E-Waste Management

Now it's easier to send E-Waste Management a message.

10 Tips for Managing e-Waste

▪︎Buy less
▪︎Organize what you have
▪︎Give away or donate your e-waste
▪︎Take them back to the store
▪︎Sell
▪︎Learn about your local recycling options
▪︎Think ahead
▪︎Live in the cloud
▪︎Make a good-e-bag
▪︎Educate yourself, and be a little afraid

Collection, treatment, and disposal systems

Collection, treatment, and disposal systems are critical elements of e-waste management. Most developed countries have framed conventions, directives, and laws aimed at fostering proper collection, treatment, and recycling of e-waste, as well as safe disposal of the non-recyclable components.

A problem requiring multiple solutions

With the flood of e-waste growing around the world, recycling alone will not be enough. Here are some other ideas and solutions that are being researched, considered or practiced around the world. Hopefully, they will inspire more adoption of best practices.

▪︎Designing better products
▪︎The right to repair
▪︎Extended Producer Responsibility
▪︎The goal of a circular economy

Manual Dismantling - Dismantling levels

▪︎For manual dismantling, different dismantling levels can be applied, ranging from only nonpolluting the devices to in-depth dismantling of all components.

▪︎Generally, a more detailed and in-depth dismantling generates purer fractions with higher values. At the same time, a detailed dismantling is more labour intense and therefore generates higher personnel costs.

▪︎Further, appropriate downstream partners have to be found for the separated fractions. Therefore, the optimal dismantling level should be chosen depending on the available subsequent recycling processes as well as on the expected labour costs.

Recycling Chain

The recycling chain for WEEE consists of three
main subsequent steps:
1) collection
2) pre-processing (incl. sorting, dismantling,
mechanical treatment)
3) end-processing (incl. refining and disposal) Usually for each of these steps specialized operators and facilities exist. The material recovery efficiency of the entire recycling chain depends on the efficiency of each step and on how well the interfaces between these interdependent steps are managed.

If for example, for a certain material the efficiency
of collection is 50%, the combined pre-processing
efficiency is 70% and the refining (materials
recovery) efficiency 95%, the resulting net material
yield along the chain would be only 33%.

5 Ways to Safely Dispose of Electronic Waste

▪︎Give Your Electronic Waste to a Certified ▪︎E-Waste Recycler
▪︎Sell Off Your Outdated Technology
▪︎Donating Your Outdated Technology
▪︎Visit Civic Institutions
▪︎Give Back to Your Electronic Companies and Drop Off Points

E-Waste Scenario in India

▪︎The Indian information technology industry has a prominent global presence today largely due to the software sector.

▪︎More recently, policy changes have led to a tremendous influx of leading multinational companies into India to set up manufacturing facilities, R&D centres and software development facilities.

▪︎The domestic market is getting revitalized due to buoyant economic growth and changing consumption patterns.

▪︎This growth has significant economic and social impacts. The increase of electronic products, consumption rates and higher obsolescence rate leads to higher generation of electronic waste (e-waste).

▪︎The increasing obsolescence rates of electronic products added to the huge import of junk electronics from abroad create complex scenario for solid waste management in India.

Why Is Electronics Recycling Important?

▪︎Rich Source of Raw Materials
Internationally, only 10-15 percent of the gold in e-waste is successfully recovered while the rest is lost. Ironically, electronic waste contains deposits of precious metal estimated to be between 40 and 50 times richer than ores mined from the earth.

▪︎Solid Waste Management
Because the explosion of growth in the electronics industry, combined with short product life cycle has led to a rapid escalation in the generation of solid waste.

▪︎Toxic Materials
Because old electronic devices contain toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium, proper processing is essential to ensure that these materials are not released into the environment.

▪︎International Movement of Hazardous Waste
The uncontrolled movement of e-waste to countries where cheap labor and primitive approaches to recycling have resulted in health risks to residents exposed to the release of toxins continues to an issue of concern.

HOW THESE BECOME E-WASTE?

Reasons:

* Advancement in technology.

* Changes in style, fashion and status.

* Nearing the end of their usefull life.

* Not taking precautions while handling them.

EFFECTS OF E-WASTE ON HUMAN BODY.

Lead - Damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems and kidney damage. Affects brain development of children.

Chromium - Asthmatic Bronchitis. DNA damage.

Cadmium - Toxic irreversible effects on human health. Accumulatesin kidney and liver. Causes neural damage. Teratogenic.

Mercury - Chronic damage to brain and respiratory system.

Plastics including PVC -
Burning produces dioxin. It causes reproductive and developmental problems:immune system damage: interfere with regulatory hormones.

EFFECTS OF E-WASTE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

* Emissions from E - waste create environmental damage.

*Toxic chemicals from e- waste enter the "soil-crop-food pathway".

*These are non-biodegradable and cause soil pollution.

*E-waste dumping yards and nearby places are polluted and cause health hazards.

Composition of E-Waste

Ferrous & Non-ferrous Metals Plastics, Glass, Wood etc.

Iron & Steel - 50%

Plastics - 21%

Non-ferrous metal - 13%

Mercury, Arsenic, Lead etc.

▪︎Rapid growth of technology, upgradation of
technical innovations, and a high rate of
obsolescence in the electronics industry have led to one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world which consist of end of life electrical and electronic equipment products.
▪︎E-waste contains toxic substances and chemicals, which are likely to have adverse effect on environment and health, if not handled properly
E-waste is hazardous only if it contains hazardous constitutents.

Let's be aware and make others aware.

TOXIC CONSTITUENTS
• Printed circuit boards - Lead and cadmium
• Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) - Lead oxide and Cd
• Switches & flat screen monitors - Mercury
• Computer batteries - Cadmium
• Capacitors and transformers- PCB
• Printed circuit boards, plastic - Brominated flame
casings cable - retardant
• Cable insulation/coating - PV