Assessment of Electronic Waste and Its Impact in India – Recent Scenario

The term "e-waste" is applied to consumer electronic equipment that is no longer wanted. E-waste can include computers, printers, televisions, VCRs, cell phones, fax machines, stereos, and electronic games. Electronics may contain lead, copper, and other heavy metals or potentially toxic substances. It is critical to reduce e-waste by only buying what you need, reuse electronics that still work, and finally recycle electronics at the end of their useful life cycle. The increased production and consumption of electronic equipment has led to a rapid growth in e-waste. When improperly disposed of, this can be associated with health risks and toxic environmental pollution from lead, mercury and other toxic compounds found in most computers and monitors. E-waste is a particularly difficult issue to deal with as it contains many different materials and lots of extremely hazardous substances. Incorrect disposal can result in many dangerous chemicals damaging the air, the ground and the water. However India currently has no legal framework which deals specifically with e-waste related to computer and its product. It is a fact that the quantity of e-waste to be disposed of is growing rapidly throughout the world and developing countries contribute a sizeable share. E-waste volumes are expected to increase significantly in India in the near future. There’s a productive future for used televisions and computer monitors, a future of reusing and recycling. Electronic waste (E-waste), banned from local landfills because of hazardous components, is a by-product of technology. Cathode ray tube (CRT) devices including TVs and computer monitors, LCD desktop monitors, laptop computers, and televisions contain hazardous materials and cannot be tossed into a landfill.