Information technology and telecom are two of the fastest growing
industries. India is expected to achieve a PC penetration of 65 per
thousand, against the existing rate of 14 per thousand people, by the
year 2008.
India at present has 15 million computers and this figure is expected to grow five-fold to 75 million by the year 2010. This will add large volumes of electronic waste to the waste stream and the environment. According to one estimate, two million PCs are nearing disposal, which include 286, 386 and 486 vintages being rendered obsolete. New upgrades are appearing in the market at small gaps increasing obsolesce rate of the existing models.
India today has 75 million cell phone users. This is expected to touch 200 million by 2007. According to one estimate, approximately 150,000 tons of e-waste is generated in India annually and almost all of it finds its way into the informal sector. The trend is likely to increase manifold in proportion to the growth in the electronics industry.
Almost all electronic and electrical appliances, like computers, mobile phones, iPods, refrigerators, washing machines, televisions etc, constitute e-waste after being discarded Because of this recycling of e-waste has emerged as a lucrative business. These products are stripped down to yield valuable metals like platinum, gold and copper
Computers and other electronic equipment are made from hundreds of different materials. Many of these materials are inherently valuable, such as gold and platinum, and many are non-renewable. If they can be extracted they can be reused in manufacture again as a 'secondary' raw material.There are also some nasties in e-waste. Heavy metals including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are used in electronic equipment. When disposed of they can leach from landfill tips into the water table. Brominated-flame retardants used in computer equipment are both an occupational and environmental health threat. Printer inks and toners often contain toxic materials such as carbon black and cadmium. It is these environmental health implications that have put e-waste under the spotlight of international governments and environmentalists alike.
Perhaps our society's biggest problem with e-waste (and other waste types) is our backward approach - we wait until we have a waste problem before we think about solving it. According to Helen Lewis, Director of the Centre for Design at RMIT University, tackling the problem at the source is often cheaper and more effective than trying to solve the problem at the end of the line. "A lot of the attention has focused on waste legislators, when our answers could be coming from product designers," says Lewis. And she would know, having spent a number of years as Manager of Industry Programs at the state government waste authority EcoRecycle Victoria. "If we're serious about addressing our waste problems, we need to start work at the design stage of a product's life cycle. Products can be better designed so that they last longer, are more environmentally responsible and so that they can be more easily dismantled and recycled at the end of their life."
The Centre for Design at RMIT University is a leader in the growing field of Design for the Environment. This approach to design ensures that environmental impacts, including pollution and waste, are considered and minimised at all stages of a product's life, not just at the disposal stage. Design for the Environment fits in with a broader theme - the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR involves producers and original equipment manufacturers taking more responsibility for managing the environmental impacts of their products throughout their life. In other words, it's about making the producer pay.
The European Parliament's Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (affectionately known as 'WEEE') highlights EPR as a key component of any solution to our growing e-waste problem. Other studies, including Environment Australia's Product Stewardship Discussion Paper, say the same common-sense thing — that producers should design products better so that they are less harmful for the environment and so that they last longer and therefore don't need to be recycled and replaced as often. They also call on original equipment manufacturers to take their used products back and recycle or dispose of them responsibly.
It is also recommended that the process of legislation should be transparent, participatory and most democratic which will enable all the stakeholders to participate and contribute to the process so that there is more effective compliance and a better solution.
India at present has 15 million computers and this figure is expected to grow five-fold to 75 million by the year 2010. This will add large volumes of electronic waste to the waste stream and the environment. According to one estimate, two million PCs are nearing disposal, which include 286, 386 and 486 vintages being rendered obsolete. New upgrades are appearing in the market at small gaps increasing obsolesce rate of the existing models.
India today has 75 million cell phone users. This is expected to touch 200 million by 2007. According to one estimate, approximately 150,000 tons of e-waste is generated in India annually and almost all of it finds its way into the informal sector. The trend is likely to increase manifold in proportion to the growth in the electronics industry.
Almost all electronic and electrical appliances, like computers, mobile phones, iPods, refrigerators, washing machines, televisions etc, constitute e-waste after being discarded Because of this recycling of e-waste has emerged as a lucrative business. These products are stripped down to yield valuable metals like platinum, gold and copper
Computers and other electronic equipment are made from hundreds of different materials. Many of these materials are inherently valuable, such as gold and platinum, and many are non-renewable. If they can be extracted they can be reused in manufacture again as a 'secondary' raw material.There are also some nasties in e-waste. Heavy metals including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are used in electronic equipment. When disposed of they can leach from landfill tips into the water table. Brominated-flame retardants used in computer equipment are both an occupational and environmental health threat. Printer inks and toners often contain toxic materials such as carbon black and cadmium. It is these environmental health implications that have put e-waste under the spotlight of international governments and environmentalists alike.
Perhaps our society's biggest problem with e-waste (and other waste types) is our backward approach - we wait until we have a waste problem before we think about solving it. According to Helen Lewis, Director of the Centre for Design at RMIT University, tackling the problem at the source is often cheaper and more effective than trying to solve the problem at the end of the line. "A lot of the attention has focused on waste legislators, when our answers could be coming from product designers," says Lewis. And she would know, having spent a number of years as Manager of Industry Programs at the state government waste authority EcoRecycle Victoria. "If we're serious about addressing our waste problems, we need to start work at the design stage of a product's life cycle. Products can be better designed so that they last longer, are more environmentally responsible and so that they can be more easily dismantled and recycled at the end of their life."
The Centre for Design at RMIT University is a leader in the growing field of Design for the Environment. This approach to design ensures that environmental impacts, including pollution and waste, are considered and minimised at all stages of a product's life, not just at the disposal stage. Design for the Environment fits in with a broader theme - the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR involves producers and original equipment manufacturers taking more responsibility for managing the environmental impacts of their products throughout their life. In other words, it's about making the producer pay.
The European Parliament's Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (affectionately known as 'WEEE') highlights EPR as a key component of any solution to our growing e-waste problem. Other studies, including Environment Australia's Product Stewardship Discussion Paper, say the same common-sense thing — that producers should design products better so that they are less harmful for the environment and so that they last longer and therefore don't need to be recycled and replaced as often. They also call on original equipment manufacturers to take their used products back and recycle or dispose of them responsibly.
It is also recommended that the process of legislation should be transparent, participatory and most democratic which will enable all the stakeholders to participate and contribute to the process so that there is more effective compliance and a better solution.
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