PROJECT REPORT

ON

“E-waste- an overview”
Submitted by

Divya. Chandroth Jeryl. Joseph

Kiran. Kembhavimath Rohan. Matkari

Punit. Pardeshi

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

DATTA MEGHE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
SECTOR -3, AIROLI, NAVI MUMBAI – 400 708.
2008 — 2009
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
DATTA MEGHE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
SECTOR - 3, AIROLI, NAVI MUMBAI – 400 708.
2008 - 2009

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project work entitled

“E-waste- an overview”
Duly submitted by the students:-
1. Divya Chandroth 2. Jeryl Joseph

3. Kiran Kembhavimath 4. Rohan Matkari

5. Punit Pardeshi

Have worked under my supervision for the submission of this project, which to my
knowledge has been completed in satisfactory manner as a partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering to be conferred by the
University of Mumbai

Prof. P. A. Dode Dr. S. B. Charhate

2
 (PROJECT GUIDE) (HEAD OF DEPARTMENT)

Dr. A. R. KATTI
(PRINCIPAL)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It gives us immense pleasure to place this project report in this beautiful way with the
hearty co-operation and blessing of many people without whom this project would not
have been possible. We wish to thank our Principal Dr.A.R.Katti and Dr.S.B.Charhate
,Head of the Department(Civil) for providing us the opportunity to present our work.
Also we wish to thank the professors of Final year for extending their full support and
co-operation during the making of this project. We would like to express our deepest
and heartfelt gratitude to our Project Guide Prof.P.A.Dode, Senior Lecturer, without
whom this project would not have been possible and for sharing his immeasurable and
in-depth knowledge on this topic. We wish to thank him for having full faith in us and
for rendering his love, co-operation, constant encouragement and immense support at
the various stages during the making of this project.

We wish to acknowledge Miss.Chitralekha Vaidya who is an ME student at Sardar

Patel College Of Engineering for rendering her valuable guidance in conceptualizing
this study. We wish to thank Dr.Asolekar, Professor in Environmental Department,
IIT, Powai for rendering his knowledge in the topic. We would also like to thank
Mr.B.K.Soni, Managing Director, Ecoreco Ltd, for providing us the opportunity to
visit the recycling facility. A project of this nature could not be documented without
the tremendous background information made available by the various authors of
excellent books and articles which have been referred to and listed at the end of the
chapters and at the end of this report. We are thankful to them. We are thankful to our
friends who have directly/ indirectly helped us in preparing this report. Last but not
the least, we are thankful to our family for their understanding and constant support
which saw us through the extended working hours.

3
 INDEX

Chapters

List of Tables i
List of Figures ii
Abbreviations and Glossary iii

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 General 1
1.2 Need of e-waste study 2
1.3 Object of the project 3
1.4 Scope of the project 4
1.5 Outline of the Project 4

Chapter 2: Literature review

2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Classification of e-waste 5
2.3 E-waste hazards 6
2.3.1 Health hazards of mercury 9
2.3.2 Health hazards of lead 9
2.3.3 Health hazards of arsenic 10
2.3.4 Health hazards of cadmium 12
2.4 E-waste Scenario 12
2.4.1 E-Waste in the global context 12
2.4.2 E-waste in the Indian context 13
2.4.3 E-waste state scenario 14
2.5 Friendly way to handle e-waste 15
2.6 Regulatory regime for e-waste 16
2.6.1 The Hazardous Wastes
(Management and Handling) Rules, 2003 18
2.6.2 The Municipal Solid Wastes
(Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 18
2.7 Status of e-waste legislation in India 19
2.8 Basel Convention 19
2.8.1 Basel Ban Amendment 20
2.9 Various methods of e-waste disposal 20
2.9.1 Incineration 20
2.9.2 Open-burning 21
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 2.9.3 Landfilling 22
2.10 Leaching of e-waste 22
2.10.1 Dynamic Leaching Test 23
2.11 Recycling 23
2.11.1 Purpose of recycling e-waste 24
2.11.2 Process of Recycling 24
2.11.3 E-waste Recycling/Treatment technologies in India 26
2.11.4 Recycling, Reuse and Recovery Options 27
2.12 Process flow diagram of an integrated facility 28
2.13 Recommended action against e-waste 30
2.14 Some international responses to e-waste 32
2.15 Summary 32

Chapter 3: Case Study

3.1 Introduction 34
3.2 Methodology 34
3.2.1 E-waste recycling at ECORECO – activity flow chart 37
3.3 Remarketing 39
3.4 Data security 39
3.5 Ecoreco’s associations 39

Chapter 4: Analysis 40

Chapter 5: Result 41

Chapter 6: Conclusions and recommendations 42

Future work 43

References and Bibliography 44

Plates 47

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 List of Tables

Table Number Title Page Number

2.1 E-Waste Hazards 8
2.2 E-waste generating top 10 states 15
4.1 Quantities of e-waste sent to Ecoreco 41
from each state

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 List of Figures

Figure Number Title Page Number

2.1 Classification of e- waste 6

2.2 City-wise Graphical representation of e-waste 14

2.3 Pyramid showing friendly way to handle e- 16

waste

2.4 Recycling process 25

2.5 Recycling of electronic scrap at Umicore’s 28

integrated metals smelter and refinery

2.6 Recycling of electronic scrap at Umicore’s 29

integrated metals smelter and refinery

3.1 Approach 35

3.2 Reuse, Recycling and Recovery Process 36

3.3 Segregation of Plastics 36

3.4 CRT Treatment 37

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 3.5 Activity Flow chart 38

ABBREVATIONS AND GLOSSARY

AK : Actinic Keratosis
BMO : Base Metal Operations
CCA : Chromate Copper Arsenate
CD : Compact Disc
CEEDI : China Electronics Engineering and Design Institute
CFC : Chlorofluorocarbon
CPU : Central Processing Unit
CRT : Cathode Ray Tube
DANCED : Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development
DEAT : Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
DLT : Dynamic Leaching Test
EEE : Electrical and Electronic Equipment
EPA : Environmental Protection Agency
EPR : Extended Producer Responsibility
EPRCC : Environmental Protection and Resource Conservation Committee
ESM : Environmentally Sound Management
EU : European Union
EWSR : Electronic Waste Shipment Regulation
IAER : International Association of Electronic Recyclers
IC : Integrated Chip
IPWM : Integrated Pollution and Waste Management
IT : Information and Technology
LCD : Liquid Crystal Display
LDC : Less Developed Countries
LED : Light-Emitting Diode
MAIT : Manufacturers Association for Information Technology
MII : Ministry of Information Industry
MPCB : Maharashtra Pollution Control Board
NDRC : National Development and Reform Commission
NPC : National People’s Congress
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NWMS : National Waste Management Strategy
PBB : Polybrominated Biphenyls
PBDD : Polybrominated Dioxins
PBDE : Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
PC : Personal Computer
PCB : Polychlorinated Biphenyls
PCB : Printed Circuit Board
PCDF : Polychlorinated and Polybrominated Dioxins and Furans
PIC : Prior Informed Consent

PMO : Precious Metal Operations

PVC : Polyvinyl Chloride
PWB : Printed Wiring Boards
SEPA : State Environmental Protection Administration
TBBA : Tetrabromo Biosphenol-A
TCDD : Tetrachloro-Dibenzo-Dioxin
TCLP : Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure
TSDF : Treatment Storage and/or Disposal Facility
WEEE : Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

9
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
-Mohandas K. Gandhi

1.1 GENERAL:

Waste is an unwanted or undesired material or substance. It is also referred to as

rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk. Waste is directly linked to the human development,
both technologically and socially. The composition of different wastes has varied over
time and location, with industrial development and innovation being directly linked to
waste materials. Some components of waste have economical value and can be
recycled once correctly recovered. Various types of wastes are biodegradable waste,
biomedical waste, commercial waste, construction and demolition waste (C&D
waste), domestic waste, electronic waste (e-waste), hazardous waste, household waste,
human waste, industrial waste, liquid waste, municipal solid waste, radioactive waste
(nuclear waste), hazardous waste, toxic waste.

The large majority of wastes generated globally are disposed of in landfill sites,
without any pre-treatment or with minor treatments. Electronic wastes, "e-waste" is a
waste type consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic device.
Electrical and electronic equipments are made up of multitude of components, some
containing toxic substances which can have an adverse impact on human health and
the environment if not handled properly. E-waste contains toxic substances such as
lead, cadmium, arsenic, barium etc. Often, these hazards arise due to the improper
recycling and disposal processes used. When disposed carefully in a controlled
environment, they do not pose any serious health or environmental risk.

Hazardous-waste management studies to evaluate the significance of such hazards,

advice on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps are
10
also met upon. E-waste management includes various disposal methods such as
incineration, open burning, landfilling and the recycling method. Among the various
disposal methods landfilling is considered as the most harmful because of leachate
which often contains heavy water resources. . Even the best "state of the art" landfills
are not completely tight throughout their lifetimes and a certain amount of chemical
and metal leaching will occur. The situation is far worse for older or less stringent
dump sites. Recycling is a far better option as compared to disposal because it saves
resources and protects the Earth because new metals don't have to be mined.

