CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction:

Waste is an unwanted or undesired material or substance. It is also referred to as

rubbish, trash, garbage or junk. Waste is directly linked to the human development both
technologically and socially. The composition of different waste have varied over time
and location, with industrial development and innovation being directly linked with
waste material. Some components of waste have economical value and can be recycled
once correctly recovered. Various types of waste are bio-degradable waste, bio-medical
waste, commercial waste, construction and demolition waste (C&D waste), domestic
waste, electronic waste (e-waste), hazardous waste, household waste, human waste,
industrial waste, liquid waste, municipal waste, radioactive waste, toxic waste, etc.

The large majority of waste generated globally are disposed of in landfill sites, without
any pre-treatment or with minor treatments. E-waste is a waste type consisting of any
broken or unwanted electrical or electronic device. Electric or electronic equipment are,
made up of multitude of components, some containing toxic substances which can have
an adverse impact on human health and the environment if not handled properly. E-
waste toxic substances consists of lead, cadmium, arsenic, barium, etc. Often these
hazards arise due to improper recycling and disposal processes used. When disposal
carefully in the controlled environment, they do not pose any serious health or
environment risk.

Hazardous waste management studies to evaluate the significance of such hazards,

advice on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps are
also met upon. E-waste management includes various disposal methods such as
incineration, open burning, landfilling and recycling method. Among the various
methods landfilling is considered as the most harmful because of leachate which often
contains heavy water resources. Even the best ‘’state of the art” landfills are not
completely tight throughout their lifetimes and a certain amount of chemical and metal
leaching will occur. The situation is far worse for older or less stringent dump sites.
 Recycling is a far better option as compared to disposal because it saves resources and
protects Earth.

1.2 Need of E-waste study:

When people say “I am concerned about the environment,” what do they mean?
Environment protection is a major concern today, and humans are now trying every means
and method available to save the environment. The study on e-waste is required because:

 It is an environment and health hazard:

E-waste contains a number of toxic substances which are not only dangerous for the
environment but also for the people living in the immediate area of e-waste recycling or
disposal sites. The cathode tubes (CRT’s) in computer and television monitors contain lead-
which is poisonous to the nervous system- as to the circuit boards. Mercury- like lead- a
neurotoxin, is used in flat-panel display screens. Some batteries and circuit boards contain
cadmium, known to be a carcinogen.

 Rapid growth of IT sector:

Rapid growth combined with rapid product obsolescence and discarded electronics is now
the fastest growing waste stream in industrialized world. The growing quantity of e-waste
from electronic and IT industry is beginning to reach disastrous proportions and they need
to be controlled. The problem in Indian scenario the lack of awareness among enterprises
on the hazardous effects of e-waste. Bangalore is the IT hub of India and is growing
phenomenally. The growing industry has provided employment to over 2 lakhs people and
alone products nearly 8,000 tons of e-waste every year. Most of this waste is recycled
unscientifically or just dumped along with domestic solid waste, thereby creating risks.

 To separate recyclable and reusable materials:

Government organizations would like to foster opportunities to recycle and use surplus
electronic equipment’s on as wide a scale as possible. Recycling of e-waste is not required
merely because it is a mandatory or environmental requirement, but is also essential to
avoid bad publicity when computers and other automation systems are found landfill or
third world war countries, consequently, the industry is on the risk of paradigm shift with
respect to cost avoidance v/s risk avoidance.
1.3 Objective of the study:

E-waste is a global concern today and it has far reaching adverse effects on the environment
if not dealt with immediately, here study on e-waste is necessary and the objectives of the
project are as follows: -

 To create awareness about e-waste:

The average citizens have no idea about e-waste and the problems it is causing for our
environment. There are plenty of things consumers can do. First, spread awareness of e-
waste by discussing the problem with friends and family, and at workplace. The more the
people know the proper way to dispose of their electronic waste, the better. Second, find
out if there is an electronic recycling in the city or anywhere nearby.

 To study the hazardous effects of e-waste:

Computers and other electronic equipment are made up of different materials, both found
naturally as well as man-made. While some naturally occurring substances, such as
chromium, are harmless in nature, their use in the manufacture of the electronic equipment
often results in compounds which are hazardous. These highly toxic compounds are
especially harmful to human health and the environment if not disposed of carefully.

