Greentech Lead India: India is expected to generate eight
lakh tons of e-waste in 2012 – up eight times in the past seven years.
According to the latest annual report of the Union ministry of environment and
forest (MoEF), Mumbai tops the list of 10 most e-waste generating cities,
followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune,
Surat and Nagpur.
70 percent of the total e-waste generated in the country
comes from 10 states – Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, MP and Punjab.
E-waste contains toxic minerals. Heavy metals are harmful
to environment and pose grave health hazards. However, the country has few
facilities like A2Z Group to recycle
this trash.
With the growth in the IT sector in India, responsible
and secure disposal of IT assets has been a cause for concern for a long time.
Currently, only 5 percent of the e-waste generated in India is recycled.
“The burning of metals can give rise to dioxins and
furans during incineration. Arsenic and asbestos may act as a catalyst to
increase the formation of dioxins, which is carcinogenic in nature,” said
the latest annual report of the Union ministry of environment and forest
(MoEF).
E-waste includes household electronic appliances, toys, electrical and
electronic tools, medical devices, mobile phones, monitoring and control
instruments, automatic dispensers, I-T and telecom equipment and consumer
electronic items.
Last year, the ministry
notified the E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011, making producers
responsible for environmentally sound management of the end-of-life products,
including collection and recycling.
editor@greentechlead.com