Module 5

Electronic Waste (E-Waste)

What is E-Waste?
Electronic Waste, or E-Waste, refers to discarded electrical or electronic devices. Common
sources include computers, mobile phones, TVs, refrigerators, and other household or industrial
electronic items.
Composition of E-Waste
 Valuable metals: gold, silver, copper, platinum
 Hazardous substances: lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and brominated flame retardants
Problems of e-waste
 Composed of hazardous materials
 Products are quickly obsolete and discarded
 Electronic products are difficult to recycle
 Discarded electronics are managed badly
 Most e-waste goes to landfills
 Most recycler’s don’t recycle, they export
 Prison recycling; high tech chain gang

Sources of e-waste and effects on Human

Sources of e-waste Constituents (hazardous) Affected Body parts
Printed circuit board, Lead & cadmium Damage to nervous system,
computer monitors kidney and lever. Affects
brain development of child
Chip registers and semi Cadmium Accumulates in kidney and
conductors lever Causes neural damage
Relays and switches, printed Mercury Chronic damage to brain
circuit board Respiratory and skin
disorders
Motherboard Beryllium Lung & skin
Front panel of CRT’s Lead oxide, Barium & Muscle weakness Damage to
cadmium heart, lever and spleen
Cable insulating coating Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Immune System
Plastic Housing Bromine Endocrine

Valuable materials from E-waste

 Sources of e-waste Constituents Uses
Cable, housing Plastics insulation
Funnel glass in CRT, PWB Lead, gold Metal joining, connectivity
Housing, PWB, CRT Mercury, zinc Batteries switches
Housing, CRT, PWD, Aluminum, silver, copper, Conductivity Magnetivity
Connectors iron

Global Status of E-Waste Management

The global status of e-waste management reveals a concerning trend: e-waste generation is
outpacing documented formal collection and recycling, resulting in a significant loss of valuable
resources and posing health and environmental risks. While e-waste generation has increased,
documented formal collection and recycling rates are lagging, leaving a large portion of e-waste
unaccounted for and potentially entering informal recycling channels with negative
consequences.
 The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 revealed that in 2022, 62 million tonnes of e-waste
were produced globally, but only 22.3% was documented as formally collected and
recycled.
 The report also notes that if countries could increase e-waste collection and recycling
rates to 60% by 2030, the benefits, including reduced health risks, would exceed costs by
more than US$38 billion.
 China is the largest producer of e-waste globally, followed by the United States.
 In India, it is estimated that not even 10% of e-waste is being collected.

Key Issues in Global E-Waste Management

A. Low Recycling Rates
 Despite high generation, less than one-fifth of global e-waste is recycled through formal
channels.
 The majority ends up in landfills or is processed by informal sectors.
B. Informal Recycling
 In many developing countries, e-waste is recycled using unsafe methods like open
burning or acid baths.
 This leads to toxic exposure for workers and severe environmental pollution.
C. Lack of Legislation
 Many countries have no laws or weak enforcement related to e-waste.
  Even countries with regulations often fail in implementation.
D. Cross-Border Movement
 Developed countries often export e-waste (illegally or semi-legally) to developing
nations.
 This creates a waste burden for countries with poor recycling infrastructure.
E. Public Unawareness
 Consumers globally are largely unaware of how to properly dispose of e-waste.
 Many households hoard old electronics, contributing to low collection rates.
F. Resource Loss
 E-waste contains valuable metals (gold, silver, copper), which are often lost or wasted
due to poor recycling.

Challenges:
 Lack of Infrastructure:
Inadequate e-waste management infrastructure in many parts of the world hinders formal
collection and recycling efforts.
 Technological Progress and Consumption:
Rapid technological advancements, increased consumerism, and shorter product lifecycles
contribute to the growing volume of e-waste.
 Limited Repair Options:
The lack of readily available repair options encourages consumers to discard electronics rather
than repairing them.
 Informal Recycling:
Informal recycling, often involving unsafe practices, continues to be a major challenge in many
countries.

E-Waste Management in India: Issues and Current Status

1. Current Status of E-Waste in India
 India is the 3rd largest e-waste generator in the world, after China and the USA.
 According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2020, India generated 3.2 million metric
tonnes (Mt) of e-waste in 2019.
 The volume is expected to increase due to growing digitalization, rising incomes, and
shorter life cycles of electronic products.
Key Sources
 Individual consumers: Mobile phones, computers, home appliances
 Corporate and institutional users: Servers, printers, industrial electronics
 Imported used electronics: Often disguised as second-hand goods
Formal Collection and Recycling
 Only about 10-20% of e-waste is formally collected and processed.
 India has over 400 registered e-waste recyclers/dismantlers, but many operate below
capacity due to low formal collection rates.