 To study the quantity of e-waste generation:

India generated over 3.3 lakh tons of e-waste in 2018 and is expected to touch 4.7 lakhs
tons by 2020. The illegal import of e-waste from abroad added another 50 tons to the Indian
origin. Pune ranked 3rd in Maharashtra in e-waste generation and the city’s e-waste would
reach 3500 tons by 2015. The two largest nations shipping their e-wastes out are the U.S
and Britain. Britain exported 25000 tons of e-waste to South Asia last year.

 Disposal methods:

In the hierarchy of the end-of-life disposal methods, landfilling is considered the most
harmful, and recycling the most environmentally tolerable. Various methods of e-waste
disposal are incineration, open burning and land filling. Land filling is one of the most widely
used methods of waste disposal.

 Reuse or recycling methods:

Recycling means taking a product or materials at the end of its useful life and turning it into
a usable raw material to make another product. Most of the recycling process involves
physical dismantling by hammer, chisel, screwdriver and bare hand. Recycling offers
significant energy savings over manufacturing with virgin materials.

1.4 Scope of the project:

In order to execute the project, it is essential to establish the e-waste business chain linking
different stakeholders to understand the trade economics and associated environmental
impacts.

The provision of recycling /disposal methods ensures constant and reliable e-waste
management. The study shall identify and describe the following:

i. Their respective geographical distribution the study area.

ii. E-waste generation cycle: Generation of e-waste starts once it is discarded after the
end of its useful life.
In industries management of e-waste should begin at the point of generation. This
can be done by waste minimization techniques and by sustainable product design.
Waste minimization in industries involves adopting inventory management,
production-process modification, volume reduction, recovery and reuse.
 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction:

The rapid pace of technological changes in the field of electronics has made appliances for
homes and office equipment both affordable and widely used. The extreme growth rates
but also ever-increasing obsolescence rates result in large quantities of electrical and
electronic equipment been added to the waste stream.

Electronics are quickly becoming a significant portion of the materials sent to local landfills.
Computers, radios, fax machines, cellular telephones and personal digital assistants are
becoming items of concern in the waste stream. Advance in technology, as well as the
decreasing price of the most electronics, has led to an increase in the volume of outdated
items that require proper disposal, typically called electronic waste.

E-waste can be defined as electronic products connects with proper plug, batteries which
have become obsolete due to;

 Advancement in technology
 Changes in fashion, style, status.
 Nearing the end of their useful life.

The processing of e-waste in developing countries causes serious health and pollution
problems due to lack of containment, as do unprotected landfilling and incineration.

2.2 Definition

According to California Integrated Waste Management Board 2005 Computers, televisions,

VCRs, Music Systems, Photo copier, wax and other printers fall under this category. It is not very
clear to add home appliances in this solid waste or not. But yet they are considered as either
electronic or electrical products.

Kohler, A., Erdmann, L (2004)10 explained that the home appliance like automatic ovens, fridge
or chilling machines and many others which also work on programming and computer related
activities are very difficult to differentiate from WEEE as they are also part of either electrical or
electronic family.

Wang et al., (2010)18, write in detailed that electronic & electrical waste is actually a family
and it has many branches which includes all personal, commercial, educational,
transportation, private or public products which mainly work on power and have some at
least sort of automation to function to meet the requirement.

A Catalog of universal e-waste substances are shown in Table 1.

According to UNEP, 2005; Greenpeace International, (2005) around 21,00,000 to 51,00,000
tones of e-waste produced annually around the globe and this number is very huge as well
approximate as there is no clear cut method or technology to measure the actual quantity
of waste produce and discarded. Further author said the percentage of e-waste of that of
solid waste is around 5

Widmer, R., Oswald (2005)9 stated in rich and developed nations the percentage of e-waste to
solid waste is around 8.

Table 1 Catalog of universal e-waste substance

ETC 201011 in a statement, the International Association of Electronics Recyclers predictable that
according to existing development & slumping trends the all personal and public electronics
instruments will find its way to landfills is approximately three billion. Interpretation of current
financial drift, budding nations are also going to pour more and more electronic waste into the
existing amount.