1.2 NEED OF E-WASTE STUDY:

When people say "I am concerned about the environment," what do they mean?
Environment protection is a major concern today, and humans are now trying every
means and method available to save the environment. The study on e-waste is
required because:

 It is an environmental and health hazard:

E-waste contains a number of toxic substances which are not only dangerous
for the environment but also for the people living in the immediate area of e-
waste recycling and disposal sites. The cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in computer
and television monitors contain lead - which is poisonous to the nervous system
- as do circuit boards. Mercury - like lead - a neurotoxin, is used in flat-panel
display screens. Some batteries and circuit boards contain cadmium, known to
be a carcinogen.

 Rapid growth of the IT sector:

Rapid growth combined with rapid product obsolescence and discarded
electronics is now the fastest growing waste stream in the industrialized world.
The growing quantity of e-waste from electronic and the IT industry is
beginning to reach disastrous proportions and they need to be controlled. The
problem in Indian scenario is the lack of awareness among enterprises on the
hazardous effects of e-waste. Bangalore is the IT hub of India and is growing
phenomenally. The growing industry has provided employment to over 2 lakh
people and alone produces nearly 8,000 tons of e-waste every year. Most of this
waste is recycled unscientifically or just dumped along with domestic solid
waste, thereby creating health and environmental risks.

11
  To separate recyclable and reusable materials:
Government organizations would like to foster opportunities to recycle and re-
use surplus electronic equipment on as wide a scale as possible. Recycling of e-
waste is not required merely because it is mandatory or environmental
requirement, but is also essential to avoid bad publicity when computers and
other office automation systems are found in landfill or third world countries,
consequently, the industry is on the brink of a paradigm shift with respect to
cost avoidance v/s risk avoidance. . Recycling and buying recycled products
creates demand for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our
economy

1.3 OBJECT OF THE PROJECT:

E-Waste is a global concern today and it has far-reaching adverse effects on the
environment if not dealt with immediately.Hence study on e-waste is necessary and
the objectives of our present study are as stated below:

 To create awareness about e-waste: The average citizen has no idea about e-
waste and the problems it is causing for our environment. There are plenty of
things consumers can do. First, spread awareness of e-waste by discussing the
problem with friends and family, and at work place. The more the people know
the proper way to dispose off their electronic waste, the better. Second, find out
if there is an electronic-recycling centre in the city or anywhere nearby. Bring
the equipment there when it’s time to dispose of it.

 To study the hazardous effects of e-waste: Computers and other electronic

equipment are made from hundreds of different materials, both found naturally
as well as man-made. While some naturally occurring substances, such as
chromium, are harmless in nature, their use in the manufacture of electronic
equipment often results in compounds which are hazardous. These highly toxic
compounds are especially harmful to human health and the environment if not
disposed of carefully. Even a small cell phone has hundreds of harmful
carcinogens that are detrimental to the environment as well as human health.

 To study the quantity of e-waste generation: India generated 3.3 lakh tones e-
waste in 2007 and is expected to touch 4.7 lakh tones by 2011. The illegal
import of e-waste from abroad added another 50 tones to the Indian origin.
Pune ranked 3rd in Maharashtra in e-waste generation and the city’s e-waste
would reach 3,500 tons by 2015. The two largest nations shipping their e-
wastes out are the United States and Britain. Britain exported 25,000 tons of e-

12
 waste to South Asia last year.

 Disposal methods: In the hierarchy of end-of-life disposal methods, landfilling

is considered the most harmful, and recycling the most environmentally
tolerable. Various methods of e-waste disposal are incineration, open burning
and land filling. Land filling is one of the most widely used methods of waste
disposal.

 Reuse or recycling methods: Recycling means taking a product or materials at

the end of its useful life and turning it into a usable raw material to make
another product. Most of the recycling process involves physical dismantling by
hammer, chisel, screw driver and bare hand. Recycling offers significant energy
savings over manufacturing with virgin materials.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT:

In order to execute this project, it is essential to establish the e-waste business chain
linking different stakeholders to understand the trade economics and associated
environmental impacts.
The provision of recycling/disposal methods ensures constant and reliable e-waste
management .The study shall identify and describe the following:
• Their respective geographical distribution in the study area.
• E-waste generation cycle: Generation of electronic wastes starts once it is discarded
after the end of its useful life.
In industries management of e-waste should begin at the point of generation. This can
be done by waste minimization techniques and by sustainable product design. Waste
minimization in industries involves adopting inventory management, production-
process modification, volume reduction, recovery and reuse.

1.5 OUTLINE OF THE PROJECT:

The report is organised in six chapters. Chapter one presents introduction of e-waste,
need of e-waste study, objective and scope of work. The Chapter two literature review
deals with the definition of e-waste, classification of e-waste, hazards in e-waste, the
global scenario of e-waste, Indian scenario of e-waste, the state scenario of e-waste,
various ongoing practices of disposal and recycling or reuse of e-waste. The chapter
three deals with the case study(eco-reco); chapter four is analysis. The results are
detailed in chapter five and the conclusions and recommendations that can be arrived
upon after the completion of work is included in chapter six.

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 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION:

The rapid pace of technological change in the field of electronics has made appliances
for homes and office equipment both affordable and widely used. The extreme growth
rates but also ever increasing obsolescence rates result in large quantities of electrical
and electronic equipment being added to the waste stream.
Electronics are quickly becoming a significant portion of the materials sent to local
landfills. Computers, radios, fax machines, cellular telephones and personal digital
assistants are becoming items of concern in the waste stream. Advances in
technology, as well as the decreasing price of most electronics, has led to an increase
in the volume of outdated items that require proper disposal, typically called
electronic waste.
Electronic waste, popularly known as ‘e-waste’ (E. Pehlivan12 et al.,2009) can be
defined as electronic equipments / products connects with power plug, batteries which
have become obsolete due to:
 advancement in technology
 changes in fashion, style and status
 Nearing the end of their useful life.
. The processing of electronic waste in developing countries causes serious health and
pollution problems due to lack of containment, as do unprotected landfilling (due to
leaching) and incineration.

2.2 CLASSIFICATION OF E-WASTE:

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 E-waste encompasses ever growing range of obsolete electronic devices such as
computers, servers, main frames, monitors, TVs & display devices,
telecommunication devices such as cellular phones & pagers, calculators, audio and
video devices, printers, scanners, copiers and fax machines besides refrigerators, air
conditioners, washing machines, and microwave ovens, e-waste also covers recording
devices such as DVDs, CDs, floppies, tapes, printing cartridges, military electronic
waste, automobile catalytic converters, electronic components such as chips,
processors, mother boards, printed circuit boards, industrial electronics such as
sensors, alarms, sirens, security devices, automobile electronic devices.The
classification of e-waste is shown in the form of a flowchart in Fig 2.1.

CLASSIFICATION OF
E-WASTE

Computer peripherals Telecommunicatio Industrial Electronics Lighting Devices

n devices

Monitors, Phones Sensors Fluorescent Tubes

CPU, Cell phones Alarms
Key Board, Pagers Automobile electronic
Mouse, Fax Machines Devices
Circuit Boards Security devices
CDs
Floppies
Laptops
Servers

Fig: 2.1 Classification of e- waste

2.3 E-WASTE HAZARDS:

15
Electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in
landfills. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain
hazardous materials like mercury. When placed in a landfill, these materials (even in
small doses) can contaminate soil as well as drinking water.
E-waste contains different hazardous materials which are harmful to human health and
the environment if not disposed of carefully. While some naturally occurring
substances are harmless in nature, their use in the manufacture of electronic
equipment often results in compounds which are hazardous (e.g. chromium becomes
chromium VI). The following table gives a selection of the mostly found toxic
substances in e-waste and the various health hazards caused.

Table 2.1 E-Waste Hazards

Substance: Occurrence in Health relevance:
Halogenated e- waste:
compounds:
PCB (polychlorinated condensers, Cause cancer, effects
biphenyls) transformers on the immune system,
reproductive system,
nervous system,
endocrine system and
other health effects.
persistent and bio
accumulatable

• TBBA Fire retardants for can cause long-term

(tetrabromobisphenol- plastics (thermoplastic period injuries to
A) components, cable health acutely
• PBB insulation) TBBA is poisonous when
(polybrominated presently the most burned
biphenyls) widely used
• PBDE flame retardant in
(polybrominated printed wiring boards
diphenyl ethers) and covers for
components

Chlorofluorocarbon cooling unit, insulation Combustion of

(CFC) foam halogenated substances
may cause toxic
emissions.
16
PVC (polyvinyl cable insulation Temperature
chloride High) processing of cables
may release chlorine,
which is converted to
dioxins and furans.
Heavy metals and
other metals:

Arsenic small quantities in the acutely poisonous and

form of gallium on a long-term
arsenide within light perspective injurious to
emitting diodes health

Barium Getters in CRT may develop

explosive gases
(hydrogen) if wetted
Beryllium power supply boxes Harmful if inhaled
which contain silicon
controlled rectifiers,
beam line components
Cadmium rechargeable NiCd- acutely poisonous and
batteries, fluorescent injurious to health on a
layer (CRT screens), long-term perspective
printer inks and toners,
photocopying
-machines (photo
drums)
Chromium VI Data tapes, floppy- acutely poisonous and
disks injurious to health on a
long-term perspective
causes allergic
reactions
Gallium arsenide Light-emitting diode injurious to health
(LED)
Lead CRT screens, batteries, causes damage to the
printed wiring boards nervous system,
circulatory system,
kidneys causes
learning disabilities in
children
Lithium Li-batteries may develop explosive
17
 gases (hydrogen) if
wetted
Mercury Is found in the acutely poisonous and
fluorescent lamps that injurious to
provide backlighting in health on a long-term
LCDs, in some perspective
alkaline batteries and
mercury wetted
switches

