Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- Thailand seized 284 tonnes of US imported e-waste falsely labelled as scrap metal, highlighting concerns over transboundary hazardous waste and “exporting pollution.”
What is E-Waste?
- E-waste refers to discarded electrical and electronic devices such as computers, circuit boards, mobile phones, and appliances.
- It contains hazardous materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants.
- Improper disposal leads to soil contamination, water pollution, and health hazards.
Why Do Developed Countries Export E-Waste?
- Recycling e-waste is technologically complex and costly in developed countries.
- Developing countries usually have lower environmental regulations and cheaper labour for informal recycling.
- This leads to the phenomenon of “waste colonialism”, where pollution is shifted to poorer nations.
India’s E-Waste Scenario
- India ranks as the third-largest producer of electronic waste globally, following China and the United States.
- According to the Global E-waste Monitor, E-waste generation in India has increased from ~2.76 MMT in 2020 to ~6.19 MMT in 2024 and is projected to reach 14 MMT by 2030.
- Computer equipment accounts for the largest share of the E-waste stream (65%), followed by large appliances and medical equipment (15%), telecom equipment (12%), and consumer electronics (8%).
Challenges in E-Waste Management
- Rapid Growth of E-Waste: The fast pace of technological advancement and short product life cycles leads to a continuous rise in e-waste generation.
- Dominance of Informal Sector: In countries like India, 90–95% of e-waste is processed by the informal sector, using unsafe methods such as acid leaching and open burning, causing severe pollution.
- Inadequate Infrastructure: Limited number of authorized collection centres, recycling units, poor logistics and weak reverse supply chains hinder effective waste collection.
- Poor Tracking: Lack of reliable data on quantity generated and recycling rates enables leakages into informal channels.
Initiatives for E-Waste Management in India
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers, importers, and brand owners are made responsible for managing their product’s end-of-life waste.
- An online EPR E-Waste portal has been developed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) where entities such as producers, manufacturers, recyclers, and refurbishers of the e-waste are required to be registered.
- 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.
- India’s first e-waste clinic was inaugurated in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- It’s a facility for segregating, processing, and disposing of e-waste from both households and commercial units.
- The Ministry of Mines launched a Pan-India E-Waste Recycling Drive as part of Special Campaign 5.0 (in 2025), aimed at promoting Swachhata in government offices and ensuring scientific disposal and resource recovery from electronic waste.
Basel Convention
- The Basel Convention is a global treaty aimed at controlling the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal, ensuring that such wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner.
- It mandates:
- Prior informed consent of importing countries.
- Environmentally sound management of hazardous waste.
- Return of illegal waste shipments at the exporter’s expense.
- It was adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992.
- India is a party to the Basel Convention.
Way Ahead
- Countries must strengthen domestic recycling infrastructure to manage their own waste.
- There is a need for stricter enforcement of the Basel Convention, global tracking systems for hazardous waste shipments, promotion of circular economy practices.
- Developed nations must take full responsibility for their waste, ensuring sustainable and ethical environmental governance.
Source: TOI
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