The processing of e-waste, discarded electronic and electrical material, by the informal sector in India without proper safeguards may cause several health and environmental dangers, warns the United Nations(UN).
E-Waste in East and Southeast Asia Increasing Rapidly
Per capita consumption of gadgets, appliances, other products with a cord or battery, rising quickly with incomes. Report urges clampdown on improper recycling.
Advertisement
‘The health and environmental problems result from the improper and unsafe treatment and disposal of e-waste through open burning or in dumpsites.’
Tweet it Now
"Severe health impacts and environmental damage are widespread in India, due to the final step of the e-waste processing by the informal sector," a report by the International Telecommunications Union and the UN University released on Wednesday said.
Over 1 million poor people in India are involved in manual recycling operations, but "most of these people have very low literacy levels with little awareness of the dangers of the operations," it added.
![UN Reveals Millions of Tonnes of Toxic 'E-Waste' is Dumped in Developing Nations]( "UN Reveals Millions of Tonnes of Toxic 'E-Waste' is Dumped in Developing Nations")
The United Nations has warned that millions of tonnes of electronic goods this Christmas could create a flood of dangerous 'e-waste' that is being dumped illegally in developing countries.
The dangers come from "improper and unsafe treatment and disposal through open burning or in dumpsites," the report said.
The report, Global E-waste Monitor 2017, said that domestically India produced 1.95 million tonnes of e-waste last year -- or about 1.5 kg per person -- and it also imports it from developed countries.
E-waste includes a whole variety of small and large appliances, and electronic equipment including cell phones, TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, computers and lamps, small appliance and large appliances, lamps.
Last year, the world produced 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste or 6.1 kg per person, which is four times more than the e-waste produced by each Indian. Only 8.9 million tonnes -- or 20 per cent -- per cent of total global e-waste was recycled, it noted.
The report estimated that the value of recoverable precious materials like gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium contained in last year's e-waste was $55 billion and much of it was going to waste.
A formal e-waste recycling sector is now being developed in major Indian cities and under the country's rules producers have extended responsibility for the handling the waste that ultimately results from their products, the report said.
The main features of the regulations are a refundable deposit scheme that incentivises recycling and parallel to that is the creation of Producer Responsibility Organisations to handle the waste, it said.
Looking ahead, the report said that the problem could become more acute with cheaper cell phones and other equipment becoming available.
"This means that more people will be able to afford purchasing new equipment, and that more equipment will eventually be discarded," it added pointing to the need for developing systems to safely handle the e-waste and recycle it.
Source: IANS
UN Reveals Millions of Tonnes of Toxic 'E-Waste' is Dumped in Developing Nations
The United Nations has warned that millions of tonnes of electronic goods this Christmas could create a flood of dangerous 'e-waste' that is being dumped illegally in developing countries.
Advertisement
The dangers come from "improper and unsafe treatment and disposal through open burning or in dumpsites," the report said.
The report, Global E-waste Monitor 2017, said that domestically India produced 1.95 million tonnes of e-waste last year -- or about 1.5 kg per person -- and it also imports it from developed countries.
E-waste includes a whole variety of small and large appliances, and electronic equipment including cell phones, TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, computers and lamps, small appliance and large appliances, lamps.
Last year, the world produced 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste or 6.1 kg per person, which is four times more than the e-waste produced by each Indian. Only 8.9 million tonnes -- or 20 per cent -- per cent of total global e-waste was recycled, it noted.
The report estimated that the value of recoverable precious materials like gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium contained in last year's e-waste was $55 billion and much of it was going to waste.
A formal e-waste recycling sector is now being developed in major Indian cities and under the country's rules producers have extended responsibility for the handling the waste that ultimately results from their products, the report said.
The main features of the regulations are a refundable deposit scheme that incentivises recycling and parallel to that is the creation of Producer Responsibility Organisations to handle the waste, it said.
Looking ahead, the report said that the problem could become more acute with cheaper cell phones and other equipment becoming available.
"This means that more people will be able to afford purchasing new equipment, and that more equipment will eventually be discarded," it added pointing to the need for developing systems to safely handle the e-waste and recycle it.
Source: IANS
Attero Organizes E-Waste Collection Drive in Delhi, Noida
Attero, India's largest electronic asset management company organized an e-waste collection drive in the Delhi-NCR region to address the e-waste problem.
Advertisement
 New Research Suggests 'E-Waste Pollution' is a Threat to Human HealthResearchers have now linked e-waste to adverse effects on human health, such as inflammation and oxidative stress. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Environmental Health
Kitchen spices like nutmeg and poppy seeds, when ingested in excess, as well as indoor ornamental plants, cause negative health issues.
As global warming accelerates, the need for immediate and ongoing action to mitigate climate change's catastrophic consequences becomes imperative.
Forever chemicals or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in children, may cause them to mature later during puberty.
To achieve more substantial reductions in emissions, hospital sustainability efforts must extend their focus beyond the surface.
Most parents in Canada support moving school activities indoors to protect children from poor air quality.