Nickel rechargeable NiCd- may cause allergic

batteries or NiMH reactions
batteries, electron gun
in CRT
Rare earth elements fluorescent layer irritates skin and eyes
(Yttrium, Europium) (CRT-screen)
Selenium older photocopying- exposure to high levels
machines (photo may cause
toxic when inhaled drums) adverse health effects
Zinc sulphide Is used on the interior Toxic when inhaled
of a CRT screen,
mixed with rare metals
Others:
Toxic organic condensers, liquid
substances crystal display
Toner Dust Toner cartridges for Health risk when dust
laser printers / copiers is inhaled
risk of explosion
Radioactive substances Medical equipment, May cause cancer
Americium fire detectors when inhaled

Electronics and electrical equipment seem efficient and environmentally-friendly, but

there are hidden dangers associated with them once these become e-waste. The
harmful materials contained in electronics products (Cynthia A. Bily4et al.,2008);
coupled with the fast rate at which we’re replacing outdated units, pose a real danger
to human health if electronics products are not properly processed prior to disposal
(Jae-Min Yoo19et al.,2009).
Electronic products like computers and cell phones contain a lot of different toxins
(Daniel A. Vallero5et al.,2002). For example, cathode ray tubes (CRT) of computer
monitors contain heavy metals such as lead, barium and cadmium, which can be very
18
harmful to health if they enter the water system. These materials can cause damage to
the human nervous system and respiratory systems. Flame- retardant plastics used in
electronics casings, release particles that can damage human endocrine functions.
These are the types of things that can happen when unprocessed e-waste is put directly
in landfill.

2.3.1 Health hazards of mercury:

Mercury is a dense liquid metal that gives off a colourless, odourless, tasteless vapour
at relatively low temperatures (David Hollansky8,2008). The fluorescent tubes that
provide the source of light in the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) contain mercury. Very
small amounts of mercury are also found in the LCD backlights. Mercury vapour
lamps provide enhanced indoor and outdoor lighting; and elemental mercury has
many uses including thermostat regulation and the manufacture of plastics, mirrors
and thermometers.
Organic mercury is the most deadly of the mercury compounds, probably due to its
ability to enter the cells almost effortlessly. Within the cell it can destroy the various
components selectively or in total by releasing chemicals, damaging Deoxyribo-
Nucleic Acid (DNA) and by rupturing the cell membrane. A positive correlation was
found between mercury concentration in blood and chromosomal aberration. A study
of women in the village of Camara de Lobos in the island of Madeira, where sea
currents cause a concentration of mercury in local sea life, found that average values
of total mercury in hair and blood were about 10 mcg/g and 32 mcg/L respectively.
These levels have been associated with risk for brain development.

2.3.2 Health hazards of lead:

Lead is found in glass components of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT), as well as in

electronics components (printed wiring boards and their components) of both CRT
and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). It is widely used in electronic goods, as a major
component of solders (as an alloy with tin) in printed circuit boards and as lead oxide
in the glass of cathode ray tubes (televisions and monitors), as well as in lead-acid
batteries (Elizabeth Grossman13et al.,2007). Its compounds have also been used as
stabilizers in some Poly Vinyl Chlorides (PVC) cables and other products.
Lead is a significant material in current CRT, accounting for up to 8% of the overall
composition of the CRT by weight; with a 17" monitor containing as much as 1.12 kg
of lead (Anne E. Maczulak1,2009). Lead is used in several parts of the CRT monitor,
including the funnel and neck glass, the sealing frit, as solder on Printed Wiring
Boards (PWB) within the monitor, and sometimes in the front panel glass of the CRT.
At even very low levels, lead has been shown to cause health problems (Herbert
Lund18,2000). This makes it extremely important that we reduce our use of lead and
dispose of it properly. When lead is inhaled, about 30%-50% of the particles will
reach the lungs, depending on the size of the particle. Large particles land in the upper
19
respiratory tract where they get trapped by the mucous lining and are moved out by
the cilia.  Unfortunately, the mucous is often swallowed, allowing these large particles
to then go into the digestive system.

Smaller particles can reach deeper in the lungs and from there be absorbed into the
bloodstream. This means that when there is burning or welding on lead-painted
surfaces, the lead fumes can be especially dangerous.  The small particles created as a
fume will reach the blood if they are inhaled. Once lead is in the blood, some of it
moves into soft tissues.

 2.3.3 Health hazards of arsenic:

Arsenic is the most notorious of the chemicals contained in CCA (Chromate Copper
Arsenate). It is a metalloid element, but when refined, arsenic is tasteless, odorless and
colorless. Due to the unfortunate exposure of several population groups around the
world to arsenic in their water supplies, the adverse health effects of long term arsenic
exposure are well known and well documented. They include the following systemic
effects:

2.3.3.1 Toxicological: Arsenic is a human poison (toxin). Mild chronic poisoning can
occur at doses as low as 0.15 mg daily. According to the Journal of Pesticide Reform,
"the lethal dose of arsenic for an adult human is between 1 and 2.5 milligrams per
kilogram (mg/kg) of body weight". Thus, for a typical adult male weighing 165
pounds (75 kg), the fatal dose can be as little as 75 milligrams.

2.3.3.2 Dermatological: Skin cancers in the form of basal cell or squamous cell
carcinomas, are one of the most serious long-term dermatological health hazards from
continuous exposure to arsenic. Other serious dermatological hazards from chronic
arsenic exposure can include pre-cancerous Actinic Keratosis (AK), darkening of the
skin (hyper pigmentation).

2.3.3.2 Cardiovascular, Hepatic and Hematological: Cardiovascular side effects

affecting the heart and arteries from chronic arsenic exposure include high blood
pressure, irregular heartbeat, premature hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis),
vascular lesions, diabetes mellitus, and abnormal heart function. Hazards to the liver
(hepatic effects) include cirrhosis, abnormal liver function, as well as symptoms such
as "jaundice or simply an enlarged and tender liver". Long term arsenic exposure can
produces serious hematological (blood) problems ranging from anemia to more life-

20
threatening ailments such as assorted forms of cytopenia, aplastic anemia and even
acute leukemia in rare instances.

2.3.3.3 Respiratory: Continuous arsenic exposure can cause irritation and damage to
the mucous membranes in nasal passages and airways, including pharyngitis and
rhinitis, and can also aggravate symptoms of asthma. However, the greatest and most
prevalent risk of prolonged arsenic exposure via inhalation is lung cancer.

2.3.3.4 Neurological: The two most commonly-reported neurological effects of

severe or chronic arsenic exposure are "pins and needles" feeling in the hands and
feet, and partial paralysis of the limbs. In severe cases, degeneration of the peripheral
nervous system has been noted. Other noted neurological side effects include hearing
loss, memory loss, headaches, depression, anxiety attacks, and muscle and joint pain.

2.3.3.5 Carcinogenic: Chronic oral, dermal or inhalation arsenic exposure can lead to
several kinds of cancer. The most common are skin cancer, bladder cancer, and lung
cancer, the latter being most prevalent in cases of inhalation exposure. Skin cancer can
result from dermal or oral exposure, and patients with arsenic-related skin cancer are
more prone to other internal cancers.

 2.3.4 Health hazards of cadmium:

Cadmium occurs in certain components such as chip resistors, infra-red detectors, and
semiconductor chips. Cadmium is also a plastic stabilizer and some older cathode ray
tubes contain cadmium.

Spills and leaks from hazardous e-waste sites can cause cadmium to enter soil or
water. Cadmium attached to small particles may get into the air and travel a long way
before coming down to earth as dust or in rain or snow.

Cadmium compounds are toxic with a possible risk of irreversible effects on human
health, and accumulate in the human body, particularly the kidneys. Eating food or
drinking water with very high cadmium levels severely irritates the stomach, leading
to vomiting and diarrhoea. Cadmium build-up causes kidney damage, and also causes
bones to become fragile and break easily.

2.4 E-WASTE SCENARIO:

E-Waste is a global concern today. It can have far-reaching adverse effects on the
environment if not dealt with immediately. Awareness of e-waste management is the
key to getting more customers to come forward and dispose of their e-waste in a safe
manner.

21
2.4.1 E-Waste in the global context:

The use of electronic devices has proliferated in recent decades, and proportionately
the quantity of electronic devices that are disposed of, is growing rapidly throughout
the world. A study found that every year, 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are
generated worldwide. In 1994, it was estimated that approximately 20 million
Personal Computers (PC) became obsolete. By 2004, this figure was to increase to
over 100 million PC. This fast growing waste stream is accelerating because the
global market for PC is far from saturation and the average lifespan of a Personal
Computer (PC) is decreasing rapidly.

