Module 5

E - WASTE MANAGEMENT

Electronic waste or e-waste is a term for electronic products that have become
unwanted, non-working or obsolete and have essentially reached the end of their
useful life. Because technology advances at such a high rate, many electronic
devices become trash after a few short years of use.
Electronic waste or ‘e-waste’ in general refers to electrical and electronic
equipment (EEE) that has ceased to be of any value to its owners. European Union
(EU, 2002) which, is one of the earliest legislation in the world to have recognised
this specialised waste stream, defines EEE as equipment which is dependent on
electric currents or electromagnetic fields.

Composition:

• E-waste normally contains valuable, as well as potentially toxic materials.

The composition of e-waste depends strongly on factors such as the type
of electronic device, the model, manufacturer, date of manufacture, and
the age of the scrap.
• 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 PCBs 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 SiO

E-waste Generation:

• This year’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) will

total about 57.4 million tonnes (MT) and will be greater than the
weight of the Great Wall of China, Earth’s heaviest artificial object.
• According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India
generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase
from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. Against this, the e-waste dismantling
capacity has not been increased from 7.82 lakh tonnes since 2017-18.
Characteristics:

• Hazardous components in e-waste: Electronic waste consists of a large

number of components of various sizes and shapes some of which contain
hazardous component that need to be removed for separate treatment.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

 • Material composition of e-waste: E-waste contains a mixture of various
metals, particularly copper, aluminium and steel attached to, covered with
or mixed with various types of plastics and ceramics.
• Precious metals have a wide application in the manufacture of electronic
appliances serving as contact material due to their high chemical stability
and their good conducting properties.
• Platinum group metals are used among other things in switching contacts. It
is obvious that the copper and precious metals make-up more than 80 % of the
value for most of the e-waste samples. Recovery of precious metals and
copper remain as the major economic driver for a long time.
• Complexity: E-waste often contains a complex mixture of materials,
making it challenging to recycle and dispose of properly.
• Hazardousness: E-waste can contain hazardous materials such as heavy
metals, flame retardants, and batteries, which can pose significant
environmental and health risks.
• Volatility: E-waste is a rapidly growing waste stream due to the
increasing use of electronic devices and the limited lifespan of many
electronic products.
• Global issue: E-waste is a global issue, as electronic devices are
manufactured, used, and discarded worldwide.
• Resource depletion: The extraction of raw materials for electronic
devices contributes to resource depletion, and the improper disposal of e-
waste can lead to environmental contamination and waste of valuable
resources.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

How is E‐Waste generated?
• Manufactures need to use certain chemicals, elements, and compounds to
synthesize a final consumer product.
• Years of R&D, multiple product generations, and consumers’ willingness
to “upgrade”, creates a constant supply of this type of waste.
• Items that contain numerous electrical components, generate the largest
amount of e‐waste. (i.e. Computers)

• “Buy new Items” is the 1st stage in the wheel.

• The 2nd stage in this "wheel of life" is returning end‐of‐life appliances or
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Fees might be
applicable for certain wastes.
• The 3rd phase involves “Detoxification” – the removal of critical
components from the e‐waste in order to avoid dilution or contamination
with toxic substances. This work requires much manual labor and thus is
unprofitable.
• The 4th stage involves the shredding of like materials so they can be
prepared for refinement.
• The 5th and final stage, is refinement, where Most of the fractions need to
be refined or conditioned in order to be sold as secondary raw materials
or to be disposed of in a final disposal site, respectively.
Global Policy

• On the policy front, 81 countries have adopted e-waste policy, legislation

or regulation. 67 countries have legal provisions on EPR for e-waste.
• Another 46 have provisions on e-waste collection rate targets. Finally, 36
countries have provisions on e-waste recycling rate targets.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

Status in India

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has

comprehensively revised the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and
notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 in November, 2022 and
the same is in force since 1st April, 2023.
• These new rules intend to manage e-waste in an environmentally sound
manner and put in place an improved Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) regime for e-waste recycling wherein all the
manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler are required to register
on a portal developed by the CPCB.
• The new provisions would facilitate and channelize the informal sector to
the formal sector for doing business and ensure recycling of E-waste in an
environmentally sound manner.

Health hazards of E-Waste:

• Lead: Found in cathode ray tubes and circuit boards. Exerts toxic effects
on various systems in the body such as the central (organic affective
syndrome) and peripheral nervous systems (motor neuropathy), the
hemopoietic system (anaemia), the genitourinary system (capable of
causing damage to all parts of nephron) and the reproductive systems
(male and female).
• Mercury: Used in flat screen display and lighting. Causes damage to the
genitourinary system, the central and peripheral nervous systems as well
as the foetus. When inorganic mercury spreads out in the water, it is
transformed into methylated mercury, which bio-accumulates in living
organisms and concentrates through the food chain, particularly by fish.
• Cadmium: Used in batteries and semiconductors. Is a potentially long-
term cumulative poison. Toxic cadmium compounds accumulate in the
human body and can act as carcinogen.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH): Affects lung, skin and
bladder. Epidemiological studies in the past on occupational exposure to
PAH provide sufficient evidence of the role of PAH in the induction of
skin and lung cancers.
• Flame retardants: Used in plastics, circuit board and cables. It can
disturb endocrine and reproductive system.

