The e-waste inventory, based on obsolescence rate and installed base in India for the year 2005, has been estimated to be 1,46,180 tonne.
According to third draft guidelines for environmentally sound management of electronic waste issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the inventory is expected to exceed 8,00,000 tonne by 2012.
While 10 states generate 70% of the total e-waste generated in the country, sixty-five cities in India generate more than 60% of the total e-waste, the draft revealed.
Among the 10 largest e-waste generated states, Maharashtra ranks first followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
Among the top ten cities generating e-waste, Mumbai ranks first followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.
While there is no large-scale organised e-waste recycling facility in the country and the entire recycling exists in unorganised sector, there are two small e-waste dismantling facilities functioning in Chennai and Bangalore.
Ironically, in India, there are no specific environmental laws or guidelines on e-waste. None of the existing environmental laws have any direct reference to electronic waste or refer to its handling as hazardous in nature. However, several provisions of the laws may apply to various aspects of electronic wastes. Since e-waste or its residues fall under the category of ?hazardous? and ?non-hazardous waste, they are covered under the purview of The
Hazardous Waste Management Rules, 2003.
According to the draft guidelines, plastic-containing flame-retardants can be burnt in common hazardous waste incineration facilities. But monitoring and control of plastic burning at the facilities is a big environmental health and safety issue. Therefore, plastic, which cannot be recycled and is hazardous in nature is recommended to be land filled in nearby treatment storage and/or disposal facility (TSDF).
Moreover, existing lead recyling facilities from batteries fall under the existing environmental regulations for air, water, noise, land and soil pollution and generation of hazardous waste. In case lead recovery is low, they can be temporarily stored at e-waste dismantling facility and later disposed in TSDF. There is a need to geographically restrict area of operation of a particular facility similar to the lines of area of operation of a TSDF facility. This will ensure lower transportation cost, check transportation of e-waste across the different states and availability of raw material to the facility.