Environmental Science

LESSON 35. E-WASTE MANAGEMENT

A single computer can contain over 50 highly toxic metals and compounds in the over 1000 materials it uses.  These include lead, mercury, beryllium and toxic chemicals like brominated flame, retardants, besides PVC –coated copper wire.            Burning PVC coated copper wires releases very high amounts of dioxins and furans.  Breaking glass releases high amount of lead, a neutrotoxin sleted for worldwide removal.  Inside the computer can be mercury in switches and cadmium.  The plastic shell uses anti flammanents such as Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR), which causes cancer and endocrinal system disruptions.  The contamination soaks into the soil, ground water and also lands up in landfills where it leaches down.

It is very expensive to dispose old computers in Europe and the U.S. as they are labeled hazardous waste.  The recently enforced waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Legislation (August 2005) in the EU mandates that all such used equipment must be collected and safely recycled/disposed of by the manufacturer under the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) registration. Disposing a computer in the U.S. can cost upto $20, while Indian trades can buy it for $10-15, a net gain of $30-35 for the American exporter.  A 32 kg PC can yield upto 0.0016 kg of gold, upto 6.93 kg of copper, upto 23 kg of plastics, and upto 24.9 kg of glass (silica) along with the toxics.  The goods are not declared as "waste" at Indian Customs since imports of WEEE are not permitted in India but come in illegally as "Second hand computers',  "metal scrap".  There are no separate rules governing e-waste although its import is restricted under the Hazardous Waste Management and Handling Rules 1989 (amended in 2003).  Imports of e-waste are illegal and certainly cannot be allowed.  The locally generated waste, which is rising rapidly needs proper collection and disposal means.  This can only be done with manufacturer responsibility under EPR.  A new legislation, which outlines the responsibilities of each sector clearly is required.

The most disturbing aspect of computer waste is the incredible rate at which it is accumulating. According to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers, about 40 million components are being scrapped each year. This figure is expected to climb to 100 million by 2010. There are various reasons for the current scenario of obsolescence. These include: The unbelievable number of hardware and software products that pound the market everyday, in turn, generate a demand for greater chip speeds, memory and computing power.  The universal belief that service efficiency is primarily driven by superior hardware and software results in regular scrapping of computers.  Poor design of computers, which do not facilitate upgradability adds to the problem. The steady decline in the prices of computers and computer peripherals leads to greater demand.

India’s techno-trash

E-waste is of particular concern to India. Currently, India is setting a shining example not only in the IT sector, but unfortunately, also in importing e-waste. The primary source of computer waste in India is imports from developed countries though, recently, domestic waste also has shot up due to the astounding growth inthe IT sector and its application in various new sectors, including governance. According to the report on the Indian IT Sector, the rate of obsolescence of computers in India is 2% per week, i.e., in 50 weeks time the value of the computer is effectively zero. Industries in India are primarily profit-minded with absolutely no concern for the environment. This is evident in theabysmal record of these industries in the post-consumer phase of e-waste, especially take-back initiatives which are non-existent in India. The lack of strict environmental laws, or poor implementation of them, helps these industries shirk their responsibility.

Scrapping the hi-tech myth

To take stock of the scenario of e-waste, especially computer waste, Toxics Link has conducted a pioneering study in and around Delhi. This study, amongst other things, has brought to light the areas where this e-waste is recycled, the mechanism employed to recover the components, the sources of e-waste and the dumping of e-waste from developed economies. Fearing that the findings could just be a tip of an iceberg, Toxics Link has decided to conduct a similar study in South India. The second phase of the study was done in Chennai keeping in mind the contribution of this southern capital to India’s IT revolution, and the fact that it is a major port of South India. The study, carried out from September 2003 to February 2004, primarily focused on computer waste because of the massive amounts of dumping from developed countries.

Objectives of the study

• To identify the sources and trade routes of e-waste, especially computer waste.

• To identify the e-waste hotspots in Chennai.

• To study the fate of post-consumer e-waste and the economics involved.

Methodology

The methodology involved exploratory surveys, unstructured interviews and photo documentation, besides data collection. Exploratory surveys were conducted primarily to identify areas where e-waste is handled. The areas surveyed include: _Richie Street – An electronics market where all types of electronic goods are sold, repaired, refurbished and resold.

• Royapuram and Thiruvotriyur – Areas adjoining ports and known for their recycling activities.

• New Moore Market, Chintadaripet, Pudupet – Well-known scrap or second-hand goods market of Chennai known to handle scrap from a wide range of sources.

