The Problem of Electronic Waste in Asian Countries - Literature review Example

The Dark Side of ICT Market: Rapidly Growing E-Waste Problem in Asian Countries By of 1897 Words Introduction Electronic waste is an informal name for electronic products after the end of their useful life. It comprises of waste from electronic products such as computers, office electronic equipment, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators. This definition includes used electronics intended for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal.The production of electronics is one of the fastest growing global manufacturing activities (Atsushi et al., 2006). Rapid economic growth, urbanization and growing demand for consumer goods, has increased the consumption and production of electronic equipments. According to Khurrum et al (2011), China had 20 million refrigerators and 48 million televisions sold in 2003 and 40 million personal computers sold in 2009. In the USA, 80 million communication devices were sold in 2003 and 152 million in 2008. Khurrum et al (2011) report that a growth of 90% was expected in 5 years. In the European Union, 3.8 billion units of electronic goods entered the market. Of these goods, 265 million were computers, 245 million home were home consumer electronics and 197 million were consumer appliances (Khurrum et al., 2011). These statistics highlight the menace that e-waste has become to the environment. The Asian information technology industry is one of the main drivers of change in the economy. According to Wath, Dutt&Chakrabarti (2011), in the last decade, this industry has contributed significantly to the digital revolution being experienced across the globe. Truttmann and Rechberger (2006) say that new electronic gadgets and appliances have become part of life, providing society with more comfort, health and security and with more efficient and faster information acquisition and exchange. However, the information society is creating its own toxic footprints. Wath, Dutt, and Chakrabarti (2011), say that e-waste is among the most rapidly growing helath concerns of the world. It comprises of a multitude of components, some which contain toxic substances that have an unpleasant impacts on human health and the environment if not handled properly (The National People’s Congress, 2006). In Asian countries, e-waste management is of great significance not only because of the generation of their own e-waste but also the dumpingof e-wastes from developed countries (Khurrum et al., 20111). This problem is coupled with the lack of appropriate infrastructure and procedures for disposal and recycling of e-waste.This paper discusses the problem of electronic waste in Asia, particularly India and China. China and India are major producers and consumers of electronic waste, which should adopt stringent policies and measures to curb e-waste challenges to reduce or eliminate the health risks associated with electronic product manufacture and usage. 2. Electronic Waste in India and China E-waste broadly covers waste from all electronic and electrical appliances and comprises of items such as computers, mobile phones, digital music recorders/players, refrigerators, washing machines, televisionsand many other household consumer items(Widmer& Oswald-Krapf, 2005). This kind of waste poses a serious challenge in disposal and recycling to both developed and developing countries.Whereas it has some of the worlds most advanced high-tech software and hardware developing facilities, Indias e-waste recycling sector faces serious challenges Science Daily (2007). The dumping of e-waste, especially computer waste, into India from the USA and Europe has further complicated the problems of waste management. A study by Wath, Dutt and Chakrabarti (2011) revealed that the total e-waste generation in India is approximately 1,460,000 tonnes a year (Wath, Dutt&Chakrabarti, 2011). The authors observed that the projected growth for e-waste generation for India was 34% per year while of the overall e-waste generated in the country, western India accounted for the largest share at 35%. Top on the list were the southern, northern and eastern regions of India which accounted for 30%, 21 % and 14%, respectively (Wath, Dutt, & Chakrabarti, 2011). Notably, the top contributing states were Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Agamuthu and Victor (2013) studied electronic waste in Bangalore, which has more than 1200 foreign and domestic technology firms. They established that Bangalore generate about 1000 tonnes of plastics, 300 tonnes of lead, 0.23 tonnes of mercury, 43 tonnes of nickel and 350 tonnes of copper annually. Cocnerning scrap, Delhi-based scrap dealers dismantle 15,000 personal computers per year (Agamuthu and Victor (2013) hasten to state that this figure does not include computers handled by large dealers who get scrap from Europe and the USA. Besides the domestic e-waste generated, an additional 50,000 metric tonnes is illegally imported into the country annually. Truttmann and Rechberger further established that in a month, 30 metric tonnes of e-waste is imported through the Ahmedabad port.While northern India is not a leading generator, it happens to be the leading processing center of e-waste. In China e-waste is becoming an key waste stream in terms of both quantity and toxicity. The sources are categorizedinto domestically generated waste and those importedfrom othercountries. According to Xianbing, Masaru & Yasuhiro (2006), China is the destination for a large proportion of e-waste from the USA and the Europe Union. For instance, Guiyu in the Shantou region of China is a huge electronic waste processing area, employing over 150,000 e-waste workers to disassemble old computers and recapture metals and parts that can be reused or sold. The thousands of individual workshops employ laborers to snip cables, pry chips from circuit boards, grind plastic computer cases into particles, and dip circuit boards in acid baths to dissolve the lead, cadmium, and other toxic metals (He & Li, 2006). Others work to strip insulation from all wiring in an attempt to salvage tiny amounts of copper wire. Uncontrolled burning, disassembly, and disposal cause a variety of environmental problems such as groundwater contamination, atmospheric pollution and water pollution(Xianbing, Masaru & Yasuhiro, 2006).This pollution is caused by immediate discharge or by surface runoff, more so in areas adjacent to the coast. According to He and Li (2006), the other effects of poor disposal of e-waste are problems of occupational safety and health effects for people directly and indirectly involved because of the methods and equipment used in processing and disposing of e-wastes. 