Environmental Impacts of Electronic Waste & Potential Pathways for its Management

Environmental Impacts of Electronic Waste & Potential Pathways for its Management

Ankuran Pathak

Discovery of electrons, followed by the invention of semiconductor devices and development of computers thereafter, have profoundly impacted our way of life and consequently shaped the world, we live in today.

Often it is said that we live in a digital age and it is evident from the plethora of electrical and electronic gadgets, we are surrounded with.

Although, advancement in electronics and information technology has benefited a large section of the human society, the environmental footprint associated with it is quite significant.

Humankind’s insatiable demand for electronic devices is creating the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, ‘E-Waste’; it can be defined as any discarded product with a battery or plug, and contains toxic and hazardous substances such as mercury, cadmium, chromium etc.  that can pose severe risk to human and environmental health.

Magnitude of the Problem:

Over-consumption is one of the root causes of the exponential increase in generation of waste materials as well as the environmental hazards associated with them.

According to United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), a colossal quantity of around 62 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced globally in the year 2022, around 82% more than that of the generation in 2010 and with the prevalent consumption patterns, it is likely to increase by around 32% to a whopping 82 Million tonnes (Mt) by 2030.

Globally, society only deals with around 22% of e-waste appropriately and there is little data on what happens to the rest, most part of it ends up in landfill, or is disposed of by informal workers in poor conditions. Owing to the rapid urbanization, India has emerged as one of the biggest generator of E-waste after China and United States.

As estimated, around 1.6 Million tonnes of e-waste was generated in our country during the year 2021-22. With respect to the ever increasing quantum of e-waste generation, the available e-waste management infrastructure to deal with this massive problem is undoubtedly inadequate.

Hazards associated with E-Waste:              

Electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) contains a wide range of substances which are potentially hazardous in nature. For example, Mercury a toxic element is present in certain components of electrical and electronic items such as computer monitors, switches, fluorescent lamps etc. Mercury is a known bioaccumulant, and once it enters into the food chain can pose serious threats to the human health by affecting the nervous system and other vital organs.

Apart from Mercury, heavy metals like Cadmium, Chromium, Lead etc. and brominated flame retardants like poly-brominated biphenyls (PBBs) are integral part of Electronic components.  Such products after end of their usable life needs to be disposed of and if not properly handled can release the toxic elements and compounds embedded in them into the environment.

For example, open-air burning and acid baths being used by the informal waste sector, to recover valuable materials from electronic components release these toxic materials leaching into the environment. These practices can also expose workers to high levels of these contaminants and subsequently lead to irreversible health effects, including carcinogenic effects and neurological damage.

As reported by UNITAR, around 58 thousand kg of mercury and 45 million kg of plastics containing brominated flame retardants are released into the environment every year as a result of non-complaint e-waste management.

Management and Mitigation:

Considering the severity of the threat, unscientific handling and disposal of electronic wastes poses on all of us as well as the natural environment, a multi-pronged strategy is needed to deal with it effectively. An e-waste management strategy should necessarily encompass the following aspects:

• Development of adequate e-waste recycling & refurbishing infrastructure to cater to increasing quantities of e-waste generated.
• Strengthening Circular economy pathways through reverse logistics systems.
• Augmentation of research and innovation for development of clean e-waste recycling technologies as well as for reduction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
• Effective enforcement of the legislations formulated for e-waste management.
• Awareness among the common people with regards to the detrimental effects of improper e-waste disposal and behavioural changes required for its reduction.

One of the most important requirements for proper e-waste management is a robust as well as compliant e-waste recycling & refurbishing infrastructure. Recycling of e-waste can be referred to as a series of physical and chemical processes which aim at recovering valuable resources in the form of precious metals including Gold, Silver, Palladium, Copper, Tin and Nickel from the discarded products without causing harm to the environment as well as human health.

 Pyro-metallurgical processes, hydro metallurgy/ chemical leaching and electrometallurgical operations are some of the commonly used technologies for recovery of valuable metals. On the other hand, e-waste refurbishing is the process of separating unusable components from usable components present in a discarded electronic product and restoring the product to a working condition thereby extending its usable life.

Refurbishing of e-waste is comparatively less complicated but has numerous benefits from the environmental perspective. Refurbishing can reduce the quantum of e-waste which needs to be recycled thereby conserving energy required as well as emissions associated with conventional recycling processes.

There is enormous scope for innovation in the field of e-waste recycling especially in developing of nature based, less energy intensive technological solutions which have reduced environmental impact. Although significant research has been done with respect to technologies such as bio-metallurgy where extraction of valuable metals can be achieved by help of microorganisms, however, such nature based technologies are not often observed to be utilised in a commercial scale.

Therefore, there is profound need for policies to bring in industries and academia together to create an ecosystem where sustainable technologies thrive to mitigate the ill-effects of e-waste.

Isolated e-waste recycling units cannot be completely efficacious without a proper reverse logistics system for discarded products. A reverse logistics system is a supply chain process that moves products from consumers back to the producer and subsequent channelization to refurbishers or recyclers enabling recovery of valuable resources.

In absence of a well-established supply chain process, there is a likelihood for e-waste generated in areas which do not have access to a recycling facility to enter into the informal sector or end up in  sanitary landfills. Leachate, laden with toxic elements and compounds from such municipal waste dumpsites can potentially contaminate the soil and water causing serious environmental hazards.

Therefore, a comprehensive network of e-waste deposition centres possibly at all municipal wards, rural development blocks, commercial distribution centres of Electrical and Electronics companies, authorised repairing centres, retail stores for electrical and electronic goods etc. connected with a robust collection and transportation system , and subsequent  channelization of the e-waste thus collected to compliant recycling units can help the modern society achieve circular economy in the E-waste management sector.

Our country has a comprehensive legislative framework for effective e-waste management. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India had notified the first regulation on E-waste Management in the year 2011, which was superseded by the E-waste Management Rules, 2016 and subsequently by the E-waste Management Rules, 2022 which is currently in force.

These Rules have introduced a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime for augmentation of e-waste recycling. Producers of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) are given annual E-Waste Recycling targets based on the e-waste generation from the products produced and sold by them.

Moreover, provision for transaction of EPR Certificate between Producers and Recyclers/Refurbishershas been introduced thereby incentivizing the whole E-waste management industry. This EPR regime has, therefore created a suitable ecosystem for industries in the waste management sector to flourish.

It also mandates every electronic product manufacturing and selling company to ensure reduction of hazardous substances such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in electrical and electronic equipment produced by them, and restrict them below the prescribed limits .

Way Forward:

Although considerable efforts have been made to mitigate the harmful impacts of e-waste, the gap between the quantum of e-waste generated and the   quantum adequately recycled is staggering. In an era of conspicuous consumerism it will be very difficult to bridge this gap unless and until we acknowledge the environmental footprint of these products we unmindfully consume.

Understanding the facts pertaining to harms caused by unscientific disposal of e-waste generated by us can help us as a society to refrain from overconsumption and thereby reducing e-waste generation.

Small behavioral changes such as opting for refurbished products, repairing old computers, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets and extending their usable lives to the extent possible and refraining from getting lured by ever evolving features of these gadgets can yield great results in minimizing e-waste. Small steps towards circularity can lead us towards ensuring a sustainable future.

Ankuran Pathak: Engineering Professional, Nature photography and Filmmaking enthusiast, Cycling Enthusiast| Environmental Activist, Writing, Aspiring Farmer, Writer @MAHABAHU

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