Effect of e-waste on environment:

• The Negative Effects on Air: Contamination in the air occurs when e-
waste is informally disposed by dismantling, shredding or melting the
materials, releasing dust particles or toxins, into the environment that
cause air pollution.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

 • The Negative Effects on Soil: Regular landfill of both heavy metals and
flame retardants can seep directly into the soil, causing contamination of
underlying groundwater or contamination of crops that may be planted
nearby or in the area in the future. When the soil is contaminated by heavy
metals, the crops become vulnerable to absorbing these toxins, which can cause
many illnesses and doesn’t allow the farmland to be as productive as possible.

• The Negative Effects on Water: The heavy metals such as mercury,

lithium, lead and barium may reach groundwater, they eventually reach to
ponds, streams, rivers and lakes. Through these pathways, acidification
and toxification are created in the water, which is unsafe for animals,
plants and communities.

Hazardous properties of E – Waste:

• Toxicity: Harmful elements in e waste can enter soil, air, and water
affecting humans and wildlife.
• Corrosive effects: Chemical reactions from metals and acids in e waste
components can degrade other materials, creating secondary pollutants.
• Persistence: Many pollutants in e waste do not degrade, causing long
term contamination in ecosystems.

Common E-waste Disposal Methods: There are a few different ways to

dispose of e-waste that have historically been employed; each come with their
own set of environmental issues.

• Landfilling: Digging a massive hole in the ground, filling it with waste

and then covering it back up with soil to prevent toxic waste from
leeching into the environment, some substances such as cadmium, lead,
and mercury may contaminate soil and groundwater.

• Acid Bath: Soaking electronic circuits in acids such as sulphuric,

hydrochloric, or nitric acid solutions separates metals from the electronic
pathways. The metals can then be recycled.

• Incineration: A very crude e-waste disposal method that involves

burning the waste in an extremely high temperature incinerator. The
benefits include, reduce waste volume and generate energy.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

 • Recycling: Many items of e-waste can be dismantled and their
component parts repurposed into new products.

• Informal Sector Handling: In many countries, informal workers collect

and recycle e waste without proper safety measures, leading to exposure
to toxic substances.

Basic Principles of E- Waste management:

Reuse, Reduce & Recycle (3Rs):

• Reuse: By far, the most environmentally friendly e-waste disposal

technique is for, where possible, devices to be reused. Many charities will
gladly accept old electronic devices that can then be refurbished and
redistributed to people in more disadvantaged communities.
• Reduce: Limit e waste generation through mindful purchasing and
extending product life.
• Recycle: Extract valuable materials and safety dispose of hazardous
components.
Producer responsibility and Take back programs: Manufactures are
responsible for taking back end of life products for recycling.
Consumer Awareness and Participation: Safe disposal of non-recyclable
hazardous waste.
Components of E-Waste Management:
1. Collection: Setting up collection centres and take back programs.
2. Segregation and Dismantling: After collection and transportation
to recycling facilities, materials in the e-waste stream must be
processed and separated. It is the foundation of electronics
recycling. Initial shredding of e-waste stream facilitates sorting and
separation of plastics from metals and internal circuitry.
3. Recycling and Resource recovery: Recovery of valuable metals
and materials. Electronics recycling can be challenging because
discarded electronics devices are sophisticated devices
manufactured from varying proportions of glass, metals,
and plastics.
4. Disposal of residual waste: Safe disposal of non-recyclable
hazardous wastes.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

 5. Monitoring and Compliances: Regular audits and inspections to
ensure adherence to regulations.

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2011 - Salient Features and its implications:

• It apply to every manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, dismantler and

recycler.
• All manufacturers, producers, refurbishers and recyclers must register on
the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) portal.
• No entity shall carry out any business without registration and not deal
with any unregistered entity.
• Authorization has been replaced by registration through the online portal,
and only manufacturers, producers, refurbishers, and recyclers require
registration.
• The quantity recycled will be computed based on end products to avoid
any false claims.
• Provisions for environmental compensation, verification and audit have
been introduced.
• There is a provision for the constitution of a Steering Committee to
oversee the overall implementation of the rules.
• Provision for reducing hazardous substances in the manufacturing of EEE
mandates that every producer of EEE and their components shall ensure
that their products do not contain lead, mercury and other hazardous
substances beyond the maximum prescribed concentration.
• It also provides recognition and registration, skill development,
monitoring and ensuring the safety and health of workers involved in
dismantling and recycling e-waste.

Implications: Encouraged formal recycling, reduced informal sector

dependence and introduced accountability for manufactures.

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 - Salient Features and its implications:

• Enhanced EPR Mechanism: Sets collection targets for producers and

imposes penalties for non-compliances.
• Provisions for recycling licenses: Requires certification for e waste
recyclers and promotes efficient resource recovery.
• Digital tracking system: Introduces a digital EPR portal to monitor e
waste flows and compliance.
• Implications: Increase traceability and efficiency in e waste
management, strengthens enforcement and expands collection networks.

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508

Asha Bhat, Department of Chemistry, RNSIT BCS508