Whatever the slot you fall into, have you stopped to think of what happens when you seek to get parts of your PC, or all of it, replaced? Where do these parts or systems go? Where does all the unwanted or unusable stuff land up? E-waste or Waste from Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) is no longer a subject of academic discussion at environment forums. Instead, there is a growing realisation that the issue may assume dangerous proportions over the next few years, if left unaddressed.According to a survey by IRG Systems South Asia (on behalf of GTZ), the total waste from electronic and electrical equipment in India has been estimated to be 1,46,180 tonnes per year based on selected EEE tracer items. This figure does not even include WEEE imports. Mumbai currently tops the list of major cities with e-waste. India's financial hub has an estimated 11,017 tonnes of e-waste, followed by Delhi at 9,730 tonnes, Bangalore 4,648 tonnes, Chennai 4,132 tonnes and Kolkata 4,025 tonnes.

Even smaller cities such as Ahmedabad (3,287 tonnes), Hyderabad (2,833 tonnes), Pune (2,584 tonnes) and Surat (1,836 tonnes) figure in the list.

"Since it is over seven years since computers were made popular in India and in general the average life of a computer has been estimated as seven years, certainly e-waste management is a cause for concern. Moreover, it would be wise to act well before environment problems become unmanageable. As per the existing pollution control laws, companies generating any kind of waste have mandatory responsibilities to ensure that the wastes generated in their premises are either treated, stored, and disposed safely or safely transported to the recycling units registered by State and Central Pollution Control Board. However, there are no specific laws for e-waste today and large quantities of it find their way into the unorganised sector," says Dr D.C. Sharma, Zonal Officer, Southern Region, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The magnitude of the problem was captured as early as 2003 when a report released by Toxics Link, an NGO working on toxics and waste issues in India, claimed that a whopping 1.38 million Personal Computers (PCs) would be obsolete technology from the business sector and individual households.

It said around 1,050 tonnes of electronic scrap was being produced by manufacturers and assemblers in a single calendar year, whereas in a single month, there was a reported case of import of 30 tonnes of e-waste at Ahmedabad port.

Meanwhile, the minimum number of computers procured by an average-scale scrap dealer or the 'Kabariwallah' is estimated at a whopping 20-25 per month!

In Delhi itself, the approximate number of scrap dealers specialising in electronics is over 40, including large-scale dealers who handle thousands of PCs per month. "Looking at the enormity of the issue at hand, the CPCB, through its South Zonal Office located at Bangalore, has been actively involved in conducting a series of seminars and workshops jointly with the HAWA project team and other stakeholders such as possible recyclers, IT companies and other NGOs. A majority of IT companies import computers under custom bonding. A custom-bonded computer, once its lifecycle of three years is over, is either donated to schools or destroyed in the presence of customs officials so it cannot be reused. At Bangalore, the defaced computers are being stored within the premises of these companies," Dr Sharma points out.

Asked if companies are following proper procedures to dispose outdated systems or components, he says "IT companies, including Infosys, Wipro and TCS, at the moment, are not disposing off e-waste except safely storing the same in their premises."

Managing e-waste

But things are set to change. Although the CPCB has not sent any notice to IT companies directly, through the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, all the major companies generating e-waste at Bangalore have been asked to store the waste within their premises and as such not dispose it off to the Kabariwallah.

Simultaneously, a massive operation is being put inplace to create necessary infrastructure to manage the waste. "We have instructed the State Government to release a letter of 'consent to establish' the first e-waste management unit in the country, in Bangalore.

The unit will have the capacity to manage two tonnes of e-waste per day. We are currently evaluating the unit, following which we will award 'consent to operate'," he says.

If all goes well, the first batch of e-waste will be processed in this new unit by August this year. The CPCB also plans to start a registration process for e-waste management units. As of now, local NGOs are carrying out an inventory of e-waste in and around Bangalore. Setting up a second unit in Bangalore to manage 10 tonnes of e-waste per day is also in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, the Centre plans to prepare a report listing out the best practices of e-waste management. The thinking within the Government is that the manual could split specific e-waste management practices into those that could be managed by the small sector units and those that need be managed by large-scale, organised units.

MAIT plans draft legislation

PC manufacturers too are gearing up to do their bit. IT hardware companies, under the aegis of industry association MAIT, held a videoconferencing session recently. MAIT's executive director, Vinnie Mehta, points out that while the industry is keen to partner with the Government to address the problem, various issues will have to be considered to ensure a foolproof e-waste management system in India.

"First, e-waste itself needs to be defined properly. Then there are questions of who pays for proper disposal of it. In Europe and Japan, manufacturers pay for recycling of products or the same is built into the cost of the product. A similar model will be difficult to follow in India, as any escalation in the price of the product, after accounting for the cost of e-waste disposal, will drive customers towards the grey market or the unorganised sector."

The hardware association is contemplating a draft legislation to manage e-waste, he says. It will submit the document to the Government over the next few months.

Defining e-waste

e-waste or 'electronic waste' refers to equipment or products having a battery or an electrical cord, which have become obsolete, either due to advancement in technology, changes in fashion, style and status, or are nearing the end of their useful life.

E-waste generally consists of obsolete electronic devices such as computers, servers, mainframes, monitors, TVs and display devices, telecommunication devices such as cellular phones, calculators, audio and video devices, printers, scanners, copiers and fax machines, besides refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens and toys.

It also covers recording devices such as DVDs, CDs, floppies, tapes; electronic components such as chips, processors, mother boards, printed circuit boards and industrial electronics. Such wastes are generated by manufacturers, distributors, retailers, consumers, re-users and recyclers and can subsequently arise also from individual households, Government, public and private sectors, importers and secondary markets for old PCs, cell-phones etc.

Trade in e-waste, like that in other scrap, is dominated by the 'informal' sector. Although the waste trade sector in India is known as part of the `informal' sector, it has a system that is highly organised with extensive coordination in an established network. However, the recycling of e-waste is undertaken in a very unscientific manner, impacting both health and environment.