E-waste is a global issue for two main reasons:

1. Developing countries own a substantial share of e-waste. For example, of the
estimated 20-50 million tonnes of e-waste discarded annually worldwide, Asian
countries discard an estimated 12 million tonnes. This share will likely only
increase with the rapidly developing economies of China and India, who will
have 178 million and 80 million new computers, respectively, out of the global
total of an estimated 716 million new computer users by 2010.
2. E-waste is often sent for recycling and refurbishing in developing countries
(David Naquib Pellow6,2007) where labour is relatively cheap, and, once there,
can simply be landfilled, for example, 50-80 percent of the e-waste collected for
recycling in the US is exported.
 In USA, it accounts 1% to 3% of the total municipal waste generation.
 In European Union (EU), e-waste is growing three times faster than average
annual municipal solid waste generation. A recent source estimates that total
amount of e-waste generation in EU ranges from 5 to 7 million tonnes per
annum or about 14 to 15 kg per capita and is expected to grow at a rate of 3% to
5% per year.
 In developed countries, currently it equals 1% of total solid waste generation
and is expected to grow to 2% by 2010.

2.4.2 E-waste in the Indian context:

The electronics industry has emerged as the fastest growing segment of Indian
industry both in terms of production and exports. The share of software services in
electronics and IT sector has gone up from 38.7 per cent in 1998-99 to 61.8 percent in
2003-04.
A review of the industry statistics show that in 1990-91, hardware accounted for
nearly 50% of total IT revenues while software's share was 22%. The scenario
changed by 1994-95, with hardware share falling to 38% and software's share rising to
41%. This shift in the IT industry began with liberalization, and the opening up of
Indian markets together with which there was a change in India’s import policies vis-
à-vis hardware leading to substitution of domestically produced hardware by imports.
22
Since the early 1990s, the software industry has been growing at a compound annual
growth rate of over 46% (supply chain management, 1999). According to the survey
conducted the Indian PC industry is growing at a 25% compounded annual growth
rate. The e-waste inventory based on this obsolescence rate and installed base in India
for the year 2005 has been estimated to be 146180.00 tones. This is expected to
exceed 8, 00,000 tones by 2012(Vishakha Munshi30,2008).

Sixty-five cities in India generate more than 60% of the total e-waste generated in
India. Ten states generate 70% of the total e-waste generated in India. Maharashtra
ranks 1st followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab in the list of e-waste
generating states in India.

Table 2.2 E-waste generating top 10 states

State e-waste (tonnes)

Maharashtra 20270.59
Tamil Nadu 13486.24
Andhra Pradesh 12780.33
Uttar Pradesh 10381.11
West Bengal 10059.36
Delhi 9729.15
Karnataka 9118.74
Gujarat 8994.33
Madhya Pradesh 7800.62
Punjab 6958.46

Source: MPCB

2.4.3 E-waste state scenario:

In India, among the 10 states, Maharashtra ranks 1st in the e-waste generation .The
total e-waste generation in Maharashtra accounts for 20000 tonnes per year. It shows
that Greater Mumbai and Pune generates maximum amount of e-waste. This is due to
the presence of a large number of Info Tech Parks & electronic products
manufacturing companies situated in Mumbai and Pune areas, which plays the main
role in e-waste generation. The entire amount of e-waste from this region is
transported for dismantling and further supply to Delhi market. Therefore,
Maharashtra acts as a hub for supply of e-waste to Delhi and other parts of India.

23
Among the top ten cities generating e-waste, Mumbai ranks first followed by Delhi,
Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.

While there is no large-scale organized e-waste recycling facility in the country and
the entire recycling exists in unorganized sector, there are two small e-waste
dismantling facilities in Chennai. Ironically, in India, there are no specific
environmental laws or guidelines on e-waste. None of the existing environmental laws
have any direct reference to electronic waste or refer to its handling as hazardous in
nature. However, several provisions of the laws may apply to various aspects of
electronic wastes. Since e-waste or its residues fall under the category of “hazardous”
and “non-hazardous waste, they are covered under the preview of “The Hazardous
Waste Management Rules, 2003”. According to the draft guidelines, plastic-
containing flame-retardants can be burnt in common hazardous waste incineration
facilities. But monitoring and control of plastic burning at the facilities is a big
environmental health and safety issue. Therefore, plastic which cannot be recycled
and is hazardous in nature is recommended to be land filled in nearby treatment
storage and/or disposal facility (TSDF).

Fig 2.2: City-wise Graphical representation of e-waste

Source: Manufacturer’s Association for Information Technology (MAIT)

Moreover, existing lead recycling facilities from batteries fall under the existing
environmental regulations for air, water, noise, land and soil pollution and generation
of hazardous waste. In case lead recovery is low, they can be temporarily stored at e-
waste dismantling facility and later disposed in TSDF. There is a need to
geographically restrict area of operation of a particular facility similar to the lines of
area of operation of a TSDF facility. This will ensure lower transportation cost, check
transportation of e-waste across the different states and availability of raw material to
the facility.

24
2.5 FRIENDLY WAT TO HANDLE E-WASTE:

There are many ways to deal with e-waste. As the adage goes “prevention is better
than cure” it is wise to prevent or minimize the production of e-waste. Reusing the
parts and various components of e-waste is another option which reduces the total
volume of e-waste to be treated or disposed off. (Anne E. Maczulak1et al.,2009)
Recycling is changing the original product and using it to produce something new.
Recycling also reduces the content of e-waste to be disposed. When methods like
open burning or incineration are used for disposing e-waste, the energy so produced
can be recovered and put to use for lighting or other purposes. The least favored
method of handling e-waste is to dispose it off. Disposal methods not only cause
pollution but also lead to generation of by- products which have to be dealt with
separately.

Fig 2.3: Pyramid showing friendly way to handle e-waste

Source: MPCB

2.6 REGULATORY REGIME FOR E-WASTE:

In India, there are no specific environmental laws or Guidelines for e-waste.

None of the existing environmental laws have any direct reference to electronic waste
or refer to its handling as hazardous in nature. However several provisions of these
laws may apply to various aspects of electronic wastes. Since e-waste or its
constituents fall under the category of ‘hazardous” and “non hazardous waste”, they
shall be covered under the purview of “The Hazardous Waste Management Rules,
2003”. Respective definitions, their meaning and interpretation under the rule are
given below.
25
2.6.1 The Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2003

The Hazardous Waste (Management and handling) Rule, 2003, defines

“Hazardous waste” as any waste which by reason of any of its physical,
chemical, reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive or corrosive characteristics
causes danger or likely to cause danger to health or environment, whether alone or
when on contact with other wastes or substances, and shall include:
 Waste substances that are generated in the 36 processes indicated in column 2
of Schedule I and consist of wholly or partly of the waste substances referred to
in column 3 of same schedule.
 Waste substances that consist wholly or partly of substances indicated in five
risks class (A, B) mentioned in Schedule 2, unless the concentration of
substances is less than the limit indicated in the same Schedule.
 Waste substances that are indicated in Lists A and B of Schedule 3 (Part A)
applicable only in cases of import and export of hazardous wastes in accordance
with rules 12, 13 and 14 if they possess any of the hazardous characteristics
listed in Part B of schedule 3.

“Disposal” means deposit, treatment, recycling and recovery of any hazardous

wastes. Important features of Schedule 1 and 2 which may cover E-waste are given
below.

Schedule 1
Although, there is no direct reference of electronic waste in any column of
Schedule 1 (which defines hazardous waste generated through different
industrial processes), the “disposal process” of e-waste could be characterized as
hazardous processes. The indicative list of these processes is given below.
 Secondary production and/ or use of Zinc
 Secondary production of copper
 Secondary production of lead
 Production and/ or use of cadmium and arsenic and their compounds
 Production of primary and secondary aluminum
 Production of iron and steel including other ferrous alloys (electric furnaces,
steel rolling and finishing mills, coke oven and by product plan)
 Production or industrial use of materials made with organo silicon compounds
 Electronic industry
 Waste treatment processes, e.g. incineration, distillation, separation and
concentration techniques

26
As per these regulations, once a waste product is classified as hazardous
according to industrial process listed in Schedule 1, it is exempted from the
concentration limit requirement set by Schedule 2 of Act, and is considered
hazardous irrespective of its concentrations.

Schedule 2
The Schedule 2 of the Hazardous Waste Management and Handling Rules 2003, lists
waste substances which should be considered hazardous unless their concentration is
less than the limit indicated in the said Schedule. The various classes of substances
listed in this Schedule relevant to E-waste are covered broadly in Class A and B as
shown below.

Class A: Concentration Limit: >= 50 mg/kg

The indicative waste list, which could be part of E-waste or its fractions under this
class are given below.
 Antimony and antimony compounds
 Beryllium and beryllium compounds
 Cadmium and cadmium compounds
 Chromium (VI) compounds
 Mercury and mercury compounds
 Halogenated compounds of aromatic rings, e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls,
 polychloroteriphenyls and their derivatives
 Halogenated aromatic compounds

Class B: Concentration Limit: >= 5,000 mg/kg

The indicative waste list, which could be part of E-waste or its fractions under this
class are given below.
 Cobalt compounds
 Copper compounds
 Lead and lead compounds
 Nickel compounds
 Inorganic tin compounds
 Vanadium compounds
 Tungsten compounds
 Silver compounds
 Halogenated aliphatic compounds
 Phenol and phenolic compounds
 Chlorine
 Bromine
27
  Halogen-containing compounds, which produce acidic vapors on contact with
humid air or water

2.6.2 The Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000

"Municipal Solid Waste" includes commercial and residential wastes generated in

municipal or notified areas in either solid or semi-solid form excluding industrial
hazardous wastes but including treated bio-medical wastes.