• Mannadi, Kosapet, Otteri – A plastic recycling belt of Chennai. This was a bottom-up approach to identify the sources and areas of computer waste by tracing the source of plastics from computers. _Saidapet,  Madras Export Processing Zone  (MEPZ), Purasawalkam, Periamedu, Vepery – Areas recommended by Maintenance and Service Providers (MSPs) and hardware engineers who procured used computer parts from these areas. Unstructured interviews were conducted to get the perception of various stakeholders on the problem of e-waste. The stakeholders include: _MSPs and hardware engineers _Experts _Customs department _Second-hand computer dealers _Scrap dealers and plastic recyclers Constant visits and informal discussions with scrap dealers over a period of time helped us get a clear picture on the source of computer waste, the product lifecycle of various computer peripherals and the economics involved.

Some scrap computer components were also procuredto document the make, place of manufacture and the user’s address to trace the source of the waste.

Limitations of the study

E-waste is now treated as a very sensitive issue, which made it difficult to acquire detailed information about the areas of e-waste recycling and the recycling processes. _Questions related to health effects and wages went unanswered during interviews. _In most places, permission to take photographs and the entry into the yards was denied. The computer hardware sector has displayed a phenomenal growth in the past five years and is keeping pace with the growth in the software sector. This astounding growth is primarily due to the impact of information technology in various sectors. The private sector believes that service efficiency and keeping pace with IT are two sides of the same coin. So they keep a close watch on the developments in the hardware sector and upgrade their hardware regularly. This naturally results in a regular stream of e-waste.

The single most important factor is the regular fall in prices of computers, which makes them affordable to people of a wide range of incomes. This trend could almost wipe out the existing market for second-hand computers. The sources of computer waste in Chennai are: Illegal imports ,Government departments, Private sectors such as banks, Corporates in IT business, Companies that have shut down operations, Large MSPs The household sector’s contribution to computer waste in Chennai is very negligible as it prefers take-back programmes and keeps the scrap dealer as the last option. This scenario is all set to change as the recent Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT) report2 suggests a massive surge in the consumption of computers by households. The interviews and surveys conducted till date were not able to throw light on the computer waste arising from the hardware manufacturing sector. This may be due to the fact that India assembles more computers than manufactures them.

Distribution chain

Chennai, as many other places in India, generates its own domestic e-waste. In recent years though, the port of Chennai has been deluged by e-waste from other countries. In general, the bigger players handle this e-waste from offshore sources, which they import illegally or obtain through a customs auction. There are a few units which handle imported e-waste exclusively. Domestic waste has its own share of takers (generally small players) such as the scrap dealers in New Moore Market. Apart from this, a recycling unit situated in the southern suburb of Urapakkam sources computer scrap directly from IT firms. But there is movement of waste across these channels especially when the quantity is large or when the handling needs skilled labour. For example, the scrap dealers in New Moore Market buy monitors from the importer near Puzhal and some computer scrap from thescrap dealers in Narasinghapuram who, generally, handle other metal scrap.

Post-consumer e-waste recovery and recycle

A computer, in reality, is a storehouse of toxic substances. The presence of this concoction of toxic substances has made effective and ecofriendly recycling a distant dream, even for developed countries. In India, most of the recovery and recycling of computer waste happens in the unorganised sector in a crude and extremely hazardous manner.

Monitors

The scrap dealers least prefer the monitors once they enter the post-consumer phase unless the CRT is in working condition. The recovered CRT is procured by TV mechanics, who, in turn, use it in portable TV sets. In the case of importers there is absolutely no attempt to recover CRTs as they obtain only scrap. They in turn use their work force to recover copper from yoke and dispose the CRT glass. Some of the scrap dealers’ attempts to melt and reuse the monitor glass was futile. So they dumped the scrap CRTs.

Circuit boards and motherboards

Circuit boards and motherboards are used to recover working components manually after which the boards are heated to recover thin copper sheets. In some recycling units they are cut into 5-10 mm bits and then they are exported for recovery.

Printers

The most important component recovered from a printer is the motor.

Hard disks

Hard disks are either resold or broken to recover the aluminium casing, actuator (magnet), platter, and circuit board inside. These are sold separately.

Plastics

Nearly 20 per cent of a computer is made up of plastics – primarily Alpha Butadiene Styrene (ABS) used for making CPU and keyboard housings. Plastics actually substituted metals, especially in CPU housings. In recent years, even polycarbonate is used to enhance the aesthetics. ABS plastics are a high quality plastic and harder than most other varieties. Their hardness and the requirement of specialised equipment for their recycling discourage its retrieval. In Chennai, the ABS plastics from computer components are separated and sold on weight basis to plastic recyclers. These recyclers collect ABS plastics from various other sources, and after pelletising them, pack them off to Mumbai or Delhi where the pellets are recycled into chairs and trays. According to experts from the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) there is very little chance of this coming back to the manufacturing stream.