Key Issues in E-Waste Management in India

A. Informal Sector Dominance
 Around 80-90% of e-waste is handled by the informal sector using primitive methods like
open burning, acid leaching, and manual dismantling.
 These methods are dangerous to both health and the environment.
B. Lack of Consumer Awareness
 Consumers are often unaware of:
o The hazards of improper disposal
o The existence of formal collection centers
o Their role in the e-waste management process
C. Inadequate Infrastructure
 There is a shortage of accessible collection centers, especially in semi-urban and rural
areas.
 Many existing recyclers operate inefficiently or are located in major cities only.
D. Poor Enforcement of Rules
 Despite well-defined E-Waste Management Rules, enforcement is weak:
o Many producers do not comply with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
o State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) often lack the resources for monitoring
and enforcement.
E. Data and Reporting Gaps
 There is insufficient and unreliable data on actual e-waste generation, collection, and
recycling.
 Inconsistent reporting by stakeholders undermines policy evaluation and planning.
F. Illegal Imports
 E-waste is often illegally imported into India under the label of "used electronics" or
"charitable donations", adding to the domestic burden.

E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 (India)

Notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the E-Waste
(Management) Rules, 2016 replaced the earlier 2011 rules and came into effect on October 1,
2016. These were further amended in 2018 and later replaced by the 2022 rules.
Key Provisions
1. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
o Producers are responsible for the collection and disposal of e-waste.
o They must establish take-back systems and facilitate authorized recycling.
2. Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs):
o Producers can engage PROs to manage their collection and recycling obligations.
3. Authorization and Compliance:
o Producers, dismantlers, and recyclers must register with the Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB).
4. Collection Targets:
o Mandatory e-waste collection targets (e.g., 30% in the first two years, gradually
increasing).
5. Bulk Consumers' Responsibility:
 o Entities such as offices and institutions must ensure proper disposal through
authorized channels.
6. Channelization:
o All entities must ensure e-waste reaches authorized dismantlers or recyclers.
7. Reporting and Record-Keeping:
o Regular filing of returns with CPCB or SPCBs.

Amendments in 2018:
 Relaxation in collection targets
 Exemption of micro-enterprises from certain compliance requirements
 Clearer definition of PROs and roles

Management Challenges
A. Informal Sector Dominance
 Over 90% of India’s e-waste is handled informally.
 Unsafe practices such as acid leaching and burning release toxic substances.
B. Lack of Awareness
 Consumers, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, are unaware of proper disposal
methods or the harmful effects of e-waste.
C. Weak Enforcement
 Despite rules, monitoring and enforcement by state authorities is inconsistent.
 Non-compliance by producers often goes unchecked.
D. Infrastructure Deficiency
 Very few authorized recyclers compared to the amount of e-waste generated.
 Disproportionate distribution of recycling centers, mostly concentrated in urban areas.
E. Economic Incentives
 Informal recycling is more profitable due to lower costs and absence of compliance
burden.
 Formal sector lacks incentives to compete effectively.
F. Data Gaps
 Reliable data on e-waste generation, collection, and recycling is insufficient.
G. Illegal Imports
 Despite bans, e-waste continues to enter India under various pretexts.

Treating E-Waste
As of now, there are no proper methods being implemented even in the first world to eliminate
the problem of e-waste.
 The two methods found to be interesting for proper treatment of e-waste
are recycling and refurbishing.
 For recycling, there may be products that cannot be recycled completely. PVC layers, for
example, stay as such for ages and cannot be recycled. It would be better if the
manufacturers use recyclable material so that the e-waste is converted into something that
can be used again without harming the planet and its inhabitants. Thus, one of the major
factors in treating e-waste is to compel manufacturers to use green elements.
 If electronics are refurbished, they can be sold again at a lower price. Thus, both the
society and environment will benefit. Instead of simply dumping your old TV into the
garbage bin, you might want to think about calling the vendor and ask him where to
present the item for refurbishing. If you cannot find, consider donating the item to some
charity that can either use it as such or get it repaired and use it. I do not think it is a
practice well implemented, but it would be nice if all vendors provide a refurbishing
facility.

Step-by Step Process of E-waste Recycling

The e-waste recycling process is highly labor intensive and goes through several steps. Below is
the step-by-step process of how e-waste is recycled,

1. Picking Shed - When the e-waste items arrive at the recycling plants, the first step
involves sorting all the items manually. Batteries are removed for quality check.
2. Disassembly - After sorting by hand, the second step involves a serious labor
intensive process of manual dismantling. The e-waste items are taken apart to retrieve
all the parts and then categorized into core materials and components. The dismantled
 items are then separated into various categories into parts that can be re-used or still
continue the recycling processes.

