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ELECTRONIC WASTE : THE BIGGEST CURSE OF THE HI-TECH AGE - PART 3 (IN-DEPTH)

This Post is for those who want to go in-depth into e-waste. It is the third and final in a three part series on e-waste. 

What is a detailed list of electrical/ electronic gadgets found in e-waste? How much is plastic? How much is metal ? What are the costly metals found in e-waste? What are the hazardous components? etc. I am deeply indebted to Swiss State for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) for the data presented. 

Why is the rate of growth of e-waste explosive?

e-waste is growing rapidly all over the world. Even in India, which lags behind developed countries, the current rate is around 2,00,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) per year. Why is this so? 

The answer is clearly the blazing growth of technology. Whenever Intel Corp. (the world's No.1 computer chip-maker) releases a new processor OR Microsoft Corp. (the leader in PC manufacture) comes out with a new version of Windows, users quickly get rid of their computers (desktops, laptops & handhelds) and switch to the latest offerings for a number of reasons - availability of apps that run only on the latest products, enhanced performance/ speed, entirely new features/ capabilities, peer pressure (especially among young people) to own the latest and coolest gadgets and so on. Often times, the computers trashed are still good for use for some more time but they fail to attract customers who are looking to use them as personal gadgets on a permanent basis.

This is now turning true of mobile phones also.

GLOSSARY

ABS	Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
CRT	Cathode Ray Tube. CRTs are found in old TVs and computer monitors
EMPA	Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
PCB	Printed Circuit Board
RoHS	Restrictions of Hazardous Substances. RoHS is the regulatory framework governing e-waste disposal in the European Union (EU). It is also known as 'Lead-Free'.
SteP	"Solving the e-waste Problem" - an initiative of UNEP & UNU to solve the global e-waste problem.
UNEP	United Nations Environment Programme. Website: http://unep.org/.
UNU	United Nations University. Website: http://unu.edu/.
WEEE	Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. This term is a synonym for e-waste and is used primarily in the European Union (EU) instead of the term 'e-waste'.

Typical weights of electronic gadgets found in e-waste are displayed in Charts 1 & 2 below.

Chart 1

 

Chart 2

  

What will you get if you tear down your desktop PC and then analyze each part in detail? Look at the charts below to find out! The average weight of a desktop is 9.9 Kg. If we round it up to 10 Kg, it's easy to do the math and find out - 2.5 Kg of Silica (Si), 2.3 Kg of Plastics, 2 Kg of Iron(Fe), 1.4 Kg of Aluminum (Al), 0.7 Kg of Copper (Cu), 0.6 Kg of Lead (Pb), 0.2 Kg  of Zinc (Zn) ... and 30 more.  

Chart 3

                                                   Chart 4

The e-waste world map

So far we had focused on the e-waste problem in India only. e-waste is first a global problem. India is following developed nations, who have been faced with the problem earlier. To view the statistics/ info of the e-waste problem at any given world location, click on the globe below. You will be taken to SteP's world map page in a new (window/ tab). Click the country on the world map that you wish to get e-waste info about and you are done!

Credit: VectorTemplates.com 

What does recycling of e-waste offer?

The component analyses of e-waste (see pie charts above) can be regrouped by source into three main categories:


1.  Metals
2. Glass &
3. Plastics

Metals

This group is further sub-divided into the groups: Ferrous (e.g. Iron & Steel) and non-Ferrous (Copper, Tin, Mercury etc.). Another classification that goes by money value divides metals in e-waste to Base Metals(Lead, Tin etc.) & Precious Metals(e.g. Gold, Silver, Platinum). Yet another classification groups metals into the relative quantity present. This classification divides metals in e-waste into Large (i.e. present in large quantities), Small & Trace. 

Metals are 100% recyclable and once recycled, can be used for all usual purposes just like new metal on the market.

Glass

A significant proportion of glass in e-waste comes from old TV screens & computer Cathode-Ray-Tube (CRT) monitors. Lead in the CRTs bond strongly to the glass and cannot be easily separated. Hence the name 'Leaded glass' for glass in CRT monitors. Leaded glass can only be processed into other leaded glass products (e.g. light fixture lenses, industrial panel glass, auto glass, plate glass, solar cell glass etc.) or reused in ceramics. On the other hand, non-leaded glass can be 100% recycled and reused any number of times. Due the limited application for recycled leaded glass, it is estimated that only 99% of all glass in e-waste is recycled. 
 