Computer waste hotspots

The prime areas that handle computer waste in and around Chennai are:

New Moore Market

(Kannappar Thidal)

This is a second-hand goods market situated close to the central railway station in Periamedu area of central Chennai. This market is a source of used goods – from small screws to large electrical devices. Used rubber and textiles are also refurbished and sold here. By exploring the narrow lanes in this market we identified four main computer scrap dealers here who also handle other electronic and electrical scrap. The main sources of computer scrap for these dealers are public and private sector units. They obtain the scrap through auctions. They also obtain computer waste, especially monitors, from an importer near Puzhal and other scrap dealers in Narasinghapuram. Working computer peripherals are sold as such (e.g., monitors, printers). Non-working peripherals are broken down to recover reusable components such as copper from yoke of monitors, motors from printers, actuators and platters from hard disks, etc. Gold-coated areas in circuit boards and the pins are separated and treated with acid to recover the gold. The scrap dealers also burn wires to recover copper.

Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ)

MEPZ is situated in the southern suburb of Sanatorium about six to eight kilometres from the airport. It houses an array of 100 per cent export-oriented industries. There are two units within MEPZ that handle electronic scrap, especially computer and photocopier scrap. Their primary aim is to recover copper from the e-waste. We witnessed a huge pile of CRTs with their broken tips after yoke removal, cables strewn all over the yard and plastic cabinets from monitors and printers in one of these locations. There were about four to five workers separating copper from cables with their bare hands. The other unit is also involved in recovery process primarily from imported computer waste. During our visit we witnessed a work force of about 20 people working amidst a huge pile of circuit boards. A significant portion of the work force are women who are generally employed in the segregation process. The segregated computer and other electronic scrap undergoes volume reduction with the help of a custom-made crusher (which reduces the circuit boards into 5-10 mm sized bits), and is then exported.

Puzhal

This northern suburb is about 8-10 kms from the city limits, on the Chennai-Calcutta highway. High walls and huge metal gates completely obscure this unit from view, which is located next to a school. According to the dealers in New Moore Market, this is the largest computer scrap yard in Chennai and deals primarily with imported computer waste. Frequently, the scrap dealers from New Moore Market buy computer scrap from this unit. They are involved in recovery of copperfrom computer scrap and the mechanism is not known. Apart from this unit, the area has another copper recycling unit which also handles computer scrap.

Urapakkam

This small town is well outside the city on the Chennai- Kanyakumari highway. Citiraya Precious Metals is a registered subsidiary under the Singapore-based Citiraya Industries Ltd. Their unit near Chennai is just a collection point where the e-waste is dismantled and segregated. The segregated e-waste is exported to Singapore where it is recycled. They handle about 50 metric tonnes of e-waste every month. They deal only with domestic waste; their client base includes Nokia, Sony, Redington, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, etc. Apart from the above-mentioned areas there are smaller players, like the scrap dealers in Narasinghapuram and Saidapet, who occasionally handle e-waste.

E-waste in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) dumps

In India there are dumping grounds and no scientific landfills. These are already well beyond their carrying capacity and are toxic bombs ready to explode. They cannot take in any more toxics in the form of lead, cadmium or mercury from computer wastes. Some amount of e-waste reaches the MSW stream since this is the easiest way of disposal, especially if it is from smaller contributors like households. However, the amount of e-waste from households is negligible as their effort is to reuse it. In Chennai, however, small MSPs are the main contributors to MSW. Instead of disposing their waste through a scrap dealer, they take the easy way out by dumping the waste into the MSW stream. The problem of this toxic trash becoming a part of MSW couldhave been foreseen, as the customer base of new PCs has grown drastically whereas that of second-hand computers has shrunk. Sometimes, disposed cartridges do reach the MSW stream.

Hazardous handling

It is an undeniable fact that in India the recycling sector is primarily unorganised and the working conditions are far from satisfactory. In computer scrap recycling, the workers risk their lives by working in hazardous conditions and handling hazardous substances to salvage some valuable materials from this techno-trash. One can witness the presence of protective gears likegloves, masks, and helmets when they stroll along the narrow lanes of New Moore Market. Ironically, a few meters away it is common to see that this toxic trash is handled in the most hazardous way possible. The retrieval of copper or aluminium is done by open burning of wires in narrow lanes without any protective gear. This process is hazardous as burning of PVC results in the emission of carcinogenic dioxins and furans. Dismantling and breaking of monitors and hard disks is done with screw drivers and hammers. The recovery of gold from gold-coated plug-ins is done through the hazardous process of acid treatment. The most worrying factor is that the plug-ins containing the gold are treated along with the plastic casings which might emit toxic fumes endangering the lives of the workers. The broken CRTs laden with toxic lead and the restof the scrap generated in the recovery process like broken plastics are dumped not too far from the working area.