Wanjiku et al. 2009 explained while awareness around e-waste and the hazards posed by
improper recycling is growing, the allure of inexpensive access to technology is still too great for
many budding nations to want to strictly regulate electronics.
 Table 2: Projections of e-waste generation (tones / year) in budding countries

2.3 Classification of E-waste:

E-waste encompasses ever growing range of obsolete electronic devices such as computers,
servers, main frames, monitors, T.Vs and display devices, telecommunication devices such
as cellular phones and pages, calculators, audio and video devices, printers, scanners,
copiers and fax machines besides refrigerators, air conditioners, ovens , e-waste also covers
recording devices such as DVD’s, CD’s, floppies, cartridges, automobile catalytic converters,
electronic components such as mother boards, processors, printed circuit boards, industrial
electronics such as sensors, alarms, sirens, security devices. The classification of e-waste is
shown in the form of flowchart;

CLASSIFICATION OF E-WASTE

Computer peripherals Telecommunication Industrial Electronics Lighting Devices

devices
Monitors Sensors Fluorescent Tubes
Phones
CPU Alarms
Cell phones
Keyboard Automobile
Pagers electronic
Mouse
Fax machines Devices
(a) E-waste in the global text:

The use of electronic devices has proliferated in recent decades and proportionately the
quantity of electronics that are disposed of, is growing rapidly through out the world. A
study found that every year, 20-50 million tons of e-waste are generated worldwide. In
1994, it was estimated that approximately 20million personal computers (PC) became
obsolete. By 2004, this figure was to increase over 100 million PC. This fast-growing waste
stream is accelerating because the global market for PC is far from saturation and the
average lifespan of PC is decreasing rapidly.

E-waste is global issue for 2 reasons:

1. Developing countries own a substantial share of e-waste. For example, of the

estimated 20-50 million tons of e-waste discarded annually worldwide, Asian
2. countries discard an estimated 12 million tons. This share will likely only have 178
million and 80 million new computers, respectively out of global total of an
estimated 716 million new computer users by 2010.
3. E-waste is often sent for recycling and refurbishing in developing countries(David
Naquib Pellow, 2007) where labour is relatively cheap, and once can simply be
landfilled , for example, 50-80 % of the e-waste collected for recycling in the US is
exported.
4. In USA it accounts 1% to 3% of the total municipal waste generation.
5. In European Union (EU), e-waste is growing 3 times faster than average amount of e-
annual municipal solid waste generation. A recent source estimates that total
amount of e-waste generation in EU ranges from 5-7 million tonnes per annum or
about 14 – 15 kg per capita and is expected to grow at a rate of 3%to 5% per year.
6. In developed countries, currently it is equals to 1% of the total solid waste
generation and is expected to grow to 2% by 2020

(b) E-waste in the Indian context:

The electronics industry had emerged as the fastest growing segment of Indian industry
both in terms of production and exports. The share of the software services in electronics
and IT sector has gone up from 38.7 % in 1998-99 to 61.8 % in 2010-11.

The review of the industry statistics show that in 1990-91, hardware accounted for nearly
50% of the total IT revenues while software’s share rising to 41%. This shift in the IT industry
began with liberalization, and the opening up of the Indian markets together with which
there was a change in India’s import policies hardware leading to substitution of
domestically produced hardware by imports.
65 cities in India generate more than 60% of the total e-waste generated in India. 10 states
generate 70% of the total e-waste generated in India. Maharashtra ranks 1st followed by
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujrat, Madhya
Pradesh and Punjab in the list of e-waste generation in India.

Table 3: E waste generating cities

 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION:

E-waste is generated from Indian households, computer retailers, manufacturers, foreign

embassies, government, public and private sectors with the share of the IT industry being
the highest. India’s rate of PC obsolescence is growing dangerously. As up gradation beyond
a point becomes uneconomical and incompatible with new software, a vast amount of
hardware will soon be added to the waste stream.

Further, as most owners of these technologies are from the government, public or private
sectors, they prefer replacing an old computer with a new one, rather than upgrading it.
Even in the secondary market the older models have little demand. Owing to the narrowing
profit margins between resale and dismantling, the sale of these computers to the scrap
market for material recovery is rising. Various departments of the government, public as
well as private sectors are feeding old electronic appliances such as computers, telephones,
etc, into the waste stream, at an increasingly fast rate. Other sources of e-waste are
retailers, individual households, foreign embassies, PC manufacturing units, players of the
secondary market, and imported electronic scrap from other countries. Individual
households contribute the least to this, being only 20 per cent of the overall market.