"Disposal" means final disposal of municipal solid wastes in terms of the

specified measures to prevent contamination of ground-water, surface water and
ambient air quality.

"Processing" means the process by which solid wastes are transformed into
new or recycled products;

"Recycling" means the process of transforming segregated solid wastes into

raw materials for producing new products, which may or may not be similar to the
original products

"Storage" means the temporary containment of municipal solid wastes in a

manner so as to prevent littering, attraction to vectors, stray animals and
excessive foul odor.

2.7 STATUS OF E-WASTE LEGISLATION IN INDIA:

Toxics Link, in association with the Basel Action Network, published the landmark
report in February 2003, on the transboundary movement of e-waste from the
developed countries to India and the hazardous practices associated with recycling e-
waste, especially highlighting the need for legislation to ban the import of e-waste as
well as ensure environmentally sound disposal of the domestically generated e-waste
(Rakesh Joshi27et al.,2009). Even though India is a signatory of the Basel Convention,
there is no specific legislation regulating the import/ export or the collection and
treatment of e-waste in India as yet (in 2006) (Dr. Hassan Ahmed9et al.,2009). There
are however several existing environmental legislations which are of importance and
useful in the context of e-waste.

2.8 BASEL CONVENTION:

28
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement
on hazardous and other wastes.
The Convention has 172 Parties and aims to protect human health and the
environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management,
transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes. The Basel
Convention came into force in 1992. It was designed to reduce the movements of
hazardous wastes between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous
waste from developed to Less Developed Countries (LDC). It does not, however,
address the movement of radioactive waste. The Convention is also intended to
minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure their environmentally
sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation, and to assist
LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they
generate.

2.8.1 Basel Ban Amendment:

After the initial adoption of the Convention, some LDCs and environmental
organizations argued that it did not go far enough. Many nations and NGOs argued for
a total ban on shipment of all hazardous waste to LDCs. In particular, the original
Convention did not prohibit waste exports to any location except Antartica but merely
required a notification and consent system known as "prior informed consent" or PIC.
Further, many waste traders sought to exploit the good name of recycling and begin to
justify all exports as moving to recycling destinations. Many believed a full ban was
needed including exports for recycling. After the 1995 Basel conference by LDCs,
Greenpeace and key European countries such as Denmark, led to a decision to adopt
the Basel Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention. Not yet in force, but considered
morally binding by signatories, the Amendment prohibits the export of hazardous
waste from a list of developed (mostlyOECD) countries to developing countries. The
Basel Ban applies to export for any reason, including recycling. An area of special
concern for advocates of the Amendment was the sale of ships for salvage,
shipbreaking. The Ban Amendment was strenuously opposed by a number of industry
groups as well as nations including the United States and Canada. As of late-2005, 63
nations have ratified the Basel Ban Amendment; 62 are required for it to enter into
force. The European Union fully implemented the Basel Ban in its Waste Shipment
Regulation (EWSR), making it legally binding in all European Union (EU) member
states.

2.9 VARIOUS METHODS OF E-WASTE DISPOSAL:

29
E-waste management practices comprise of various means of final disposal of end-of-
life equipment. In the hierarchy of end-of-life disposal methods, landfilling is
considered the most harmful, and recycling the most environmentally tolerable
Various methods of e-waste disposal are:

 Incineration
 Open burning
 Landfilling

2.9.1 Incineration:

Incineration is the process of destroying waste through burning. Because of the variety
of substances found in e-waste, incineration is associated with a major risk of
generating and dispersing contaminants and toxic substances. The gases released
during the burning and the residue ash is often toxic (R. E. Hester28et al.,2004). This is
especially true for incineration or co-incineration of e-waste with neither prior
treatment nor sophisticated flue gas purification.

Studies of municipal solid waste incineration plants have shown that copper, which is
present in printed circuit boards and cables, acts a catalyst for dioxin formation when
flame-retardants are incinerated. These brominated flame retardants when exposed to
low temperature (600-800°C) can lead to the generation of extremely toxic
polybrominated dioxins (PBD) and furans. PVC, which can be found in e-waste in
significant amounts, is highly corrosive when burnt and also induces the formation of
dioxins.

2.9.1.1 Advantages of incineration:

Advantage of incineration of e-waste is the reduction of waste volume and the

utilization of the energy content of combustible materials. Some plants remove iron
from the slag for recycling. By incineration some environmentally hazardous organic
substances are converted into less hazardous compounds.

2.9.1.2 Disadvantages of incineration:

Disadvantage of incineration are the emission to air of substances escaping flue gas
cleaning and the large amount of residues from gas cleaning and combustion.
Incineration also leads to the loss valuable of trace elements which could have been
recovered had they been sorted and processed separately.

2.9.2 Open-burning:
30
Open burning is the process of destroying the waste by burning it under uncontrolled
conditions.

2.9.2.1 Disadvantages of open burning:

Since open fires burn at relatively low temperatures, they release many more
pollutants than in a controlled incineration process at an MSWI-plant. Inhalation of
open fire emissions can trigger asthma attacks, respiratory infections, and cause other
problems such as coughing, wheezing chest pain, and eye irritation (Mackenzie21, et
al.,2005). Chronic exposure to open fire emissions may lead to diseases such as
emphysema and cancer. For example, burning PVC releases hydrogen chloride, which
on inhalation mixes with water in the lungs to form hydrochloric acid.
This can lead to corrosion of the lung tissues, and several respiratory complications.
Often fires burn with a lack of oxygen, forming carbon monoxide, which poisons the
blood when inhaled. The residual particulate matter in the form of ash is prone to fly
around in the vicinity and can also be dangerous when inhaled. Soil and sediment
collected in the vicinity of an open electronic waste disposal and recycling facility.
The PBD were detected in the soil and sediment samples at levels of 0.26–824 Ng/g
(dry weight).
Many of the chemicals released are highly toxic, some may affect children’s
developing reproductive systems, while other can affect brain development and the
nervous system. The samples of soil/ash from open burning sites generally contained
high levels of many metals that are known to be present in electronic devices, some of
which have toxic properties (Paul T William, et al.,2005). Numerous organic chemical
pollutants were also identified. Similarities were found between the samples from the
different open burning sites, with regard to those metals present at high levels and the
range of organic chemicals present.

2.9.3 Landfilling:

The most common method of managing E-waste has been landfilling (Amalendu
Baqchi 2 et al.,2004) While the weight represented by used electronics is not dramatic,
the volume that these items represent in landfills is proportionally more significant
because of the bulk and rigidity of these materials. Furthermore, as some electronic
items contain hazardous material, the proper management of those items is important.
In addition, electronic items are made with valuable materials that are a great source
of recoverable commodities including steel, glass, plastic, and precious metals.

Discarded electronics often end up in landfills. It has become common knowledge that
all landfills leak. Even the best "state of the art" landfills are not completely tight
throughout their lifetimes and a certain amount of chemical and metal leaching will
occur (Paul T William24 et al.,2005). The situation is far worse for older or less
stringent dump sites
31
2.10 LEACHING OF E-WASTE:

Leachate is the liquid that drains or 'leaches' from a landfill; it varies widely in
composition regarding the age of the landfill and the type of waste it contains (David
Hollansky8et al.,2004). It can usually contain both dissolved and suspended
materials. Disposal of e-wastes is one of the main reasons for leaching. Computer
wastes that are land filled produces contaminated leachates which eventually pollute
the groundwater. Acids and sludge obtained from melting computer chips, if
disposed on the ground causes acidification of soil. Incineration of e-wastes can emit
toxic fumes and gases, thereby polluting the surrounding air. Improperly monitored
landfills can cause environmental hazards. Mercury will leach when certain
electronic devices, such as circuit breakers are destroyed. The same is true for
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) from condensers. When brominated flame retardant
plastic or cadmium containing plastics are landfilled, both polybrominated diphenyl
ethers (PBDE) and cadmium may leach into the soil and groundwater. It has been
found that significant amounts of lead ion are dissolved from broken lead containing
glass, such as the cone glass of cathode ray tubes, gets mixed with acid waters and
are a common occurrence in landfills.

2.10.1 Dynamic Leaching Test

Dynamic leaching test (DLT) is employed to study the leaching mechanism and to
evaluate the potential leaching hazards of various E-waste components under landfill
conditions. The samples include the PC motherboards, hard disk drives, floppy disk
drives, CD/DVD drives, power supply units, and cell phones.

In the test, a specimen- for instance a whole piece of motherboard - is cleaned of dirt
and rinsed by deionizer water, then placed in a test container on top of the supports
built inside the container. The containers are filled with two types of leaching fluids.
The liquid-to-solid ratio of 10:1 on weight basis is used (James E. Kilduff20,2000).
Leaching cycles of 3 to 10 days were used. After each leaching cycle, the leaching
fluid is renewed by the fresh one and analyzed for different toxic constituents.

2.11 RECYCLING:

Nowadays computer has been as important as oxygen. Without computer no one can
live. All are looking at the advantages it has been producing but there are
disadvantages equal to advantages. One of them is the electronic wastes produced by
the computer. These electronic wastes contain toxic substances like mercury, lead,
cadmium etc. These substances cause harm to the Environment.

