Managing e-waste has always been a concern for the country and now it has come to light that almost 95 per cent electronic waste that is generated in India ends up going to illegal dealers. This in turn means no proper disposal of e-waste and hazards that it can pose due to the materials that are used in electronics.
India roughly generates 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of e-waste every year and out of which Mumbai contributes 1.2 lakh MT and Delhi contributes 98,000 MT.
Illegal e-waste firms channel 95 per cent of all e-waste processed in the country, according to a recent study conducted by Assocham-Frost and Sullivan. They, thus, deprive the authorised firms of not only revenues, but also the chance to break down electronics without endangering the health of citizens.
What is important here is to know that 75 per cent of the e-waste comes from household electronics and most people give away these electronics to scrap dealers and thus they never end up going to the right e-waste company who can dispose them off properly. There is still a lot of lack of awareness among consumers and the government needs to address this issue in a proper manner.
By Atanu Kumar Das