3. First size reduction process -Here, items that cannot be dismantled efficiently are
shredded together with the other dismantled parts to pieces less than 2 inches in
diameter. It is done in preparation for further categorization of the finer e-waste
pieces.

4. Second size reduction process - The finer e-waste particles are then evenly spread
out through an automated shaking process on a conveyor belt. The well spread out e-
waste pieces are then broken down further. At this stage, any dust is extracted and
discarded in a way that does not degrade the environmentally.

5. Over-band Magnet - At this step, over-band magnet is used to remove all the
magnetic materials including steel and iron from the e-waste debris.

6. Non-metallic and metallic components separation. - The sixth step is the separation
of metals and non-metallic components. Copper, aluminum, and brass are separated
from the debris to only leave behind non-metallic materials. The metals are either sold
as raw materials or re-used for fresh manufacture.

7. Water Separation- As the last step, plastic content is separated from glass by use of
water. One separated, all the materials retrieved can then be resold as raw materials
for re-use. The products sold include plastic, glass, copper, iron, steel, shredded circuit
boards, and valuable metal mix.

E-cycle components re-use

1. Plastic. All the plastic materials retrieved are sent to recyclers who use them to manufacture
items such as fence posts, plastic sleepers, plastic trays, vineyard stakes, and equipment holders
or insulators among other plastic products.

2. Metal. Scrap metals materials retrieved are sent to recyclers to manufacture new steel and
other metallic materials.

3. Glass. Glass is retrieved from the Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) mostly found in televisions and
computer monitors. Extracting glass for recycling from CRTs is a more complicated task since
CRTs are composed of several hazardous materials. Lead is the most dangerous and can
adversely harm human health and the environment. Tubes in big CRT monitors can contain high
levels of lead of up to 4 kilograms. Other toxic metals such as barium and phosphor are also
contained in CRT tubes. To achieve the best environmentally friendly glass extraction, the
following steps ensure a specialized CRT recycling:

 Manual separation of the CRT from the television or monitor body

 Size reduction process where the CRT is shredded into smaller pieces. Dust is
eliminated and disposed in an environmentally friendly way.
 All metals are removal through over-band magnets, where ferrous and non-ferrous
components are eliminated from the glass materials.
 A washing line is then used to clear oxides and phosphors from the glass
 Glass sorting is the final step whereby leaded glass is separated from non-leaded
glass. The extracts can then be used for making new screens.

4. Mercury. Mercury containing devices are sent to mercury recycling facilities that uses a
specialized technology for elimination for use in dental amalgams and metric
instruments, and for fluorescent lighting. Other components such as glass and plastics are
re-used for manufacture of their respective products.

5. Printed Circuit Boards. Circuit boards are sent to specialized and accredited companies
where they are smelted to recover non-renewable resources such as silver, tin, gold,
palladium, copper and other valuable metals.
6. Hard Drives. Hard drives are shredded in whole and processed into aluminum ingots for
use in automotive industry.
7. Ink and Toner Cartridges. Ink and toner cartridges are taken back to respective
manufacturing industries for recycling. They are remanufactured while those that can’t
are separated into metal and plastic for re-use as raw materials.
8. Batteries. Batteries are taken to specialized recyclers where they are hulled to take out
plastic. The metals are smelted is specialized conditions to recover nickel, steel, cadmium
and cobalt that are re-used for new battery production and fabrication of stainless steel.

E -Waste Disposal Methods

 LANDFILLING
This is the most common methodology of e-waste disposal. Soil is excavated and trenches are
made for burying the e-waste in it. An impervious liner is made of clay or plastic with a leachate
basin for collection and transferring the e-waste to the treatment plant. However, landfill is not
an environmentally sound process for disposing off the e-waste as toxic substances like
cadmium, lead and mercury are released inside the soil and ground water.
  ACID BATH
Acid bath involves soaking of the electronic circuits in the powerful sulphuric, hydrochloric or
nitric acid solutions that free the metals from the electronic pathways. The recovered metal is
used in the manufacturing of other products while the hazardous acid waste finds its ways in the
local water sources.

 INCINERATION
This is a controlled way of disposing off the e-waste and it involves combustion of electronic
waste at high temperature in specially designed incinerators. This e-waste disposal method is
quite advantageous as the waste volume is reduced extremely much and the energy obtained is
also utilized separately. However, it is also not free from disadvantages with the emission of the
harmful gases mercury and cadmium in the environment.