Eco Recycling limited, started in September 2007, is a pioneer in the field of e-waste
management in India and one of the few organised players in this sector.
Ecoreco has an eco-friendly recycling facility for the segregation of metals, glass and plastics
without the use of incineration or chemical methods. Disposal of hazardous substances is
undertaken with the help of designated treatment facilities. Ecoreco has its recycling facility
located in Andheri (East), a suburb of Mumbai, India. It has an annual capacity to process
7200 tons of e-waste. The entire process is carried out as per strict environmental norms.
Ecoreco provides the full spectrum of activities covered under e-waste management
collection of e-waste from the door step of the generators, sorting them into
working/non-working equipment/components, data security, remarketing of reusable
equipment/components, dismantling of end of life equipments, size reduction, sorting
in to different commodities like glass, plastic, iron/steel, aluminium, copper and
hazardous material.

CHART 1 – APPROACH
CHART 2 – REUSE, RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PROCESS

Fig 3.2: Reuse, Recycling and Recovery Process

CHART 3 – SEGREGATION OF PLASTICS
 CHART 4 – CRT TREATMENT

Fig 3.4: CRT Treatment

3.2.1 E-WASTE RECYCLING AT ECORECO – ACTIVITY FLOW CHART

Recycling activities at Ecoreco commences with the receipt of e-waste material from
various clients' locations. The material is initially weighed, and is separated productwise
(monitors, CPUs, printers, keyboards, etc.) for easy retrieval. The material is then
checked by qualified technicians to ascertain whether the equipments are working or non-
working. If the equipment is in working/ near-working condition, then the technicians
attempt to repair upgrade the components to ensure that they become remarketable and
can be resold. The following flowchart explains the broad flow of activities at Ecoreco:

Fig 3.5: Activity Flow chart

If the equipments are not in working condition, attempts are made to recycle the ewaste
material. Accordingly, the technicians dismantle the equipment into components and try to
retrieve any working parts thereof. The residual components are then passed on for
shredding. The shredder, which is capable of accepting feed of around 1,500 kgs per hour,
helps to “open up” sealed components, separating metals from plastic. The shredder
accepts manually dismantled components through a hopper at one end, passes the feed
through the shredding chamber and the shredded items are dropped onto a moving
conveyor belt.

An inbuilt overhead magnetic band ensures automatic separation of ferrous component

from the feed, whereas employees, wearing appropriate safety equipment such as gloves
and helmets, stand by to physically separate other metals such as aluminium and copper
from the moving conveyor belt. All plastic components are deposited at the end of the
conveyor belt. These metals (aluminium, steel, copper) and plastics which are of high purity
in nature are then usually sold to smelters. Certain components of the computer such as
printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain precious metals such as gold, silver, etc. These PCBs
are not sent for shredding and are instead accumulated, and would be shipped to specialist
precious metal extraction refineries. That portion of e-waste which contains hazardous
elements is sent to authorised hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities for final
disposal.

3.3 REMARKETING:

Out of the discarded equipments, some of it can still be used after refurbishment and up-
gradation at different levels of business and society. For assured supply of ewaste, Ecoreco
has entered into sourcing agreements with various companies of validities up to 3 years.
Given that a large part of the business involves e-waste collection from multiple locations,
Ecoreco has tied up with one of the leading domestic logistics players having nation-wide
presence to enable both operational and financial efficiency in collection. Through this tie
up, Ecoreco is able to offer e-waste collection from over 600 locations in India.

3.4 DATA SECURITY:

Data security / data-leakage are threats that many organisations fear while discarding
computers to external recyclers. To address these concerns, Ecoreco has a first-of-itskind-
in-India mobile shredding van which it deploy to clients’ locations to ensure 100% secured
data destruction from hard-disks and other devices that contain information.

