Technology Race And E-waste : Challenges And Solutions

Ujala Nyola, Eklavya Sharma, Jatin Sharma and R. P. SharmaB. K. Birla Institute of Engineering and Technology, Pilani ( Rajasthan) India.

Presented by- Eklavya Sharma (EE 2nd Yr.)

Jatin Sharma(ECE 2nd Yr.)

• E-waste describes end-of-life electrical/ electronic goods such as computers, televisions, printers, mobile phones, stereos, refrigerators, air conditioners etc.• Each year between 20-50 million tons of e-

waste is generated worldwide.• More and more outdated electronic

equipment ends up in landfill.

E - WASTE

COMPUTERS, TELEPHONE, FAX

WASHING MACHINES, DRYERS, AIR CONDITIONERS, VACUUM CLEANERS

REFRIGERATORS

MONITORS

TELEVISIONS

DVD/VCR PLAYERS,RADIOS, WI-FI SETS

ELECTRONIC WASTE

100 %

ELECTRIC WASTE

50

0

30 %

10 %

15 %

15 %

20 %

10 %

ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE NOT DESIGNED TO LAST WHY E-WASTE INCREASING ?

WHY E-WASTE HAZARDOUS ?

Rapid Technology Changes

IncreasedConsumerElectronicPurchases

More E-Waste

MoreHazardousMaterialsLandfilled

IncreasingHumanHealthRisks

Plastic Lead Mercury Nickel Copper0

1000000

2000000

3000000

4000000

5000000

60000005599997.9

1679994

12879.4 240791.4

1959993

Toxic elements added to environment from E-waste in India

E-waste Generated Annually ( in tonnes)

THE MAIN ISSUES POSED BY E-WASTE• More and more e-waste are generated due to the rapid obsolescence of gadgets• The high demand for new technologyHIGH VOLUMES

• Hazardous waste having adverse health effect• Environmental implicationsTOXIC DESIGN

• E-waste imposes many challenges on the recycling industry• Toxic materials are attached to non-toxic materials, making separation difficult

POOR DESIGN AND COMPLEXITY

• Occupational exposures, informal sector domination causing health problems• Lack of labour standards and rights. LABOUR ISSUES

• Not enough value in most e-waste to cover the costs of managing• With rising e-waste quantities, formal recyclers are entering e-waste recycling sector FINANCIAL INCENTIVES

• Lack of adequate regulations applying to this relatively new waste stream • Lack of effective enforcement of new e-waste regulationsLACK OF REGULATION

HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATING PARTS OF YOUR PC

1. Lead in cathode ray tubes and solder 2. Arsenic in older cathode ray tubes 3. Selenium in circuit boards as power

to supply rectifier 4. Polybrominated flame retardants in

plastic casings, cables, and circuit boards

5. Antimony trioxide as flame retardant

6. Cadmium in circuit boards and semiconductors

7. Chromium in steel as corrosion protection

8. Cobalt in steel for structural strength and magnetivity

9. Mercury in switches and housing

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE• Lead moves into and throughout ecosystems effecting soil, plants, microorganisms• Kill the plants by reducing the rate of photosynthesis, inhibiting respiration• Capable of causing damage to all parts of nephron ( genitourinary system )• Toxic effects on central and peripheral nervous systems and the reproductive systems

LEAD

• Mercury spreads out in the water changes into methylated mercury, which bio-accumulates in living organisms and concentrates through the food chain

• Effects the immune system, alters genetic systems and causes psychological disorders• Damages the gastrointestinal tract and causes kidney failure, stomach pains etc.

MERCURY

• In aquatic ecosystems cadmium can bio accumulate in oysters, lobsters and fish • Earthworms and other essential soil organisms are susceptive to cadmium poisoning• Toxic cadmium compounds accumulate in the human body, especially in the kidneys• Potentially long-term cumulative poison which causes carcinogenicity

CADMIUM

• PAHs can break down to longer-lasting products by reacting with sunlight• PAHs in soils contaminate underground water• Adverse reproductive and developmental effects from PAH exposure• Causes bladder infection, induction of skin and lung cancers

POLY CYCLIC AROMATIC

HYDROCARBONS (PAH)

Environmental

Environmental

Health

Environmental

Environmental

Health

Health

Health

• Growth of Technological Devices• Use of computers is quickly rising because of

globalizationDEVELOPMENT

• The coming of newer products and appliances• new products coming out more frequentlyTECHNOLOGY

• Substitution of older materials with the newer ones• Money power has helped them buy more products

HUMAN MENTALITY

• Increasing population leads to increase the no. of computersPOPULATION

CAUSES OF INCREASING E-WASTE

TECHNICAL INTERVENTIONS

• Inventory management• Production process

modification• Volume reduction• Recovery and reuse• Sustainable product

design involving:• Rethinking on

procedures of designing the product (flat computers)

• Use of renewable material

• Creating components of biodegradable material

• Using green packaging • Utilizing minimum

packaging material

POLICY - LEVEL INTERVENTIONS

• Clear definition of e-waste for regulation.

• Import and export regulatory regime.

• An integrated IT waste management policy

• Legislation for collection, recycling and disposal.

• Take back policies

IMPLEMENTATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

• Institutional capacity building

• Formalizing the informal recycling sector

• Technical advantage of processes improvement (restructuring recycling)

• Protective protocol for workers in e-waste disposal

• Bilateral and multilateral cooperation

AWARENESS BUILDING

• Donating electronics for reuse

• While buying electronic products opting devices with -• Fewer toxic

constituents• Recycled content• Easy upgrading or

disassembly• Minimal packaging • Leasing or take back

options.• Building of consumer

awareness through public awareness campaigns and mass media

REUSE• Reusing can be achieved through repairing, upgrading used electrical

equipment • Example- adding memory to a computer, upgrading software, many ink

cartridges can be refilled with ink for reuse using toner refill kits, alkaline batteries can be recharged.• Check around local schools/charities to see if they can use your surplus

appliances• There are many companies that will refurbish your old computer equipment

for use by those who cannot afford new items.