32
Recycling (Carl A. Zimring3et al.,2005) is one of those concepts everyone embraces.
Yet, when it comes to electronics—TVs, monitors, computers, and peripherals—why
do so few of us actually do it? According to figures from the EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency), only about 13.6% of so-called e-waste was recycled in 2007, the
rest being diverted to municipal landfills or storage. The rate is a significant
improvement from the 10% recycled in 2000; however, it’s a far cry from the two-
thirds of major appliances—things such as refrigerators and washing machines—that
are diverted from the dump.

Recycling of e-waste is not required merely because it is mandatory or environmental

requirement, but is also essential to avoid bad publicity when computers and other
office automation systems are found in landfill or third world countries, consequently,
the industry is on the brink of a paradigm shift with respect to cost avoidance v/s risk
avoidance.

2.11.1 Purpose of recycling e-waste:

Most electronic devices contain a variety of materials, including metals, which can be
recovered for recycling. Recycling waste electronics saves resources and protects the
Earth because new metals don't have to be mined (Denise Di Ramio7et al.,2008). In
addition, some electronic products contain high enough levels of certain materials,
such as lead, that render them hazardous waste when disposed. Hazardous wastes
cannot be disposed with municipal trash. Apart from this other few reasons for
recycling are as follows:

 Good For Our Economy -companies rely on recycling programs to provide the
raw materials they need to make new products.
 Creates Jobs
 Reduces Waste (Frank Ackerman14et al.,2007)
 Good For The Environment -Recycling requires far less energy, uses fewer
natural resources, and keeps waste from piling up in landfills.
 Saves Energy -Recycling offers significant energy savings over manufacturing
with virgin materials.
 Preserves Landfill Space -No one wants to live next door to a landfill.
Recycling preserves existing landfill space.
 Prevents Global Warming
 Reduces Water Pollution -Making goods from recycled materials generates far
less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials.
 Creates New Demand -Recycling and buying recycled products creates demand
for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our economy

2.11.2 Process of Recycling:

33
The process followed is as under:

Manual separation of glass & large ferrous

Shredding of the remaining items

Magnetic separation for iron/steel

Eddy current separation for aluminum

Manual separation of copper and other mix

Re-shredding of mix particles

Segregation of Printed Circuit Boards,

CRT separation

Disposal of heavy hazardous substances

Recovery of precious metals by the renowned refinery

Sale of recovered commodities to respective smelting companies

Fig 2.4: Recycling process

The recycle and recovery includes the following unit operations:-

(i) Dismantling:
34
Removal of parts containing dangerous substances (CFC, Hg switches,
PCB); removal of easily accessible parts containing valuable substances
(Cable containing copper, steel, iron, precious metal containing parts,
e.g.contacts) .

(ii) Segregation of ferrous metal, non-ferrous metal and plastic

This separation is normally done in a shredder process.

(iii) Refurbishment and reuse:

Refurbishment and reuse of e-waste has potential for those used electrical
and electronic equipments which can be easily refurbished to put to its
original use.

(iv) Recycling/recovery of valuable materials

Ferrous metals in electrical are furnaces, non-ferrous metals in smelting
plants, precious metals in separating works.

(v) Treatment/disposal of dangerous materials and waste

Shredder light fraction is disposed of in landfill sites or sometimes incinerated
(expensive), CFCs are treated thermally, PCB is incinerated or disposed of in
underground storages, Hg is often recycled or disposed off in underground landfill
sites.

2.11.3 E-waste Recycling/Treatment technologies in India

The assessment of e-waste recycling sector in India indicates that e-waste trade starts
from formal dismantling sector and moves to informal recycling sector. E-waste
movement from formal to informal sector is driven by trade and can be tracked by
trade value chain. This e-waste trade value chain can be mapped based on material
flow from formal sector to informal sector. This chain was identified considering
bottom-up approach with three levels of e-waste generation hierarchy. The three levels
of e-waste generation hierarchy give rise to three types of stakeholders involved in e-
waste trade as described below:-

1. 1st Level – Preliminary e-waste Generators.

2. 2nd Level – Secondary e-waste Generators.
3. 3rd Level – Tertiary e-waste Generators.

The input to “Preliminary e-waste Generator” comes from formal organized

35
market like manufacturers, importers, offices and organized markets, where e-waste
from domestic consumers comes either in exchange schemes or as a
discarded item. Therefore, the major stakeholders are scrap dealers/ dismantlers who
purchase e-waste from the first level in bulk quantities.

These stakeholders have limited capacity of dismantling and are involved in trading of
e-waste with “Secondary e-waste Generators”. The market between first and second
level is semi formal i.e. part formal, while the market between second and third level
is completely informal.
Stakeholders falling under “Secondary e-waste Generators” have limited financial
capacity and are involved in item/ component wise dismantling process and
segregation ex. dismantling of CRT, PCB, plastic and glass from e-waste.

‘Tertiary Level Stakeholders” are the major stakeholders between second and third
level and are metal extractors, plastic extractors and electronic item extractors. They
use extraction process, which are hazardous in nature. The characteristics of emissions
from e-waste treatment in semi formal and informal sector in India are as follows:
1. Generation of mixed e-waste fractions along with hazardous waste after
dismantling.
2. Generation of effluents during metal extraction ex. Acid bath process for copper
extraction from printed circuit board.
3. Air emissions due to burning of printed circuit board.
4. Inefficient secondary raw material generation.

The entire e-waste treatment is being carried out in an unregulated environment,

where there is no control on emissions. There are two e-waste dismantling facilities in
formal sector in India.

2.11.4 Recycling, Reuse and Recovery Options:

The composition of e-waste consists of diverse items like ferrous and non ferrous
metals, glass, plastic, electronic components and other items and it is also revealed
that e-waste consists of hazardous elements (M. Streicher Porte23et al.,2005).
Therefore, the major approach to treat e-waste is to reduce the concentration of these
hazardous chemicals and elements through recycle and recovery. In the process of
recycling or recovery, certain e-waste fractions act as secondary raw material for
recovery of valuable items.
The value of recovery from the elements would be much higher if appropriate
technologies are used.

The salient features of this operation are given below.

36
1. The integrated operations are based on two major processes, which are precious
metal operations (PMO) involving recovery of gold, silver, platinum, palladium,
rhodium, iridium and ruthenium and base metal operations (BMO) involving recovery
of Pb, Cu, Ni, Sb, Sn, Bi, Se, In, Te.
2. The processes are based on complex lead/ copper/ nickel metallurgy, using these
base metals as collectors for precious metals and special metals, such as Sb, Bi, Sn,
Se, Te, In.

2.12 PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM OF AN INTEGRATED FACILITY:

Fig 2.5: Recycling of electronic scrap at Umicore’s integrated metals smelter and refinery

3. At first at the sampling facility, circuit boards and other E-waste residues after
second level of treatment are prepared for smelting by sampling and assaying
for precious metal content.
4. The PMO include smelter, copper leaching & electro winning plant and
precious metals refinery. The smelter furnace uses submerged lance combustion
technology as shown in figure given below. The technology involves injection
of oxygen rich air and fuel in a molten bath and addition of coke as a reducing
agent for the metals. Plastics or other organic substances that are contained in
the input feed partially substitute the coke and fuel as energy source. The
smelter separates precious metals in copper bullion from all other metals
concentrated in a lead slag.

37
 5. After leaching out copper in leaching and copper electro winning plant, the
precious metals are collected in a residue that is further refined at a precious
metal in-house refinery
6. The BMO include lead recovery from lead slag obtained from PMO. The main
steps in BMO are the lead blast furnace, lead refinery and special metal plants.
7. The lead blast furnace reduces the oxidized lead slag from the smelter together
with other high lead containing raw materials and transforms them into impure
lead bullion, nickel specs, copper matte and deleted slag.
8. The impure lead bullion, collecting most of the non-precious metals is treated in
lead refinery. The lead refinery leads to production of lead and sodium
antimonite and special metals residues. These residues are further refined into
special metals refinery to produce indium, selenium and tellurium

Smelting and Electro winning during PMO in an integrated plant:

Fig 2.6: Recycling of electronic scrap at Umicore’s integrated metals smelter and refinery

9. Bismuth and tin intermediates and nickel specs are sent to other locations for their
recovery. Copper matte is fed into blast furnace used in PMO.

10. The by-products from the integrated facility include sulphuric acid, gas, waste
water and slag from lead blast furnace. Sulphuric acid is further used, while, waste

38
water, gas are cleaned before discharge while slag is physically calibrated for usage in
concrete industry or as dyke fortification substance.

11. Air is cleaned using bag house filter, electrofilters and scrubbers before
discharging into stack. SOx and NOx are continuously monitored at stack, while
diffuse emissions are from stockyards and roads are controlled by intensive
sprinkling. Other measures to control air pollution include dust free emptying of
shipped drums/ big bags, dust free sampling procedures, storage of critical materials
in containers inside a warehouse, emptying of the containers under aspiration and
transport in covered belt system.

12. Water pollution is controlled by using waste water treatment plant where acids are
neutralized while metals, sulphates and fluorine are removed by physico-chemical
processes. Some of the major parameters in addition to basic water quality parameters,
which are monitored, are lead, zinc, copper, nitrates and nitrites and sulphates.

