LCD monitors,

neon lights, sewer pipes, etc. In Bangladesh almost 2.7 million metric tons of e-waste generated

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per year. According to yearly generation figures, it is clear that ship breaking yard occupied

highest (2.5 million metric tons) position. Wastes from television sets have taken the second

highest (0.182 million metric tons) position with an exponentially increasing rate. Bangladesh is

one of the highly e-waste generating countries in the world. In Bangladesh about 2.7 million

metric tons of e-waste has generated per year, in contrast, it is stated in the report ―From e-

waste to Resource‖ that in the world volume of e-waste generated per year is 20 million metric

tons. However, according to UNEP projections, an estimated 20-50 million tons of e-Waste is

being generated annually in the world. No inventory has been made to assess the extent of e-

waste problem in Bangladesh.

The goods bellow generates e-wastes in Bangladesh;

Total number of PCs, TVs and Refrigerators in the year 2006 was 600,000, 1,252,000

and 2,200,000.

The total number of TV sets users is roughly 10.3 million at the end of the year 2008.

Every year around 59, 85,000 TV sets become scraping and generated 88,357.14 metric

tons of e-waste.

The total number of mobile phone active subscribers in Bangladesh was 58.36million at

the end of May 2010.

Each year more than 2.8 million tons of electronic waste (it includes e-waste from ship

breaking yard) generated in Bangladesh.

E-waste generated from ship breaking yards about 2.5 million metric tons in a year.

POPs: from ship breaking sites, PCB, Dioxin, Furan.

10,504 metric tons of toxic e-waste by cell phone sets within last 21 years.

Within the last 10 years IT sector generated 35,000 metric tons of e-waste in Bangladesh

According to an estimate, more than 500 thousand computers were in 2004 and this number has

been growing at 11.4% annually (Hossain, 2004). Even if the figure of 500 thousand were taken

as the baseline that many PCs would contain approximately 15,233 tons of waste (27.2 kg/PC for

5 years obsolescence) in 2010 containing deadly plastic, lead, mercury etc. the quantity if e-

waste (PC and Cell phone) to be generated has been estimated by following two methods

suggested in (Sinha et al. 2007). The first method, Market supply Method A (MA) assumes that

the averages lifetime of an electronic product is approximately five years and after that these are

discarded and come to the waste stream. The second method, Market Supply Method B (MB)

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assumes that the products are not disposed at the same time rather they are disposed in varying

quantities over successive years. Here weighted average method is used to show the product

disposal trend. For PCs the growth rate is considered to be 11.4% (Hossain, 2004) and for cell

phones a 100% growth rate is considered annually (parvez et al. 2007). The quantity of e-waste

to be generated from two types of electronic products shown in Table III

Table III: Estimation of PC and Cell Phone Waste in Dhaka

Year Personal Computers wt. (in tons) Cell Phones wt. (in tons)

M A M B Average M A M B Average

2010 16,701 13,945 15,323 2,567 2,824 2,696

2011 18,251 16,701 17,476 5,135 5,135 5,135

2012 19,802 16,116 17,959 7,702 7,702 7,702

Bangladesh is a signatory to the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous

Waste. Currently there is no specific regulation dealing with e-waste management.

5.1 Informal Recycling Practice in Bangladesh:

With the rapid update of technological product, large amount of electronic goods are becoming

obsolete and are disposed in a short period time. The equipments that are disposed of by the

various offices and personal users go to people involved in different tiers in recycling those

things. Beside another region, two major cities in Bangladesh have larger hotspot of e-waste

recycling process informally.

5.1.1 Recycling Hotspots in Dhaka City:

Largest Computer scarp shop that is so called as “Vangari” mainly situated in chankhar pool,

Nimtali. Few spots are situated in others places beside Nimtoli of Dhaka. The main spots are:

Nimtali

Dolai khal

Elephant Road

Their recycling flow of the informal sector is shown by the following Fig.1

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Figure 1: Informal sector recycling process in Dhaka

5.1.2 Recycling Hotspots at Chittagong City:

There are different areas in Chittagong that handles second hand electronic products. Among

them following are the key areas dealing with e-waste recycling:

CDA market

Coxy Market

Ice Factory Road

Bhatiyali

Kadamtali

Their recycling process followed by all the markets mentioned is almost similar. Their recycling

flow of the informal sector is shown by the following Fig. 2.

Figure 2: Informal sector recycling process in Chittagong

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5.2 Challenges in Bangladesh:

Lack of legislation to control in-flow of used electronics products

Lack of awareness by public on inherent dangers of E-Waste

Lack of recycling facilities

Poor corporate responsibility by industry

Used electronics not contraband to Bangladesh Customs Service

6. ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY AND APPROACH:

Considering the severity of the problem, it is imperative that certain management options be

adopted to handle the bulk e-wastes. Following are some of the management options suggested

for the government, industries and the public.

6.1 Responsibilities of the Government:

i. Government should set up regulatory agencies in each district, which are vested with

the responsibility of co-coordinating and consolidating the regulatory functions of the

various government authorities regarding hazardous substances.

ii. Government should be responsible for providing an adequate system of laws, controls

and administrative procedures for hazardous waste management (Third World

Network. 1991). Existing laws concerning e-waste disposal be reviewed and

revamped. A comprehensive law that provides e-waste regulation and management

and proper disposal of hazardous wastes is required. Such a law should empower the

agency to control, supervise and regulate the relevant activities of government

departments.