Plastics

Those plastics that are polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate based or ABS plastic can be fully recycled. Recycled plastic from e-waste is used in applications such as packaging and textiles.

Recycling of Polyvinyl Chloride(PVC) parts is not economically feasible. It is possible but not easy to recycle plastics present in printed circuit boards (PCBs). Fiber-glass is non-recyclable.

IS THE IEEE FOR YOU?

What is the IEEE? And what is its relevance to you and me?

IEEE is an acronym for the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers . A global organization headquartered in New York, USA, it has (of the date of this Post) over 423,000 members in more than 160 countries and likes to call itself  "The world's largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology".  More specifically,  it seeks to advance technology for the benefit of humans worldwide, starting with the most poor and under-served communities. 

If you look around a bit, you'll find that there's a bit of the IEEE already in each of our lives(*) .

 
IEEE is a global association of practicing engineers, technologists, researchers,  technology shapers, curators, teachers, students, prophets, visionaries, day-dreamers, hobbyists and so on in the domains of electrical and electronic engineering, telecommunications, computer science and allied disciplines (the collective name for all these fields is "electro-technology"). Put in one sentence, IEEE is a worldwide "manager" of electro-technology, whose borders keep expanding as electro-technology grows and its prevalence increases across the globe! 

By virtue of being "not-for-profit", IEEE has a distinctly academic flavour.  This means that it provides an atmosphere in which  an individual can network, collaborate,  learn and innovate freely with other electro-technology professionals worldwide without being  shackled by limitations of profit oriented organizations as well as geographical boundaries and distances. Another important outcome is that meeting deadlines is not governed by the fear of consequences, enabling one to contribute his/ her best and in more of a  self-paced manner.

Since there are no profit-imposed objectives, IEEE's activities are driven purely by the interests and of its members and society needs. As the best talent in electro-technology are IEEE members, quite naturally, the result is excellence!

IEEE has 39 "Societies". Each one specializes in a specific technology application domain. Examples are "Aerospace and Electronic Systems", "Computer", "Electron Devices", "Photonics", "Robotics and Automation", "Signal Processing" & "Vehicular Technology". The complete list is displayed below.
 

The 39 Societes of the IEEE

Can you spot your field(s) of interest in the list above?

One very popular misconception about the IEEE is that you need to become a paid member to participate/ benefit from it. ABSOLUTELY FALSE! All that you need to sign up, get involved, keep abreast, contribute, collaborate, use resources etc. is an EMAIL-ID, period!

Here are two IEEE entities that you can sign-up for FREE TODAY and enjoy a highly fruitful association with:

• IEEE Internet Initiative
• IEEE Collabratec

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(*) The proof is easy but I'll leave it to you to figure out. Almost certainly, you own a mobile phone or smart-phone, that offers Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) connectivity to the Internet. Wi-Fi protocols are governed by a well known family of standards code named 802.xxxx (where x = an alphabet or number e.g. 802.11). Look up the Internet and find who owns the 802.xxxx series of standards ... Without knowing it, there was a bit of the IEEE in your life all these years, isn't it?

ELECTRONIC WASTE : THE BIGGEST CURSE OF THE HI-TECH AGE - PART 2 (SOLUTIONS)

This Post is one of a three part series on the global e-waste problem. Part 1 is an introduction. It exposes the deadly, frightening,  poised-to-strike-at-any-moment face of e-waste and then moves on to describe the problem specifically with respect to India. Please get acquainted with the problem of e-waste by reading Part 1 if you haven't already done so. This part (Part 2) examines known solutions to e-waste and what we (i.e. you and me together!) can (and must do) to speed up safe disposal in India on a war footing. Part 3 is for academics and those who want to get into details of e-waste. It's informative, so the reader is invited view Part 3 also, before leaving this Blog.

The dangers of e-waste have been known to the world for quite some years now. There wasn't a feasible solution anywhere in the world till about a decade ago. As a consequence, futurists and environmental whistle-blowers despaired of a proven/ trustworthy solution to save the world from the dreaded effects of e-waste in time.

All these things have changed radically during the last decade and if someone were to ask today "Is there a solution to e-waste?", one is able to answer "Yes!", quite happily.  