2.13 RECOMMENDED ACTION AGAINST E-WASTE:

Rapid product obsolescence in the electronic industry has created a waste crisis that is
out of control. The answer to the looming e-waste crisis lies not in finding new
downstream hiding places for this waste; it lies not in exporting it to the desperately
poor, but in moving upstream to prevent the problem at its manufacturing source
(Mike Allen22et al.,2004). Today it is frequently cheaper and more convenient to buy a
new machine to accommodate the latest software and hardware technology and their
increasing demands for more speed, memory, and power, than it is to upgrade the old.
Yet, this ‘trash’ and buy’ cycle comes with a monumental price that we are just
beginning to pay. We need to change the dominant paradigm that has prevailed over
the past three decades. The lust for faster, smaller and cheaper must be governed by a
new paradigm of sustainability that demands that our products are cleaner, long-lived,
upgradeable, and recyclable. It is time to strengthen the call for sustainable
production, environmental justice, and corporate and government accountability in
order to achieve these goals. Given here are a few recommendations for the action that
needs to be taken.

1 Ban hazardous waste imports: All imports of hazardous waste materials, including
hazardous e-waste must be banned. This is consistent with the Basel Ban Amendment
decision by the Basel Convention to ban all trade of hazardous wastes from OECD to
non-OECD countries. There is no reason for the poor of the world to bear the burden
of environmental risk, particularly when they have not benefited from the products
and services that created that risk in the 1st place.

39
2 Make the producer responsible:
Producers must be responsible for their products. The principle of ‘Extended Producer
Responsibility’ (EPR) requires accountability on producers over the entire life-cycle
of their products. So far, manufacturers have passed on these costs to the consumers,
and now to developing countries where the products eventually land up for recycling
(Giles Slade17,2007). By adopting EPR, producers will play their part in conserving
resources through changes in product design and process technology. Making
producers financially responsible for end-of-life waste will provide them with a
financial incentive to design their products with less hazardous and more recyclable
materials. An effective example of EPR is product take-back where a producer takes
the product back at the end of its life. However, it must be borne in mind that product
take-back needs to go hand-in-hand with mandatory legislation to phase out e-waste.
Take-back for e-waste is necessary to place the burden of a product’s environmental
impact clearly back into the hands of those who design it in orders to provide
immediate incentive for improvement.

3 Inform the consumer:

Manufacturers of computer monitors, televisions and other electronic devices

containing hazardous materials must be responsible for educating consumers and the
general public regarding the potential threat to public health and the environment
posed by their products and for raising awareness for the proper waste management
protocols.

4 Design for recycling:

When it finally becomes necessary to decommission an electronic device, the device

must be designed to ensure clear, safe, and efficient mechanisms for recovering its
raw materials. Input materials must be suitable for safe reconstitution and recycling
and there must be a pre-identifiable recycling market and mechanism established for
the input material. Equipment components must be properly labeled to identify plastic
and metal types. Warnings must be placed for any possible hazard in dismantling or
recycling and the product must be made for rapid and easy dismantling or reduction to
a usable form.

2.13.1 The government’s responsibilities

 e-waste policy and legislation

 Encourage organised system recycling
 Collecting fee from manufacturers/consumers for the disposal of toxic materials
 Should subsidise recycling and disposal industries

40
  Incentive schemes for garbage collectors and general public for collecting and
handing over e-waste
 Awareness programme on e-waste for school children and general public

2.14 SOME INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES TO E-WASTE:

 United States: In September 2003, California passed the “Electronic Waste

Recycling Act of 2003” (SB20), USA’s first comprehensive electronics
recycling law, establishing a funding system for the collection and recycling of
certain electronic wastes.

 European Union: On January 27, 2003, the EU parliament passed a directive

that requires producers of electronics to take responsibility, financial and
otherwise, for recovery and recycling of E-Waste.

 Japan: Since April 2001, manufacturers have had to recycle appliances,

televisions, refrigerators, and air conditioners. Under a new law, manufacturers
would charge a recycling fee to consumers.

 OECD: The OECD has developed international guidelines on the

“environmentally sound management” (ESM) of used and scrap personal
computers.

 China: The Standing Committee of the 9th NPC promulgated a law in 2002,
requiring compulsory retrieval of used industrial products.

 Netherlands: In 1998, passed, “The Disposal of White and Brown Goods

Decree”. It requires manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic
equipment sold in the country to take back their end-of-life products.

2.15. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW:

Electronic waste or e-waste are the electronic products/ equipments

connected with power plug or batteries which have become obsolete due to
advancement in technology or due to the nearing of the end of their useful life.
According to the gadgets they can be classified into computer peripherals,
telecommunication devices, industrial electronics and lighting devices. They satisfy
all the conditions of being hazardous as per the standards of the Hazardous Waste
Management and Handling Rules, 2003 as they contain various toxic metals such as
lead, barium, arsenic, etc. which are not only harmful to the human health but also to
the environment if not disposed of carefully.

41
Every year around 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste is generated worldwide with the
share of developed countries like U.S.A being the highest. This is often sent to
developing countries for recycling and refurbishment where the labor is relatively
cheap and can be simply landfilled. Developing Asian countries discard an estimated
12 million tones of e-waste of the total 20-50 million tones discarded annually
worldwide. In India, Maharashtra ranks first in total e-waste generation which is
followed by states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, etc. Around 20,000 tones of e-
waste is generated in Maharashtra with the share of Greater Mumbai and Pune region
being the highest owing to the presence of large number of Info Tech Parks.In India
there are no special environmental laws or Guidelines for e-waste. Since e-waste and
its constituents fall under the category of “ hazardous” and “ non-hazardous” wastes
they shall be covered under the provisions of “ The Hazardous Waste Management
and Handling Rules, 2003” . The respective definitions, their meaning and
interpretations under the rule have been explained in the rule stated. The Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and
their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental agreement on
hazardous and other wastes. It was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous
wastes between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from
developed to Less Developed Countries (LDCs).
After the 1995 Basel conference by LDCs, Greenpeace and key European countries
such as Denmark, led to a decision to adopt the Basel Ban Amendment to the Basel
Convention. Not yet in force, but considered morally binding by signatories, the
Amendment prohibits the export of hazardous waste from a list of developed
(mostlyOECD) countries to developing countries. Various disposal methods such as
incineration, openburning and landfilling and environmentally friendly method such
as recycling is adopted to reduce e-wastes. Lanfilling, which is the most common
method adopted has the major disadvantage of causing leaching. To understand the
leaching mechanism and to evaluate the potential hazards of various components in
landfills dynamic leaching test is done. Recycling method is better as compared to
disposal because it requires far less energy and is good for the economy. The process
of recycling includes dismantling, segregation of metals, refurbishment and reuse,
recovery of valuable materials and finally treatment / disposal of dangerous materials
and wastes. Recommended actions to be taken for reducing the hazards of e-waste are
to ban the hazardous wastes imports, make the producer responsible, inform the
consumer and design the materials for recycling. As rapid product obsolescence in the
electronic industry has created a waste crisis that is going out of control actions are to
be taken both by the government and the producer of e-wastes so as to reduce the
hazards posed by them.

42
 CHAPTER 3

CASE STUDY

3.1 INTRODUCTION:

E-waste is generated from Indian households, computer retailers, manufacturers,

foreign embassies, government, public and private sectors with the share of the IT
industry being the highest. India’s rate of PC obsolescence is growing dangerously.
As up gradation beyond a point becomes uneconomical and incompatible with new
software, a vast amount of hardware will soon be added to the waste stream. Further,
as most owners of these technologies are from the government, public or private
sectors, they prefer replacing an old computer with a new one, rather than upgrading
it. Even in the secondary market the older models have little demand. Owing to the
narrowing profit margins between resale and dismantling, the sale of these computers
to the scrap market for material recovery is rising. Various departments of the
government, public as well as private sectors are feeding old electronic appliances
such as computers, telephones, etc, into the waste stream, at an increasingly fast rate.
Other sources of e-waste are retailers, individual households, foreign embassies, PC
manufacturing units, players of the secondary market, and imported electronic scrap
from other countries. Individual households contribute the least to this, being only 20
per cent of the overall market.

Eco Recycling limited, started in September 2007, is a pioneer in the field of e-waste
management in India and one of the few organised players in this sector. Ecoreco has
an eco-friendly recycling facility for the segregation of metals, glass and plastics
without the use of incineration or chemical methods. Disposal of hazardous
substances is undertaken with the help of designated treatment facilities.

43
Ecoreco has its recycling facility located in Andheri (East), a suburb of Mumbai,
India. It has an annual capacity to process 7200 tons of e-waste. The entire process is
carried out as per strict environmental norms.

3.2 METHODOLOGY:

Ecoreco provides the full spectrum of activities covered under e-waste management –
collection of e-waste from the door step of the generators, sorting them into
working/non-working equipments/components, data security, remarketing of reusable
equipments/components, dismantling of end of life equipments, size reduction, sorting
in to different commodities like glass, plastic, iron/steel, aluminium, copper and
hazardous material.