Under this law, the agency concerned should

Collect basic information on the materials from manufacturers, processors and

importers and to maintain an inventory of these materials. The information

should include toxicity and potential harmful effects.

Identify potentially harmful substances and require the industry to test them

for adverse health and environmental effects.

Control risks from manufacture, processing, distribution, use and disposal of

electronic wastes.

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Encourage beneficial reuse of "e-waste" and encouraging business activities

that use waste". Set up programs so as to promote recycling among citizens

and businesses.

Educate e-waste generators on reuse/recycling options

iii. Government must encourage research into the development and standard of

hazardous waste management, environmental monitoring and the regulation of

hazardous waste-disposal.

iv. Government should enforce strict regulations against dumping e-waste in the country

by outsiders. Where the laws are flouted, stringent penalties must be imposed. In

particular, custodial sentences should be preferred to paltry fines, which these

outsiders / foreign nationals can pay.

v. Government should enforce strict regulations and heavy fines levied on industries,

which do not practice waste prevention and recovery in the production facilities.

vi. Polluter pays principle and extended producer responsibility should be adopted.

vii. Government should encourage and support NGOs and other organizations to involve

actively in solving the nation's e-waste problems.

viii. Uncontrolled dumping is an unsatisfactory method for disposal of hazardous waste

and should be phased out.

ix. Government should explore opportunities to partner with manufacturers and retailers

to provide recycling services.

6.2 Responsibility and Role of industries:

1. Generators of wastes should take responsibility to determine the output characteristics

of wastes and if hazardous, should provide management options.

2. All personnel involved in handling e-waste in industries including those at the policy,

management, control and operational levels, should be properly qualified and trained.

Companies can adopt their own policies while handling e-wastes. Some are given

below:

Use label materials to assist in recycling (particularly plastics).

Standardize components for easy disassembly.

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Re-evaluate 'cheap products' use, make product cycle 'cheap' and so that it has no

inherent value that would encourage a recycling infrastructure.

Create computer components and peripherals of biodegradable materials.

Utilize technology sharing particularly for manufacturing and de manufacturing.

Encourage / promote / require green procurement for corporate buyers.

Look at green packaging options.

3. Companies can and should adopt waste minimization techniques, which will make a

significant reduction in the quantity of e-waste generated and thereby lessening the

impact on the environment. It is a "reverse production" system that designs

infrastructure to recover and reuse every material contained within e-wastes metals

such as lead, copper, aluminum and gold, and various plastics, glass and wire. Such a

"closed loop" manufacturing and recovery system offers a win-win situation for

everyone, less of the Earth will be mined for raw materials, and groundwater will be

protected, researchers explain.

4. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers should undertake the responsibility of

recycling/disposal of their own products.

5. Manufacturers of computer monitors, television sets and other electronic devices

containing hazardous materials must be responsible for educating consumers and the

general public regarding the potential threat to public health and the environment posed

by their products. At minimum, all computer monitors, television sets and other

electronic devices containing hazardous materials must be clearly labeled to identify

environmental hazards and proper materials management.

6.3 Responsibilities of the Citizen:

Waste prevention is perhaps more preferred to any other waste management option including

recycling. Donating electronics for reuse extends the lives of valuable products and keeps them

out of the waste management system for a longer time. But care should be taken while donating

such items i.e. the items should be in working condition.

Reuse, in addition to being an environmentally preferable alternative, also benefits society. By

donating used electronics, schools, non-profit organizations, and lower-income families can

afford to use equipment that they otherwise could not afford.

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E-wastes should never be disposed with garbage and other household wastes. This should be

segregated at the site and sold or donated to various organizations.

While buying electronic products opt for those that:

are made with fewer toxic constituents

use recycled content

are energy efficient

are designed for easy upgrading or disassembly

utilize minimal packaging

offer leasing or take back options

Have been certified by regulatory authorities. Customers should opt for upgrading

their computers or other electronic items to the latest versions rather than buying

new equipment’s.

NGOs should adopt a participatory approach in management of e-wastes.

7. Conclusion:

Industrial revolution followed by the advances in information technology during the last century

has radically changed people's lifestyle. Although this development has helped the human race,

mismanagement has led to new problems of contamination and pollution. Like as solid waste

management, which is already a big challenge for Bangladesh, is becoming more complicated by

the invasion of e-wastes. There exists an urgent need for a detailed assessment of the current and

future scenario including quantification, characteristics, existing disposal practices,

environmental impacts etc. Institutional infrastructures, including e-waste import, collection,

transportation, treatment, storage, recovery and disposal, need to be established, at national

and/or regional levels for the environmentally sound management of e- wastes. Establishment of

e-waste collection, exchange and recycling centers should be encouraged in partnership with

private entrepreneurs and manufacturers. E-waste policy development may require a paradigm

shift in perception from a problematic waste issue to an opportunistic green growth solution for

Bangladesh. Consequently, this paper suggest that e-waste policy development may require a

more customized approach where instead of addressing e-waste in isolation it should be

addressed as part of the national development agenda that integrates GEA and SEA as part of

national policy planning.

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