India, among the Top Global Generators of E-Waste

Context

India, now the various top global generators of electronic waste (e-waste), faces an essential mission in dealing with the developing quantity of obsolete electronic devices.

E-Waste in India

• E-waste refers to the discarded electronic and electronic gadgets which have reached the end of their lifespan or turn out to be out of date because of fast technological changes, which include computer systems, phones, TVs, and different systems.
• India ranks as the third-largest manufacturer of electronic waste globally, following China and the USA. 
• Growth: India’s e-waste accelerated via 151.03% over 6 years, from 7.08 lakh metric tonnes in 2017-18 to 17.78 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24.

Impact of Improper E-Waste Management

• Environmental Degradation:

• • • Water Pollution: Toxic discharge from cyanide and sulphuric acid affects water bodies.
    • Air Pollution: Emissions from lead fumes and plastic burning are severe.
    • Soil Contamination: Hazardous materials leach into the soil, unfavourable agriculture and biodiversity.

• Social Costs:

• • • Informal Sector Dominance: 95% of e-waste is recycled informally, related to broadly speaking women and youngsters.
    • Health Hazards: Average lifespan in casual e-waste workers is under 27 years due to poisonous exposure.

• Economic Loss: 

• • India is estimated to forfeit over ₹80,000 crore worth of important metals every year, that can have been recovered and re-utilized in production.
  • It is envisioned that India loses at least $20 billion annually in capacity tax sales because of the absence of formal accounting and regulatory oversight within the e-waste recycling sector.

Challenges in E-Waste Management

• Lack of Consumer Incentives: Consumers lack economic or logistical incentives to dispose of e-waste responsibly.
• Sparse Collection Infrastructure: There is a dearth of approved collection centres, specially in Tier-II and Tier-III towns.
  • Informal scrap sellers remain the major factor of contact for most consumers.
• Unsafe Recycling Practices: Over 90–95% of e-waste is handled by the informal region, which makes use of crude methods including acid leaching, open burning, and guide dismantling without protecting equipment.
• Grey Channel Imports: Used electronic goods frequently input India under the guise of “donations” or “refurbished items,” which in the end emerge as waste.

E-Waste Management Framework

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers, importers, and brand owners are made answerable for managing their product’s end-of-life waste.
• An on-line EPR E-Waste portal has been evolved by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) where entities along with manufacturers, producers, recyclers, and refurbishers of the e-waste are required to be registered.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has comprehensively revised the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022.
• India’s first e-waste clinic was inaugurated in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. 
  • It’s a facility for segregating, processing, and putting off e-waste from both household and commercial units.

Conclusion

• India’s e-waste project reflects a broader conflict between technological development and environmental sustainability. 
• As the country climbs the electronic ladder, it ought to not let poisonous waste undermine its economic and ecological foundation.
• The purpose must not only be to control e-waste, but to extract cost, protect health, and foster green economic growth—all of which can be crucial to India’s journey closer to Viksit Bharat.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. What are the impediments in disposing of the huge quantities of discarded solid waste which are continuously being generated? How do we safely remove the toxic wastes that have been accumulating in our habitable environment? (2018)

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