E-waste is a danger for Indian citizens
Monday, November 4, 2013 - 11:51:01
Last month, The Guardian reported on the state of electronic waste in India, pointing out that although the country's thriving economy and emerging IT sector are positive factors for its future prosperity, the amount of old tech being scrapped is causing issues for people who live there, as well as the environment.
A study conducted by Assocham found that just one Indian city produces about 20,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, with a 20 per cent yearly boost to this total predicted over the coming years.
By the end of the decade, the amount of old computers, smartphones and tablets being trashed each year could be 500 per cent higher than it was at the beginning, with major urban hubs like Bangalore facing a recycling crisis that needs to be addressed.
At the moment, nine tenths of the e-waste which is created on Indian soil ends up being managed not by state-sanctioned organisations, but by shady third parties, who pay tiny wages to their scavenging workers, many of whom are children.
There is a lot of risk involved in going through huge mountains of rubbish looking for components which are suitable for reuse or recycling, not only because of the hazardous chemicals used in the production of electronic products, but because of this unpleasant working environment as a whole.
When electronics are just dumped and left to rust and be scavenged, further issues occur, as the chemicals within can seep through to the water supplies used by locals, generating even more issues associated with health for the wider population.
Various groups are looking to improve the handling of e-waste in India so that it more closely matches the approach taken in the UK, where more people are able to recycle old mobile phones and other products in a sustainable and environmentally sensitive manner.
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