3.5 ECORECOS’S ASSOSCIATIONS

Ecoreco is a member of the International Association of Electronic Recyclers (IAER), USA,

probably the only such unit from India to claim these credentials. Ecoreco is also a member
of other prestigious industry bodies within the sector such as Manufacturers Association for
Information Technology (“MAIT”) and ELCINA Electronic Industries Association of India.
Ecoreco is also the only Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (“MPCB”) recognised e-waste
recycler in Maharashtra. Recently Ecoreco has been declared Winner of the Business Plan
2008 by CII/NVI/WRI/USAID & British Consulate. Ecoreco has also been awarded certificate
of “Most Innovative Technology” by Municipalika 2009.
 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION

In the third chapter titled “CASE STUDY” we have discussed the step by step method
adopted at Ecoreco for recycling of e-waste which is received from all over India. The
approximate quantities and the types of e-waste received from each state is tabulated in
table 4.1

Table No. 4.1: Quantities of e-waste sent to Ecoreco from each state

RESULT:

In the previous chapter we have seen the state wise quantities of e-waste received at
Ecoreco for recycling. Hence after the study conducted and analysing the data, the following
are the results:

1. Recycling is the most environmentally tolerable method as compared to the other e-

waste disposal methods like incineration, open burning and land filling.
2. There is only one e-waste recycling facility in Maharashtra and very few in India as a
whole. E- Parisaraa being one of the pioneering projects in Bangalore.
3. Major portion of the e-waste generated in the country is not recycled or disposed off in a
proper, only a part of it is sent to authorised facilities for the disposal.
 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Findings and Conclusions:

The conclusions that can be drawn after conducting the study and analysing the results as
described in 5th chapter are as follows:

Awareness about e-waste was created: This was achieved by giving a presentation in college
and making the youth aware of hazards of not disposing e-waste in a proper manner.
Pamphlets which had the various health hazards related to improper handling of e-waste
were circulated among the audience to enlighten them about the detrimental effects of the
same. At the recycling facility visited (Ecoreco), we spoke to the workers and told them the
importance of exercising precaution while dealing with e-waste.

Health hazards of e-waste: Electrical and electronic equipments are made of hundreds of
materials which can be toxic to the humans when they enter the body. At times it can also
be fatal. Quantities of e-waste generated were found out: After interacting with MPCB
(Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) and CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board)
authorities we have come to the conclusion that Maharashtra ranked first in e-waste
generation followed closely by Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi. Disposal methods being
adopted: Among the three common methods of disposal, namely land filling, open burning
and incineration, open burning is widely practised although illegal.

Recycle and Reuse of products: Although recycling and/or reusing the e-waste is the best
and environmentally friendly way to reduce e-waste generation, people prefer to go in for
new products rather than upgrade and use the old electronic product.

5.2 Future Scope and Research:

Every day, Indians toss out more than 350,000 cell phones and 130,000 computers, making
electronic waste the fastest-growing part of the Indian garbage stream. Ewaste is a fast
emerging problem faced not only by India but also globally. the topic of e-waste is waste
and varied and there is a lot of scope to understand and deal with this topic in a better
manner.

Various processes like pyrometallurgical process, hydrometallurgical process,

biometallurgical process and wet acid leeching process which is used to extract gold and
other metals from the e-waste can be studied in detail. Cost involved in setting up of an e-
waste recycling plant can be studied. Also the operating cost, maintenance cost and profits
gained once the plant is set up can be worked out.

Nanotechnology which is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular
scale is an interesting topic and its application in recycling of e-waste can be researched.
The methods of recycling and disposal adopted in India can be compared to the methods
adopted in developed countries. This comparative study will make us aware of the
technological differences that exist in our country.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES

1. Anne E. Maczulak, (August 30, 2009), “Waste Treatment: Reducing Global Waste”, Green
Technology, pages 95-108.

2. Amalendu Baqchi, (February 13, 2004), “Design of Landfills and Integrated Solid Waste
Management”, Wiley, pages 146-157.

3. Carl A. Zimring, (October 5, 2005), “Cash for your trash: Scrap Recycling in America”, Rutgus
University Press, pages 111-119.

4. Cynthia A. Bily, (September 19, 2008), “What is the impact of E-waste?”, Greenhaven Press,
pages 81-100.

5. Daniel A. Vallero, (December 2007), “Engineering the Risks of Hazardous Wastes”,

Butterworth-Heinemann, pages 45-80.

6. David Naquib Pellow, (September 30, 2007), “Resisting Global Toxics: Transnational
Movements for Environmental Justice” The MIT Press, pages 15-16.