CHART 1 – APPROACH

44
 Fig 3.1: Approach

CHART 2 – REUSE, RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PROCESS

45
Fig 3.2: Reuse, Recycling and Recovery Process

CHART 3 – SEGREGATION OF PLASTICS

Fig 3.3: Segregation of Plastics

CHART 4 – CRT TREATMENT

46
 Fig 3.4: CRT Treatment

3.2.1 E-WASTE RECYCLING AT ECORECO – ACTIVITY FLOW CHART

Recycling activities at Ecoreco commences with the receipt of e-waste material from
various clients' locations. The material is initially weighed, and is separated product-
wise (monitors, CPUs, printers, keyboards, etc.) for easy retrieval. The material is
then checked by qualified technicians to ascertain whether the equipments are

47
working or non-working. If the equipment is in working/ near-working condition, then
the technicians attempt to repair upgrade the components to ensure that they become
re-marketable and can be resold. The following flowchart explains the broad flow of
activities at Ecoreco:

Shipment of e-waste
from Client’s Locations

Receipt of Material at
Facility

Segregation of Material into Working/

Non- Working Equipments

Dismantling of non-
Repairing
working components

Upgrading Component
Recovery

Testing
Captive Use Residual Disposal

Refurbishing

Packing
Precious Metal Scrap
Recovery

Sale Environment Friendly

Disposal

Fig 3.5: Activity Flow chart

source: Ecoreco brochure

If the equipments are not in working condition, attempts are made to recycle the e-
waste material. Accordingly, the technicians dismantle the equipment into
components and try to retrieve any working parts thereof. The residual components
are then passed on for shredding. The shredder, which is capable of accepting feed of
around 1,500 kgs per hour, helps to “open up” sealed components, separating metals
from plastic. The shredder accepts manually dismantled components through a hopper
at one end, passes the feed through the shredding chamber and the shredded items are
dropped onto a moving conveyor belt.
An inbuilt overhead magnetic band ensures automatic separation of ferrous
component from the feed, whereas employees, wearing appropriate safety equipment
such as gloves and helmets, stand by to physically separate other metals such as
aluminium and copper from the moving conveyor belt. All plastic components are
deposited at the end of the conveyor belt. These metals (aluminium, steel, copper) and
plastics which are of high purity in nature are then usually sold to smelters.

Certain components of the computer such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain
precious metals such as gold, silver, etc. These PCBs are not sent for shredding and
48
are instead accumulated, and would be shipped to specialist precious metal extraction
refineries. That portion of e-waste which contains hazardous elements is sent to
authorised hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities for final disposal.

3.3 REMARKETING:

Out of the discarded equipments, some of it can still be used after refurbishment and
up- gradation at different levels of business and society. For assured supply of e-
waste, Ecoreco has entered into sourcing agreements with various companies of
validities up to 3 years. Given that a large part of the business involves e-waste
collection from multiple locations, Ecoreco has tied up with one of the leading
domestic logistics players having nation-wide presence to enable both operational and
financial efficiency in collection. Through this tie-up, Ecoreco is able to offer e-waste
collection from over 600 locations in India.

3.4 DATA SECURITY:

Data security / data-leakage are threats that many organisations fear while discarding
computers to external recyclers. To address these concerns, Ecoreco has a first-of-its-
kind-in-India mobile shredding van which it deploy to clients’ locations to ensure
100% secured data destruction from hard-disks and other devices that contain
information.

3.5 ECORECOS’S ASSOSCIATIONS

Ecoreco is a member of the International Association of Electronic Recyclers (IAER),

USA, probably the only such unit from India to claim these credentials. Ecoreco is
also a member of other prestigious industry bodies within the sector such as
Manufacturers Association for Information Technology (“MAIT”) and ELCINA
Electronic Industries Association of India. Ecoreco is also the only Maharashtra
Pollution Control Board (“MPCB”) recognised e-waste recycler in Maharashtra.
Recently Ecoreco has been declared Winner of the Business Plan 2008 by
CII/NVI/WRI/USAID & British Consulate. Ecoreco has also been awarded certificate
of “Most Innovative Technology” by Municipalika 2009.

CHAPTER 4

49
 ANALYSIS

In the third chapter titled “CASE STUDY” we have discussed the step by step method
adopted at Ecoreco for recycling of e-waste which is received from all over India.

The approximate quantities and the types of e-waste received from each state is
tabulated in table 4.1

Table No. 4.1: Quantities of e-waste sent to Ecoreco from each state

State Quantity (tones) sent Type of e-waste

to Ecoreco annually
West Bengal 700 Printed Circuit Boards
(PCBs), motherboards
Delhi 1200 old computers, television,
refrigerators and washing
machines
Maharashtra 1800 Electric, Electronic tools,
Computers with CPU,
monitor, other peripherals

Chennai 800 PC monitors, PCBs, CDs,

motherboards, cables,
toner cartridges, light
bulbs and tube-lights
Andhra Pradesh 1200 printed circuit boards
(PCBs)
Bangalore 1500 printed circuit boards
(PCBs) and glass items
such as tube lights and
picture tubes

Source: Ecoreco

CHAPTER 5

50
 RESULT

In the previous chapter we have seen the state wise quantities of e-waste received at
Ecoreco for recycling. Hence after the study conducted and analysing the data, the
following are the results:
1. Recycling is the most environmentally tolerable method as compared to the
other e-waste disposal methods like incineration, open burning and land filling.
2. There is only one e-waste recycling facility in Maharashtra and very few in
India as a whole. E- Parisaraa being one of the pioneering projects in
Bangalore.
3. Major portion of the e-waste generated in the country is not recycled or
disposed off in a proper, only a part of it is sent to authorised facilities for the
disposal.

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

51
The conclusions that can be drawn after conducting the study and analysing the results
as described in 5th chapter are as follows:

Awareness about e-waste was created: This was achieved by giving a presentation in
college and making the youth aware of hazards of not disposing e-waste in a proper
manner. Pamphlets which had the various health hazards related to improper handling
of e-waste were circulated among the audience to enlighten them about the
detrimental effects of the same. At the recycling facility visited (Ecoreco), we spoke
to the workers and told them the importance of exercising precaution while dealing
with e-waste.

Health hazards of e-waste: Electrical and electronic equipments are made of hundreds
of materials which can be toxic to the humans when they enter the body. At times it
can also be fatal.

Quantities of e-waste generated were found out: After interacting with MPCB
(Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) and CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board)
authorities we have come to the conclusion that Maharashtra ranked first in e-waste
generation followed closely by Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi.

Disposal methods being adopted: Among the three common methods of disposal,
namely land filling, open burning and incineration, open burning is widely practised
although illegal.

Recycle and Reuse of products: Although recycling and/or reusing the e-waste is the
best and environmentally friendly way to reduce e-waste generation, people prefer to
go in for new products rather than upgrade and use the old electronic product.

FUTURE WORK

52
Every day, Indians toss out more than 350,000 cell phones and 130,000 computers,
making electronic waste the fastest-growing part of the Indian garbage stream. E-
waste is a fast emerging problem faced not only by India but also globally. the topic of
e-waste is waste and varied and there is a lot of scope to understand and deal with this
topic in a better manner.

Various processes like pyrometallurgical process, hydrometallurgical process, bio-

metallurgical process and wet acid leeching process which is used to extract gold and
other metals from the e-waste can be studied in detail.

Cost involved in setting up of an e-waste recycling plant can be studied. Also the
operating cost, maintenance cost and profits gained once the plant is set up can be
worked out.

Nanotechnology which is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and

molecular scale is an interesting topic and its application in recycling of e-waste can
be researched.

The methods of recycling and disposal adopted in India can be compared to the
methods adopted in developed countries. This comparative study will make us aware
of the technological differences that exist in our country.

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Waste”, Green Technology, pages 95-108.
53
2. Amalendu Baqchi, (February 13, 2004), “Design of Landfills and Integrated
Solid Waste Management”, Wiley, pages 146-157.

3. Carl A. Zimring, (October 5, 2005), “Cash for your trash: Scrap Recycling in
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4. Cynthia A. Bily, (September 19, 2008), “What is the impact of E-waste?”,

Greenhaven Press, pages 81-100.

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Wastes”, Butterworth-Heinemann, pages 45-80.

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Transnational Movements for Environmental Justice” The MIT Press, pages
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8. David Hollansky, (June 1, 2004), “Buried in E-waste: electronic waste is often

becoming a landfill nightmare” , State Legislatures(Magazine/ Journal),
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54
15.Frank Kreight, (June 22, 2002), “Handbook of Solid Waste Management” ,
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discussed” , In Compliance (Newsletter), pages 4-5.

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Obsolescence” , Harvard University Press, pages 57-60.

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McGraw Hill Professional, pages 105-109.

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Proceedings”, CRC, pages 133-137.

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waste”, San Deigo Bussiness Journal (Magazine/ Journal), Volume 38, Issue 2,
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55
29.Ted Smith, (June 28, 2006), “Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and
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56
 PLATES

Fig: Manual dismantling of e-waste

Source: Reuters

E-waste from IT sector

Source: www.greenpeace.com

57
 DISPOSAL METHODS OF E-WASTE

Incinerating Plant Landfilling site near dharavi

Source: india.ewasteguide.info/hazardous_processes Source: india.ewasteguide.info/hazardous_processes

Open burning of e-waste

Source india.ewasteguide.info/hazardous_processes

58
PRECISOUS METAL RECOVERY FROM E-WASTE

Gold Extraction in India in wet acid leaching process

Source: india.ewasteguide.info/hazardous_processes

59
 REUSE OF E-WASTE

monitor used as a drop box emptied CPU used as bird house

Monitor being reused as plantation pots

Source: E-Parisaraa

60
 EQUIPMENTS USED AT ECORECO

Shredding machine used to shred the received e-waste

Source: Ecoreco

Mobile shredding van

Source: Ecoreco

61