E-waste is a global issue and our country has only been following the world trend, led by world leader, USA.  Due to growing concern and pressure from many quarters about the dangers of e-waste,  the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) & United Nations University (UNU) had been working to find a solution for a long time through an initiative called SteP (an abbreviation for 'Solving the e-waste Problem'). In 2009, they were successful in developing a prototype recycling factory for e-waste.  Ever since, e-waste recycling factories (based on SteP guidelines) have sprung up all over the world and their numbers have been growing.

In India too, environmental watch-keepers, whistle-blowers, ICT organizations like ASSOCHAM, MAIT and a few groups of private individuals (who had become aware of the threats posed by e-waste earlier on), had been working in the unorganized sector to solve the e-waste problem. In 2009, for the first time, an association of e-waste recyclers was formed. Modest progress has been made by Indian recyclers till date. However, their efforts are highly laudable as they are the only ones who have done anything at all, to deal with the e-waste problem in India so far. As of November, 2014, there were 138 registered e-waste recyclers all over India with a combined capacity of 3,50,000 metric tonnes (MT) per year.

For details of the SteP solution, you can go here.

Is that all that we, concerned citizens of India can do? Surely NOT!

There are many ways to help and we urge you to help in ALL ways that you can! Here's a list of things that we (i.e. you and me) can do to help :

1. Spread awareness about e-waste

e-waste is a huge global and Indian problem at this time, of growing proportions. People all over the world hate it. It's potential to destroy is real. It's effects are severely dreaded. Everywhere, people need to stand together firmly and say "No!" to e-waste. This imperative message needs to be spread across the length and breadth of India quickly! In other words, it must reach every Indian house and citizen ASAP.

You can help by spreading the message among your family, friends, relatives and acquaintances whenever you speak to them, in your own regional language, which is likely to have the maximum effect. Ask each person whom you have enlightened, in turn, to speak to his/ her family & friends.

Some suggestions:  You can discuss e-waste at parties, social gatherings etc. You can insert a fancy one-liner in the signature of your email account like, say, "No e-waste in India! Clean it up!!" so that recipients of your email become aware. If you own a visiting card, you can do the same by printing that line on it. There are ever so many innovative ways to reach out to others based on your occupation and location, so I'll leave that out for you to do  yourself!

Finally, put pressure on the government (both central & state), your local civic body, MLAs and other government officials to take up the issue of e-waste disposal in India on a war footing. Tell them that whatever has been done for e-waste disposalin India in the past is grossly insufficient. e-waste is piling up by the day in huge quantities while the quantities recycled/ disposed are insignificant, in comparison. If even that isn't enough (to wake them up from their slumber), you can point out that we already have a backlog of over 18 lakh MT of e-waste in India (as of the date of this Post) and if we don't start immediately, we may never catch up!

2. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

I think you are already familiar with the "3 R's", although in a different context.  If your house has a living room & two bedrooms, you 'Reduce' by opting to use only one TV  (probably in the living room) rather than three - one each for the living room & two bedrooms. You 'Reuse' by continuing to use (and salvage more life from) an electronic gadget/ accessory. A good example is a rechargeable cell. By recharging and using it, you effectively prolong the time after which it will have to be disposed off by several times. When you upgrade your PC, don't get rid of all its parts together. Consider buying only the new CPU-box and using your old monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers with it. You 'Recycle' when you ensure that you send your old electronic gadgets/ accessories to an approved e-waste recycler and not throw it into the trash can, toss it into a stream or river etc. This applies to even small accessories like batteries.

3. Contribute to future Govt funds/ taxes that support recycling activities

Soon, the Government may start working on e-waste seriously. New taxes may be imposed, fund-raising schemes initiated etc. to fund e-waste recycling Projects. Contribute willingly as this cause is one of the most befitting of the present time!

Be quick, stop the ongoing damage to India from e-waste, starting NOW! If you will believe me, there is not a second to lose!! Good luck.

Credit: http://gifgifs.com

ELECTRONIC WASTE: THE BIGGEST CURSE OF THE HI-TECH AGE - PART 1 (INTRODUCTION)

Electronic-waste (or e-waste) is a collective name for trashed electronic items like PCs, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, printers, computer accessories, fax machines, batteries, TVs, refrigerators etc.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

E-waste is discussed in this Blog in three parts - Part 1 (this Post) introduces the problem of e-waste, a global problem of formidable proportions and then discusses the problem as it applies specifically to India. Part 2 discusses available solutions to solve the e-waste problem. Finally, Part 3 is an in-depth analysis for academics and those interested in fine details - factors responsible for the alarming growth of e-waste, its chemical composition, relative proportions of the various substances it contains, breakdown of a typical PC by its constituents, products obtained from recycling etc.

