E-Waste – An Introduction

Mumbai, June 17 2016

Ashish Chaturvedi, Senior Fellow

What is E-Waste?

Electronic waste or e -waste is any broken or unwanted electrical or

electronic appliance.

E - waste includes computers, consumer electronics, phones, medical

equipments, toys and other items that have been discarded by their

original users.

E-Waste also include waste which is generated during manufacturing or

assembling of such equipments

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What is E-Waste?

WEEE Directive (EU, 2002a)

Electrical or electronic equipment which is waste including all components,

sub-assemblies and consumables, which are part of the product at the

time of discarding.

Basel Action Network

E-waste encompasses a board and growing range of electronic devices

ranging from large household devices such as refrigerators, air

conditioners, cell phones, personal stereos, and consumer electronics to

computers which have been discarded by their users.

OECD (2001)

E-waste is defined as “any appliance sing an electric power supply that

has reached its end of life.” 3

What do the E-Waste (M&H) Rules say?

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Composition of E-Waste

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AppliancesAverage weight (kg)

Iron (Fe) % weight

Non Fe-metal % weight

Glass % weight

Plastic % weight

Electronic components % weight

Others % weight

Refrigerators and freezers

48 64.4 6 1.5 13 15.1

Washing Machine 40-47 59.8 4.6 2.6 1.5 31.5

Personal computer 29.6 53.3 8.4 15 23.3 17.3 0.7

TV sets 36.2 5.3 5.4 62 22.9 0.9 3.5

Cellular telephones 0.08-0.100 8 20 10.6 59.6 1.8

Weight of different materials in e-waste

Composition of E-Waste

The recyclable potential of WEEE is specific for each appliance. The parts, materials found in it can be broadly classified into six categories:

• Iron and steel, used for casings and frames

• Non-ferrous metals, especially copper used in cables, aluminum and gold.

• Glass

• Plastic

• Electronic components

• Others (rubber, wood, ceramic etc.)

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Generation of E-Waste

Developed world : 1% - 3% of total municipal solid waste generated

China/India: 0.01-1% of total municipal solid waste generated

Global e-waste generation – 50 million tonnes

EU – 7 million tonnes

USA – 4 million tonnes

China – 2.5 million tonnes

India – 0.8 million tonnes

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Generation of E-Waste – Growth Rates

Personal computer

SA/China – 300% increase by 2020 (Reference year:2007)

India: 500% increase in computer by 2020 (Reference year:2007)

Mobile

China: 7 times by 2020 (Reference year:2007)

India: 18 times by 2020 (Reference year:2007)

Television

China: Double by 2020 (Reference year:2007)

Refrigerator

India: Triple by 2020 (Reference year:2007) 8

Generation of E-Waste in India per State

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Generation of E-Waste in India

Sources of E-Waste

Public: 70 %

Household: 15 %

Manufacturers: 15 %

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Four Perspectives of E-waste in India

Rising E-Waste: Its because of the

Growing Economy

Some Facts and Figures

According to an assessment by Business Monitor

International in 2013, Indian consumer electronics spending

was slated to grow by about 17% in US dollar terms in 2013

to US$37.5bn

MAIT 2012-13 report shows that the sale of PCs in urban

areas has been growing year on year with the CAGR growth

rate of laptops standing at +45%

The number of mobile phones will exceed the number of

people in the country by 2022-23 (IIT KANPUR)

MORE CONSUMPTION MORE WASTE

Toxic E-Waste: Environmental

Pollution and Human Health

Toxins in E-waste

Over 1000 materials, many toxic

• Lead and cadmium in circuit boards;

• Lead oxide & cadmium in monitor cathode ray tubes (CRTs);

• Mercury in switches and flat screen monitors

• Cadmium in computer batteries;

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in older capacitors and transformers;

• Brominated flame retardants on printed circuit boards, plastic casings,

cables

• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cable insulation - release highly toxic dioxins

and furans when burned

Urban Mining and E-Waste: Its all

about Resources

Source: UNEP

In 2004, there were no authorized e-waste recyclers and

dismantlers in India. In 2016, there were more than 140

An informal recycler extracts 25-30% of materials from a

printed circuit board; Umicore in Belgium extracts 97-98 %.

Due to relative novelty of e-waste in the urban solid waste

stream, there is little awareness on its resource efficient and

environmentally safe management

Facts and Figures

Informal Sector and Recycling: It is a

social problem

Dismantling of e-Waste

E-Waste and the Informal Sector

Approximately 25000-30000 people work in informal e-waste

recycling in Delhi.

Precious metal recovery

E-Waste and the Informal Sector

Alignment of Perspectives

The right approach to E-waste management involves alignment

of these perspectives

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•Ashish Chaturvedi

•Senior Fellow

•chaturvedi@adelphi.de