RECYCLE1. REMANUFACTURING INTO SUBASSEMBLIES AND COMPONENTS – The manual

disassembly of a device or component to recover value.2. DEPOLLUTION – The removal and separation of certain materials to allow them to

be handled separately to minimize impacts, including batteries, fluorescent lamps and cathode ray tubes (CRTs).

3. MATERIALS SEPARATION – Manually separating and preparing material for further processing.

4. MECHANICAL PROCESSING OF SIMILAR MATERIALS – Processing compatible plastic resins, metals or glass from CRTs to generate market-grade commodities.

5. MECHANICAL PROCESSING OF MIXED MATERIALS – Processing whole units followed by a series of separation technologies.

6. METAL REFINING/SMELTING – At this stage, thermal and chemical management processes are used to extract metals.

CONCERNS: INFORMAL RECYCLING

High-risk backyard operation

Occupational and environmental hazards

Loss of resources due to inefficient

processes

Impacts vulnerable social groups- Women,

children and migrant labour

PROPOSED E-WASTE SOLUTION• The least preferred option is to landfill electronic waste but this should only come

as a last option and care to consult with state regulations on disposal of any hazardous waste• Create incentives to attract people to recycle• Proper disposal treatment system should be installed in every city• Producers must be responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products. Ex - Many

cities of California and Massachusetts, including San Francisco, also have passed resolutions supporting ‘PRODUCER TAKE BACK’ rules. • Ex – Wipro & InfoTech has launched an e-waste disposal service for end

customers. Others offering recycling options include Dell, HP and Apple • Improvement in legislation and creating awareness and community involvement

PROPOSED E-WASTE RULES

Title: E-waste (Management & Handling) Rules to be published under the

Environment Protection Act

OBJECTIVE :To put in place an effective mechanism to regulate the generation,

collection, storage, transportation, import, export, environmentally safe recycling,

treatment and disposal of e-waste. This includes refurbishment, collection system

and producer responsibility thereby reducing the wastes destined for final disposal.

ESSENCE: The producer of electrical and electronic equipment's is responsible for the

entire life cycle of its own branded product and in particular the environmentally safe

end-of-life management and facilitating collection and take back.

NOT ENOUGH STORAGEBROKEN CAMERA

Experimental – We examined variety of discarded e- gadgets and analyzed the reusable parts. The whole gadget has been discarded though only 1 or 2 parts are damaged.

MOBILE PHONE MOBILE PHONE

MP4 PLAYER MP3 PLAYER

BROKEN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

Experimental Continued…

MOBILE PHONE T.V. PLATE

SETUP BOXMOTHER BOARD

ORGANIZATIONS/NETWORKS WORKING ON E-WASTE ISSUESWITHIN INDIA1. Knowledge bank for e-waste management in India- The Asia Pro Eco programme supported by the European Commission is dedicated to the environmental performance in Asian Economic sectors through the exchange of environmental policies, technologies and practices and to promote sustainable investment and trade between the European Union Member States and South Asia, South-East Asia and China.

2. The E-waste Guide, India (www.ewaste.in)- An Initiative of the Indo–German–Swiss Partnership [Ministry of Environment and Forests, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs] It is designed to serve as an information resource on e-waste as well as a common collaborative work platform for stakeholders.

3. National Solid Waste Association of India (NSWAI) (www.nswai.com) - A leading professional non-profit organization in the field of solid-waste management, including toxic and hazardous waste and also biomedical waste in India. Its objectives include development of solid-waste management as a profession, research and development, development of expertise, standards and goods practices with regards to solid-waste management.

4. Toxics Link (www.toxicslink.org) - A Delhi-based environment activist group with a mission of working for environmental justice and freedom from toxics. It is also actively involved in creating public awareness on environmental issues through publications, reports, articles and environment news bulletins besides organizing various events.

5. Others are stEP Work web, WEEE Forum, Clean India, Indian Environmental Society, INDIA HABITAT CENTRE and Microbial Biotechnology Area of Tata Energy Research Institute.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS

1. Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition- It is a diverse grassroots coalition that engages in research and advocacy and is organized around the environmental and health. The Coalition has built a united campaign of allies, including community residents, consumers, electronics and technology workers and government policy makers to raise the environmental consciousness and performance of the high-tech sector.

2. The Basel Action Network (BAN)- A global network of toxics and development activist organizations that share a vision of international environmental justice. The network seeks to prevent all forms of ‘toxic trade’ – in toxic wastes, toxic products and toxic technologies. It works to prevent the globalization of the toxic chemical crisis.

3. Others are the International Solid Waste Association, Solid Waste Association of North America, Environmental Protection Agency, etc.

Retailers/ Wholesalers/ Importers

Consumers

Discarding failure / technology up gradation

Municipalities & Private initiatives (For collection)

Specialist cooperative

Manufacture reversal (Disassembly plants)

WEEE / Informal recyclers

Manufactures

Life Cycle of E-gadgets

RecyclingLandfilling

CONCLUSIONS • Reuse, reduce and recycle are the effective solutions of the problems of

e-waste.• The need of hour is an urgent approach to the e-waste hazard by –Technical interventions, implementation and capacity building and

increase in public awareness Recycling should be done by approved units with pollution control

technologiesInformal sector needs to be organized and should be involved in

collection, segregation, dismantling and refurbishing of waste

THANK YOU