| |
Scenario
The electronics industry is the world’s largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry. Recent policy changes in India have led to an additional tremendous influx of leading multi-national companies to set up electronic manufacturing facilities and research and development centres for hardware and software in the sector. The domestic market is characterized by strong economic growth and rapidly changing consumption patterns. This growth has significant socio-economic impact. The increase in consumption rates of electrical and electronic products and higher obsolescence rates are leading to growing generation of e-waste (waste electronic and electrical equipment or WEEE). In India, recycling of e-waste is almost entirely left to the informal sector which does not have adequate means to handle either the increasing quantities or certain processes, leading to intolerable risk for human health and the environment.
In co-operation with the Central Pollution Control Board in India, the GTZ and EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research) support the Indian side in their efforts to reduce environmental degradation and occupational health risks. Additionally, income-generating opportunities through improved and technically sound e-waste management are extended. This is achieved by strengthening links between India and the EU to exchange best practices, policies and technologies in selected Indian mega cities.
Project
The project’s purpose is to provide improved technologies and skills for e-waste recycling systems in India as well as to improve occupational health and safety and the living environment of urban dwellers working in the (in-formal) e-waste recycling sector through demonstrating and implementing sustainable alternatives to “backyard” e-waste recycling.
The project follows an integrated approach that will start with a rapid assessment of the e-waste business in major Indian cities in order to obtain an overview of the current and future situation and to identify the most affected areas and most pressing needs. The project will improve environmental, health and living conditions and the predominantly unskilled and semi-skilled works (among them a considerable number of women) and the local population of the surrounding areas by raising awareness, enhancing capacities of the sector and identifying alternatives to handle the critical (toxic) e-waste fractions. Pilot market-based cooperation models between the informal recycling sector and formal industries will be implemented in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, reorganizing the trading system in such a way that processes with the highest environmental and health impact and transferred from the informal to the formal sector.
In Bangalore a special scheme will be implemented: serving as a model, it will help to make the whole pathways of old PC systems from the information technology sector to the recyclers transparent with the help of a Nodal Agency as a Cleaning House including NGO (non-governmental organization) participation.
Jobs will also be safeguarded and income opportunities extended as e-waste contains considerable quantities of valuable material such as precious or other useful metals (eg. Gold and aluminium) and offers viable and profitable opportunities. These actions will be supported by training programmes and awareness activities. Target groups are workers of (informal) enterprises, scrap dealers and importers of e-waste, owners of recycling units, downstream metal and glass smelting and other industries, intermediaries, relevant stakeholders and responsible government bodies.
The e-waste management project will gain a complete picture on how e-waste is handled in the Indian urban centres, therefore Rapid City Assessment Studies are carried out. Pilot measures will be implemented as models for proper e-waste collection and recycling in selected cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. To make the flow of e-waste transparent in future a co-operation model between the IT industries and other users of PC systems with an NGO controlled Nodal Agency as Clearing House is underway in Bangalore.
Finally, through improved e-waste management in the major Indian cities, the Indo-European E-Waste Initiative achieves better environmental conditions. Moreover, health conditions of workers active in the e-waste recycling sector will enormously improve at local level. As an overall effect, the living conditions for the neighbouring population will be better. The already existing schemes of e-waste recycling and material recovery mainly in the informal sector will be transformed to transparent and workers and environmental friendly methods. In Bangalore the first recycling plants for proper e-waste recycling are in the process of being certified after they received official authorization. In the long term, the problem of improper e-waste recycling will disappear due to improved methods and the implementation of a take back system and consideration of the extended producer responsibility.
Experience exchange on national and international level including know-how transfer are facilitated through the initiative that will be co-financed also through the Swiss Government (SECO, EMPA). Thus, a dialogue platform for Indian and European e-waste recycling experts will be created, opening the doors for future industries to be developed and cooperation activities to be performed for a technology and knowledge transfer.
For further information:
Dr. Juergen Porst, Senior Advisor, ERM
HAWA – Hazardous Waste Management Project, Karnataka
Part of the Indo German Environment Programme (ASEM)
22nd Floor, Public Utility Building
# 1, Mahatma Gandhi Road
BANGALORE 560 001
Phone: +91 80 2532 5774
Fax: +91 80 2532 5773
hawagtz@vsnl.com
www.asemindia.com
www.e-waste.in
|
|
