Global E-Waste Monitor Report
India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said that the pace of change in the world due to new avenues opening out with the applications of electronic, atomic energy etc. Today one of the most important global environmental pace problems are mainly related with the electric and electronic waste(E-waste), which is produced by the used electric and electronic equipments. Used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage and disposal are called e-waste. In these days most of the places in the world looks likes dustbins for e-waste.
According to NEW UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY survey, about 41.8 million tons of electronic waste is produced in 2014. Small parts of the electronic equipments like printed circuit boards, capacitors etc., are the major portion of this e-waste. Most of the world e-waste is produced in the Asian countries, where as the highest per inhabitant e-waste is produced in the European states. E-waste per inhabitant is much high in the developed countries like America, Hong Kong, Singapore. In the year 2014 china and America contribute the one fourth of the total global e-waste, this resembles that major contributors in e-waste are developed countries.
In the developing counties most of the e-waste is seen dustbins, then these waste is sent to landfill or incineration. There are no recycling centers are present in most of the developing countries and also some developed countries. In some countries like India and Nigeria collection of e-waste producing self employment for lot of people, these people collect the waste from the house hold management wastes and sell to the refurbishers and recyclers. These refurbishers modify or repair whatever the e-waste they buy and resale as second hand products.
Recycling of the e-waste is very harmful and critical process, the dismantling of precious metals like gold, platinum is very critical process. Recycling of precious metals will save the natural resources. Recycling of e-waste is economically more valuable business but the gases like dioxides which are evolved while recycling will causes serious health problems. In some countries this e-waste is recycled by government and some countries recycled by PPP (public private partnership) policy also. From some developed countries e-wasted is exported to developing countries, where the private companies refurbished them and resell as the second hand products. Trading of second hand products is legal if and if only both the exporting and importing countries accept the conditions. Exporting of hazardous must comply with Basel convention. The Basel convention is an international treaty which control the transporting of hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries. It is formed in 1989 January but start functioning in 1993.Head quarter of Basel convention is in Switzerland.
India is fifth biggest producing country of e-waste in the world. India does not have sufficient number of e-waste recycle plants. India recycling e-waste along with the private companies through PPP policy. The environment department of the state government of Maharashtra, along with MMRDA (MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGION DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY), will soon start a formal e-waste recycling facility in the Mumbai region through a public private partnership. Still now there are only one fourth of the e-waste is recycling in India. In order to save our lives from global e-waste pollution governments has to take controlling measures of e-waste and also has to start more recycling plants. Controlling measures and recycling plants will also save our global natural resources (mines).
C.Siva Gopal Reddy
