Abbreviations:
TPA - Tonnes per Annum
CRT - Cathode Ray Tubes
PCB - Printed Circuit Board
LCD - Liquid Crystal Displays
As per ASSOCHAM-NEC study on 'Electricals and Electronics manufacturing in India' India recycles only 5% of its e-waste
- Said, India is one of the biggest contributors of e-waste in the world
- E-waste includes
- Discarded computer monitors, Mother boards, CRT, PCB, Mobile phones and chargers, compact discs, headphones, white goods such as LCD, Plasma TVs, ACs, Refrigirators and so on.
Key points of the Study:
- India generates around 2 million TPA of e-waste
- 12% is from telecom equipment
- Apart from India, top-e-waste generator countries are China, USA, Japan and Germany
- Indian states, largest generator of e-waste is Maharashtra (19.8%), followed by TN (13%), UP (10.1%), Karnataka (8.9%), Gujarat (8.8%) and M.P. (7.6%)
- Low quantum of recycling of e-waste in India is due to lack of infrastructure, absence of strong legislative framework
- Chemicals and pollutants generated by e-waste lead to environment and public health issues.
- Prolonged exposure to e-waste chemicals damage nervous system, blood system, kidneys and brain development, respiratory disorders, skin disorders, bronchitis, Lung cancer, heart, liver and spleen damage
Concerns:
- E-Waste is one of major concerns of 21st century
- As per Moore's law, transistor numbers to be accommodated in same size chip double every two years and due to his, most electronic systems get outdated in about 3-years.
- People upgrade their mobiles, laptops, cameras, TVs etc. creating large amount of useless e-waste
