ANALYSIS ON E-WASTE AND E-WASTE MANAGEMENT AT CURRENT SCENARIO Vipin Kumar Dashore
Computer Science Department, Shree Rewa Gurjar Bal Niketan Ccollege, Sanawad Abstract- In this paper we discus about E-waste and management of E-Waste. E-waste or electronic waste term means discarded electrical or electronic devices or components.
Whenever an electronic or electrical component or device whose working life has expired or damaged or no longer used by people due to technological advancements comes under e-waste. The management of such type of waste is known as E-waste management. E- waste management is defined as a holistic method of cutting down E-waste from the earth to prevent its harmful toxic to deteriorate earth. It recycles and reuses the e-waste that is no longer needed. E-waste recycling then refers to the reprocessing and re-use of these electronic wastes. It is simple. It is a process that seeks to recover material from electronic waste. This way, we can use them in new electronic products.
Keywords: E-Waste, Electrical Waste, Electronic Waste, E-Waste Recycling, E-Waste Management, WEEE, EEE, Printed Circuit.
1 INTRODUCTION
We use different type of electrical and electronics product in our daily life. These electronic product may be in the form of home appliances like air conditioners, televisions, electric cookers, heater, DVDs, fans, microwaves, and radios etc. They may also be in the form of information tech equipment like your computers, laptops, mobile phones, batteries, hard disks, circuit boards, monitors etc. You should know that e-waste is quite crucial because electronics product have a short useful life. It affect human life and environment, so E- waste management is one of the most talked-about issues in the world today due to its potentials to reduce environmental hazards and pollution. There is also the fact that it can protect our lives as humans and other life forms existing in our world. E-Waste contains toxic elements that can be extremely damaging to individual health and the environment, e- waste also contains materials that have economic value when extracted .E-waste recycling is the reuse and reprocessing of electrical and electronic equipment of any type that has been discarded or regarded as obsolete.
1.1 Objective
Today the main form of waste which is non biodegradable is e-waste which is short for electrical and electronic equipments which are discarded and considered obsolete and waste substances. Since these substances are bio degradable, specific methods have to be formulated by civic authorities as to how to discard such forms of waste. And how we can save human life and our environment from E-Waste. Growth in the IT and communication
sectors has enhanced the usage of the electronic equipment exponentially. Faster upgradation of electronic product is forcing consumers to discard old electronic products very quickly, which, in turn, adds to e-waste to the solid waste stream. The growing problem of e-waste calls for greater emphasis on recycling e-waste and better e-waste management.
Causes of E-Waste: Any appliance that runs on electricity has the potential to cause damage to the environment if it is not disposed properly then it become E- waste like:
Home Appliances:
Large household appliances like refrigerators/freezers, washing machines, dishwashers, televisions.
Small household appliances which include toasters, coffee makers, irons, hairdryers.
Information Technology Equipment
Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications equipment namely personal computers, telephones, mobile phones, laptops, printers, scanners, photocopiers etc.
Some Other Types:
Lighting equipment such as fluorescent lamps.
Electronic or Electrical tools i.e. handheld drills, saws, screwdrivers etc.
Toys, leisure and sports equipment.
Contents of E-Waste: E-Waste include materials like:
Valuable metals like gold, platinum, silver and palladium.
Useful metals like copper, aluminium, iron etc.
Hazardous substances like radioactive isotopes and mercury.
Toxic substances like PCB’s and Dioxins.
Plastic like High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyphenylene oxide (PPO) etc.
Glass material like Cathode Ray Tube glass made up of SiO2, CaO, Na.
For instance, a mobile phone contains more than 40 elements, base metals such as Copper (Cu) and Tin (Sn), special metals such as Lithium (Li), Cobalt (Co), Indium (In) and Antimony (Sb) and precious metals such as Silver (Ag), Gold (Au), and Palladium (Pd).
Effect of E-Waste: Electronic equipments contain many hazardous metallic contaminants such as lead, cadmium, and beryllium and brominated flame-retardants. The fraction including iron, copper, aluminum, gold, and other metals in e-waste is over 60%, while plastics account for about 30% and the hazardous pollutants comprise only about 2.70%
Of many toxic heavy metals, lead is the most widely used in electronic devices for various purposes, resulting in a variety of health hazards due to environmental contamination.
60%
1%
15%
5%
2%
12%
2%
3%
Contains of E Waste
Metals Pollutions
Printed Circuit Boards CRT & LED Monitors Cables
Metal-Plastic Mixture Plastics
Others
E Waste Sources Constitution Health Effects Solder in printed circuit boards,
glass panels & gaskets in computer monitors
Lead(PB) Damage to central & Nervous System
Chip Resistors & Semiconductors Cadmium(CD) Toxic irreversible effect s on Human health
Relays & Switches printed circuit
boards Mercury Chronic damage to the brain
Corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel plates
Hexavalent
Chromium (Cr) VI Asthmatic bronchitis.
DNA Damage Cabling and Computer housing Plastics including
PVC Reproductive & developmental problem
Front panel of CRTs Barium(Ba) Muscle Weakness
Damage to heart, liver and spleen
Motherboard Beryllium(Be) Carcinogenic(Lung Cancer)
Inhalation of fumes & dust.
##Data theft is one another effect of e-waste: Data security is always a major concern but nowadays it is more important due to E-waste. As technology keeps improving our mobile phones, laptops, tablets, computer, and other electronic devices. People are in a rush to buy their latest model or replacing them with their advanced versions. In this rush, they throw away the older versions because they are now trash for them. But for data theft, this trash is a goldmine because these devices contain all the personal or confidential information like bank details, passwords, credit card information, etc. The data theft easily recovers this data from the memory even if the user deletes all the data from the device before throwing or selling them. So it is important when you are throwing or reselling your laptop, computer, smartphone, etc, take them to an experienced recycling firm or expert where the staff or expert truly removes all the data from your system so that after throwing or selling them no one can get your personal data.