Imports

The majority of the world’s e-waste is generated in the backyard of developed nations due to their affluent lifestyle. They are apt to shy away from the issue of recycling. Instead, they find an easy way out by exporting their waste to developing economies which open their doors to this toxic trash in the name of free trade. The constant dumping or transfer of e-waste, especially computer waste, from USA and other developed countries reaches countries such as India in the name of recyclables. The dumping of e-waste by the West in Asian countries is reaching alarming proportions. The complicated recycling and recovery processes required to effectively deal with this toxic trash are out of the reach of developing countries. Apart from this, exporters see profit in this trade. According to US based Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition’s study it was found to be ten times cheaper to export computer scrap than to recycle it. About 80 per cent of the world’s electronic trash is transferred to Asia every year. India gets a decent share of this toxic pie. The earlier study by Toxics Link, Delhi had shed light on the culprit countries involved in this toxic trade. India has, like most other countries, ratified the Basel Convention that strictly prohibits the transboundary movement of hazardous substances, including e-waste. The Indian government has its own law in the form of Hazardous Waste Management & Handling rules (1989) which have been amended in 2003. These prohibit the import of e-waste without the prior permission of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). On the other hand, our exim policy allows the import of second-hand computers not older than 10 years and donation of computers to non-profit organizations. These provisions in our exim policy are unduly utilised by irresponsible developed economies to dump obsolete computers or computer scrap into our country. In Chennai, imports of computer scrap come in mainly from the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East and Belgium. Of these, Singapore and the Middle East could in all probability be acting as turntable ports for computer scrap coming originally from the EuropeanUnion.

The economics of e-waste in India

There are scrap units in Chennai that exclusively handle imported e-waste suspected to be imported under the category of ‘Mixed Metal Scrap’ or ‘Mixed Cable Scrap’. This mode of entry from offshore sources was unearthed by tracking the nature of import through Customs records within MEPZ which handles imported e-waste alone. There are several other recycling units housed in the fully export-oriented MEPZ, which process e-waste from offshore sources.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

The basic principle of EPR is that producers should be held accountable for the entire lifecycle of the product, and not just for the supply chain. The idea aims at building a sense of eco-responsibility among profit minded corporates. EPR is least practiced in India due to our inadequate laws and the double standards of corporates who practice the concept elsewhere. For example, IBM started its take-back program about a decade back in Europe but there are no signs of it in India. The Indian government should call for a strict EPR practice for e-waste as this problem should mainly be addressed by the manufacturer. The government should set up an agency under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which should take care of the issues related to EPR. EPR should necessarily involve 3 integral components _Product take-back programs, _Remanufacturing, _Redesigning

Product take-back

The producer of the product should own the responsibility when it is discarded. This is the first and foremost step in EPR. The company could do this directly or by a third party (The buy-back scheme for HP cartridges and toners in India is done through athird party called Tech Pacific1).

Remanufacturing

The procured e-waste should be used as an effective resource base so that the maximum recoverables reenter the manufacturing process. This will reduce the dependence on virgin raw materials.

Redesigning

Redesigning the computer and its components is a front-end solution to this e-waste menace. Some of the redesigning components that will effectively address the problem include:.

• Designing the computers to ensure clean and safe mechanism for recovering raw materials.

• Clearly indicating hazards of dismantling and recycling in the form of warning labels.

• Replacing the hazardous substances in the manufacturing processes with suitable alternatives

• Scope for upgrading – certain IBM PC models are equipped with extra bays and card slots to allow upgrading.

Banning imports

Even after ratifying the Basel Convention, which prevents the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, the Indian government turns a blind eye to the dumping activities. The government should strictly ban the import of e-waste that can be used as raw materials. Strict monitoring in ports should be enforced so that the curb on imports is implemented. The ridiculous process of auctioning the banned goods should be stopped immediately. Instead, the consignment should be sent back and severe punishment should be imposed on the importer. Most importantly, awareness should be raised among enforcement agencies such as the Customs department.

Organising the recycling sector

The recycling sector, though informal, plays a vital part in recovery and reuse of computer components. Promotion of eco-friendly recovery and recycling techniques should be developed in collaboration with premier technology institutions. The unorganised sector should be formalised by issuing licenses to the existing ones. A watchdog committee should be set up to ensure that they handle domestic waste only, and that too in an eco-friendly manner . It is high time that the government gets involved in the management of e-waste by implementing the abovementioned recommendations on a war footing.