The electronic waste generated due to discarded computers, mobile phones and other gadgets is all set to take a heavy toll on human health and the environment in India unless immediate steps are taken to collect and recycle this waste.
By 2020, e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 500 per cent from 2007 levels in the country, a UN report released on Monday has warned.
The waste from old television sets and discarded refrigerators will double or triple during this period, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stated in the report "Recycling — from E-Waste to Resources". The waste from mobile phones would rise 18 times by 2020.
Most e-waste in the country is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold. This type of recycling in the informal sector releases steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to well equipped industrial recycling facilities.
Currently, India generates over 100,000 tons of waste from refrigerators, 2,75,000 tons from TVs, 56,300 tons from personal computers, 4,700 tons from printers and 1,700 tons from mobile phones. This data does not include waste imports, both legal and illegal, which are substantial in volume.
"India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi environmental damage and health problems if e- waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector," said UN under-secretary general Achim Steiner, also the executive director of the UNEP. Sales of electronic products in countries such as China and India are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years. Unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, these countries face the spectre of hazardous e- waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health, the report said. The e-waste would include old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.
Manufacturing mobile phones and personal computers consumes 3 per cent of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year, 13 per cent of palladium and 15 per cent of cobalt. Modern electronics contain up to 60 different elements — many valuable, some hazardous, and some both. Globally, more than 1 billion mobile phones were sold in 2007, up from 896 million in 2006.
The global e- waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year.
In addition to curbing health problems, proper recycling can boost employment, cut greenhouse gas emissions and recover a wide range of valuable metals including silver, gold, palladium, copper and indium, the report said.
RISK FACTOR
Global e- waste up 40mn tons a year
E-waste contains lead, mercury, cadmium, and polybrominated flame retardants. These are persistent, bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs) and create eco and health risks when computers are recycled
Incineration of e-wastes leads to release of mercury vapour, while burning of PVC plastic releases highly toxic dioxins and Furans
Released gases, acid solutions, toxic smoke and contaminated ashes endanger health of workers in backyard recycling
PBTs can enter food chain when released in ecosystem
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