2 HARMFUL EFFECTS OF E-WASTE ON ENVIRONMENT:
When the waste is not disposed properly, it harms the environment and the people living in it. Similarly, if e-waste is not disposed properly, It causes huge damage to the environment and also affects the health of humans living in it. Below are the harmful effects of E-waste:
On air: Air pollution occurs because of e-waste. When the e-waste is disposed informally by dismantling, shredding, or melting(to get the metal like copper) the material, it releases fine dust particles or toxic gases that can travel thousands of miles and cause air pollution, and also harm living things.
On soil: When the e-waste is disposed in the regular land or it is disposed in an illegal place. Then the e-waste contaminates that soil and the underlying water. Now when the crop is planted on this contaminated land the crop becomes vulnerable to absorbing these toxins, which leads to many serious illnesses, and the soil also loses its productivity.
On water: E-waste also causes water pollution. E-waste generally contains mercury, lithium, lead, and barium, etc. so when the e-waste is buried into the soil they leak through the earth and reach the groundwater and contaminate the water, they eventually also make their way to ponds, streams, rivers, and lakes. Because of which they harm aquatic animals, plants, human beings, etc.
So, the management of E-waste is necessary to save our earth and the lives of living things.
E-Waste Management Methodologies E-Waste Management (Formal Recycling)
1. Landfill: it is one of the inexpensive methods of waste management. In this waste is dumped on an abandoned land. Be cautious that no toxic or hazardous waste gets dumped in landfill.
2. Incineration: Toxic substances that cannot be dumped are burnt. This method is not much in action as this emits harmful pollutants leading to pollution.
3. Composting: Organic wastes from homes & garden eg- food, plants, etc are decomposed, recycled & used as manure for agriculture purpose.
4. Mechanical Biological Treatment: Glass, plastic &other recyclable waste is put into waste treatment plant. Recyclable content from waste is taken & converted to calorific fuel that in turn is used by power plants.
5. Pyrolysis & Gasification: Waste products are treated at high temperature7 high pressure. It’s a thermal technique. In pyrolysis, waste is converted into solid &liquid, in which solid is refined into carbon form& liquid got from the waste is used as energy giving oil. In gasification, waste is converted into synthetic gases: that are burnt to give high energy.
Formal E-Waste Recycling Process 2.1 E-Waste Management (Informal Recycling)
For the recycling of e-waste, India heavily depends on the unorganized sector as only a handful of organized e-waste recycling facilities are available. Over 95% of the e-waste is treated and processed in the majority of urban slums of the country, where untrained workers carry out the dangerous procedures without personal protective equipment, which are detrimental not only to their health but also to the environment.
Informal E-Waste Recycling 2.2 Responsibility:
User Responsibilities:
Always use fewer toxic contains product.
Aware about damage electronic and electrical product
Deposited e waste at authorized agencies.
Government Responsibility:
CPCB India is finalizing the set of rules and most recently issued a formal set of guidelines for proper and eco-friendly handling and disposal of the electronic waste.
electronics equipment manufacturers with the help of NGOs. According to the new guidelines issued by CPCB in 2007, e-waste is included in schedules 1, 2, and 3 of the
“Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2003” and Municipal Solid Waste Management Rule, 2000.
Department of Information Technology (DIT), (26) Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, has also published and circulated a comprehensive technical guide on “Environmental Management for Information Technology Industry in India.”
Demonstration projects have also been set-up by the DIT at the Indian Telephone Industries for the recovery of copper from Printed Circuit Boards.
The Department of Environment, Delhi government, has also decided to involve rag pickers in general waste management in the capital. These rag pickers will be trained, given uniforms, ID cards, and hired to clean waste. The department also intends to involve eco-clubs, now running in over 1,600 government and private schools in the Capital, in this initiative since it is these eco-clubs that will be interacting with rag pickers of that particular area.
Establish agencies to increase the awareness for e-waste & recycling of e-waste in rural and urban area. Offer some attractive schemes to control e-waste or collect e- waste from peoples.
2.3 Manufacturer Responsibility:
Provide attractive schemes to customer, so customers exchange old product with new product.
Providing contact, address, helpline number and other details of authorized agencies to customer, so as to facilitated return of used electrical and electronic equipment.
Collection of e waste during the manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment and channelizing it for recycling and disposal.
3 CONCLUSION
E-waste management is a great challenge for governments of many developing countries such as India. This is becoming a huge public health issue and is exponentially increasing by the day. In order to separately collect, effectively treat, and dispose of e-waste, as well as divert it from conventional landfills and open burning, it is essential to integrate the informal sector with the formal sector. The competent authorities in developing and transition countries need to establish mechanisms for handling and treatment of e-waste in a safe and sustainable manner. The hazardous nature of e-waste is one of the rapidly growing environmental problems of the world. The ever-increasing amount of e-waste associated with the lack of awareness and appropriate skill is deepening the problem. A large number of workers are involved in crude dismantling of these electronic items for their livelihood and their health is at risk; therefore, there is an urgent need to plan a preventive strategy in relation to health hazards of e-waste handling among these workers in India.
Required information should be provided to these workers regarding safe handling of e- waste and personal protection. For e-waste management many technical solutions are available, but to be adopted in the management system, prerequisite conditions such as legislation, collection system, logistics, and manpower should be prepared. This may require operational research and evaluation studies.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.downtoearth.org.in 2. https://www.ewaste1.com
3. https://www.wastemanagement.in
4. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-e-waste 5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6. https://www.teriin.org 7. https://en.wikipedia.org 8. https://cpcb.nic.in
