Mounting threat from e-waste
K P M BASHEER-Bali, Indonesia
India, one of the two largest markets for mobile phones in the world
along with China, faces a mounting problem, how to get rid of the
discarded mobiles.
For, by the year 2020, the size of the discarded mobile mound will
grow by 18 times from the 2007 level, says a United Nations Environment
Program study.
Health problems
If no proper e-waste recycling mechanism is put in place, these
abandoned phones are going to create environmental damage and health
problems, the study warns.
Recycling from e-waste to resources |
The study, 'Recycling from e-waste to resources,' was released at a
combined meeting of the bodies of UN Conventions on hazardous chemical
wastes, organized by the UNEP, at Bali on February 22. It warns
developing countries, especially fast growing economies like India,
China, Brazil and South Africa, that if efforts are not made to recycle
the abandoned electronic equipment, they will be in for big
environmental trouble.
Apart from mobile phones, old computers, TVs and refrigerators added
to the e-waste mountain in these countries.
For instance, computer e-waste in India will have risen by five times
in 2020 from the 2007 level. Discarded refrigerators will double or even
triple.
The report estimates that India's current e-waste generation is 2.75
lakh tonnes from TVs, over one lakh tonnes from refrigerators, 56,300
tonnes from personal computers, 1,700 tonnes from mobiles and 4,700 from
printers.
However, China's problem from e-waste is much more than that of
India. It now generates five lakh tonnes of refrigerator waste and three
lakh tonnes of PC waste.
Apart from the e-waste generated by domestic consumption, India,
China and other developing countries also have to confront the legal and
illegal dumping of e-waste by western countries, mainly the United
States which is, as of now, not bound by international agreements on
hazardous wastes as it has refused to sign such treaties.
Global environmental NGOs have in the past caught several shipments
of e-waste on way to the illegal dumping yards in developing countries.
For instance, Jim Puckett, leader of a global NGO battling such dumping,
pointed out at a media meeting that as recent as this week the
Indonesian Government, alerted by his group, had sent back two ship
containers carrying computer waste sent by an American company.
The UNEP report also notes that global e-waste generation is growing
by 40 million tonnes a year. In 2007, more than one billion mobiles were
sold in the world and the sales are set to jump in the coming years,
particularly in developing countries which are home to large
populations.
The Hindu |