3. Health and Environmental Impact of E-Waste E-waste is categorized into household appliances, IT and Telecom and consumer equipments. Examples are refrigerator, washing machine, PC, monitor, laptop, TV and mobile phones. He and Li (2006) outline the harmful components of these appliances as CFC/HCFC/HFC/HC, metal, motor/ compressor, cooling, plastic, insulation, glass, LCD, rubber, wiring/electrical, concrete, transformer and magnetron. refractory ceramic fibers, radioactive substances and electrolyte capacitors. Serious unfavorable impacts on the environment and humanhealth from e-waste recycling have occurred in the past andcontinue to occur in China and India today, due to lack of nationalmanagement strategies. Electronic waste is madeup of a multitude of components; some containing toxic substances that have an adverse impact on human health and the environment if not handled properly waste (Veenstra et al. 2010). Often, these hazards arise due to the improper recycling and disposal processes used.It has serious consequences for those in proximity to places where e-waste is recycled or burnt (Matsuto, Jung & Tanaka, 2004). Waste from the white and brown goods is less toxic as compared with grey goods. A computer contains highly toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, BFR, polyvinyl chloride and phosphor compounds (Environmental Times, 2004). Discussed below are some of the components and there effects on human health. 4. Actions Undertaken To Solve the E-Waste Problem China and India have legislations that seek to curtail the amount of e-waste in their countries. India has the E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011, which places hefty legal liabilities for producers on electronic waste reduction and recycling. This Act became effective on May 1, 2012. It requires manufacturers and importers of mobile phones and computes to establish e-waste collection centers. The same rules apply to stakeholders involved in e-waste manufacture, purchase, consumption and processing. China also has legislative measures to help manage e-waste. Intially, China had a total ban on e-waste. However, this was later revamped and the replaced by the Management Regulations for Recycling and Disposing of Consumaer Electornics and Electronic Wastes. It became effective on January 1, 2011. Essentially, this law bans importation of toxic e-waste. It also requires that e-wastes and e-waste pollution be treated by licensed bodies. Chinese provinces also have e-waste management programmes. An example is the Home Appliance Old for New Rebate Program, which covers Beijing, Hyrule, Qingdao and Sichuan provinces. This program focuses on recycling by accredited collectors. These collectors take used electronic products from consumers, giving them discount coupons to recognise their actions (He & Li, 2006). The legilslations and programs are however, not sufficient to tackle e-waste problems. Preventive measures are highly recommended as the key to the e-waste menace (The National People’s Congress, 2006). For instance, a preventative step that major electronics firms should take is to remove the harmful chemicals in products to make them safer and easier to recycle (Matsuto, Jung & Tanaka, 2004). It is also important that organisations take responsibility for their products. A method of dealing with the problem of e-waste is obtaining willing buyers of the old electronics before discarding them. Second, individuals and organisations should create ‘take-back-programs’ where consumers return old electronics to stores. Although in most cases, individuals will not receive any money in exchange for the old equipment, these programs will certainly provide an easy way to get rid of old and used electronic goods (Alter, 2000). Recycling raw materials from end-of-life electronics is the other effective solution to the growing e-waste problem. Most electronic devices contain a variety of potentially harmful materials, especially metals that can be recovered for reuse. By dismantling and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution by hazardous disposal avoided (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). Additionally, recycling reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the manufacturing of new products.Benefits of recycling are extended when responsible recycling methods are used (Truttmann & Rechberger, 2006). Responsible recycling ensures best management practices of the electronics being recycled, worker health and safety, and consideration for the environment locally and abroad. 5. Conclusion China and India are major manufacturers of electronic goods, ranging from domestic appliance to large industrial equipment. Once use, many individual and corporate users dispose of these products hapharzardly, polluting the environment and endangering the lives of people and animals. Although China and India have laws, regulations and provincial programs to address the menace of electronic waste, a lot still need to be done to reduce electronic waste and its negative impacts. First, users are encouraged to reuse and recycle or resale used or old electronic devices as the initial step in curtailing e-waste challenges. Despite the myriad challenges, the E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011 for India and the Management Regulations for Recycling and Disposing of Consumaer Electornics and Electronic Wastes for China. however, obstacles abound for e-waste management in China and India, necessitating the need for the implementation of more stringent rules and regulations. These challenges are over- reliance on legislation as the main strategy against the e-waste problem and the simplistic adoption of policies from developed countries without considering the immediate circumstances and political, cultural and socio-economic contexts of the countries. Thus, effective e-waste policy development for China and India ought to have a standard shift in perception from a problematic waste issue to an opportunistic green growth solution. Generally, current policy trends of e-waste management in India and China appear promising in the long-term. 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