E-WASTE

MANAGEMENT

BY CLASS
XI-A
  WHAT ARE E-WASTE ?
 ENVIRONMENTAL RISK
 E-WASTE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IN
INDIA
INDEX  LACK OF RECYCLING
 NEED FOR RECYCLING
 METHODS OF RECYCLING E-WASTE
 HOW TO REDUCE E-WASTE
 E-WASTE

E-waste, electronic waste, e-scrap and end of life electronics are terms often used to
describe used electronics that are nearing the end of their useful life, and are
discarded, donated or given to a recycler. The UN defines e-waste as any discarded
products with battery or plug, and features toxic and hazardous substances such as
mercury, that can pose severe risk to human and environmental health.
 ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

E-waste can be toxic, is not biodegradable and accumulates in the

environment, in the soil, air, water and living things. For example, open-air
burning and acid baths being used to recover valuable materials from
electronic components release toxic materials leaching into the environment.
These particles can also expose workers to high levels of contaminants such
as lead, mercury, beryllium, which can lead to irreversible health effects,
including cancers, miscarriage, neurological damage and diminished IQs.
 E-WASTE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IN
INDIA

 Land filling. This is the most common method of electronic waste

disposal.
 Incineration. A controlled combustion process wherein e-waste is burned
in an incinerator unit around 900 degrees to 10,000 degrees Celsius.
 Recycling. Are the methods used in India to manage e-waste
 Recycling rates globally are low. Even in the EU,
which leads in e-waste recycling, just 35% of e-
waste is officially reported as properly collected
and recycled. Globally, the average is 20%; the
remaining 80% is undocumented, with much
ending up buried under the ground for centuries as
landfill. E-waste is not biodegradable. The lack of
LACK OF recycling weighs heavily on the global electronic
RECYCLING industry and as devices become more numerous,
smaller and more complex, the issue escalates.
Currently, recycling some types of e-waste and
recovering materials and metals is an expensive
process. The remaining mass of e-waste – mainly
plastics laced with metals and chemicals – poses a
more intractable problem.
  Recycling raw materials from end-of-life electronics is
the most effective solution to the growing e-waste
problem.
 It’s critical to keep electronic waste out of landfills.
 Electronic products are comprised of valuable materials
such as precious metals like gold, silver and platinum
along with copper, aluminum, plastic and glass.
 Reclaiming valuable materials from the recycling
NEED FOR process means there will be decreased demand for new
raw materials.
RECYCLING  Using recycled material will also help reduce greenhouse
gas emission produced when manufacturing or
processing new products known as “Virgin Materials”.
 Recycling helps to reduce air pollution and water
pollution caused by hazardous disposal.
 Discarded electronic devices can also kept out of the
landfill if they are refurbished, reused and donated to a
worthy cause.
METHODS OF RECYCLING E-WASTE

 We can make craft items or decoration items using materials

from e-waste. Here are some examples
 Metals can be extracted from electronic waste and can be used to
make other metal objects.
 Some useful parts of electronic gadgets which are not damaged
completely can be used in other electronic gadgets or in
something else .
 5 SIMPLE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE

CHECK THE PRODUCT LIFESPAN :

HOW TO WHEN YOU PURCHASE A NEW PRODUCT , DO SOME RESEARCH AND LOOK
FOR PRODUCT HAVING LONGER LIFESPANS. THAT WAY YOU WON’T HAVE TO

REDUCE
REPLACE IT WITHIN A FEW YEARS.

REUSE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE :

E-WASTE IF YOU HAVE PARTS AND EQUIPMENT THAT ARE STILL WORKING , TRY
REPAIRING THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE BEFORE GETTING A NEW ONE. IF THE
DEVICE IS BEYOND THE POINT OF BEING REPAIRED , THEN RECYCLE IT.

EDUCATE YOURSELF :
LEARNING ABOUT THE RAW MATERIALS USED TO MANUFACTURE YOUR
MOBILE PHONE OR LAPTOP HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND HOW HARMFUL THOSE
MATERIALS AND TOXINS CAN BE IF THEY’RE TOSSED INTO A LANDFILL.
Be environmentally friendly :

Look for an enivornmentally friendly label. For example , try to buy products
that are labelled Energy Star , or have been certifird by the Electronic Product
Enviornmental Assessment Tool

Limit your electronics :

Consider limiting the number of electronics you own. If you don’t really need an
extra gadget , look for devices that have multiple functions.