It is a mountain of a problem to safely dispose off e-waste using conventional waste disposal methods such as by landfills & incinerators as e-waste contains several harmful & toxic substances that would harm humans and the environment in a lethal, crippling or irreversible manner if not safely extracted and recycled prior to disposal. Safe e-waste disposal requires specialized mechanical/ chemical processing steps before being rendered harmless. Hence the need for huge & sustained e-waste recycling effort all over India.

How does e-Waste harm us?

The major toxic components of e-waste are:

LEAD

(i) Severely affects central and peripheral nervous systems (one extreme hazard being impairment of brain development in children)
(ii) Adversely affects blood, kidneys and the endocrine (or hormone) system
(ii) After crossing a threshold limit of concentration in the environment, has acute and chronic toxic effects on plants, animals and micro-organisms

CADMIUM

(i) Cancer of lung and prostate
(ii) Kidney damage as cadmium accumulates in the kidneys and acts first on it

MERCURY

Brain Damage in humans (in the case of developing fetuses causes mental retardation, incoordination, blindness, seizures, inability to speak etc.). (Mercury enters humans through the food chain, particularly via contaminated fish. This happens when the mercury contained in e-waste dumped into oceans/ rivers/lakes is consumed by fish and other aquatic micro-organisms)

HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM

(i) Allergic conditions even if consumed in small quantities e.g. asthmatic bronchitis
(ii) Damages the reproductive system in males
(iii) May cause DNA damage

PLASTICS

Burning of plastics generates highly toxic dioxins and furans (exact hazards have not yet been publicly made known)

&

POLY-BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS

(a.k.a. PBDEs or Poly-brominated Diphenylethers):

(i) Endocrine system disruption -  particularly reduces levels of thyroxin, an essential hormone needed to regulate the normal development of all animal species, including humans

(ii) Other   neuro-toxic effects  in  infants   and   the young  of animals

(*) - If you wish to get complete details about toxic effects of the above substances, read the "Note" at the end of this Post.

An evil associated with e-waste in India

There is another  serious evil  that has resulted from e-waste in India - huge numbers of children  involved in risk-prone, unsafe recycling of e-waste.

In the absence of safe e-waste reycling facilities developed on the lines of tried and proven factory models (like SteP, described Part 2 of this Post), considerably large quantities of e-waste recycling is carried out informally by little-educated, dubious scrap dealers, who seek to recover precious metals (primarily gold) that are present in small quantities in e-waste. They use crude and unsophisticated methods that include little or no safety precautions in doing so - crushing/ breaking monitors, computer cases etc. with hammers, open-air incineration, acid stripping, carrying of parts containing hazardous substances (like Printed Circuit Boards or PCBs) with bare hands from one place to another etc.

Quite sadly, large numbers of children are employed as child labourers in such recycling activities. When they begin to work (i.e. as fresh hands), relatively small problems like headache, nausea, vomitting, pain in the eyes etc. are usually observed leading to the mistaken conclusion that health risks involved are "trivial". One needs to strip off this rather superficial conclusion since prolonged exposure is known to lead to lethal/ devastating effects on kidney, liver and the neurological system.


According to a joint report released by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) & Frost and Sullivan earlier on in 2016, there are about 5,00,000 (5 lakh) children in India who work on such unsafe recycling activities. They are continuously at risk to the above-mentioned, serious health hazards and must be freed at the soonest. This can happen only when large numbers of safe recycling facilities come up and/or the Govt bans all crude e-waste recycling activities in India.

How much of e-Waste is there in India?

 
5-6 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of e-waste was generated in India 2012. The annual increase in generation is pegged at 10%.  However, the more important aspect to note is the quantum of e-waste that has piled up already, which is the cumulative total of each year's generation LESS cumulative total amounts recycled or disposed. The graph below shows the cumulative growth of e-waste in India.

Image Credit: Department of Information Technology,Govt. of India

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(*) NOTE: For reliable and detailed information on the hazardous effects of any of the above substances, the reader may visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website and navigate to the name of the substance you want to know more about via the A-Z index provided.

                                                   

                                                   SEARCH NOW

For example, to read about hazards arising from Lead, click on 'L' (for names starting with L) and then select 'Lead' from the sub-menu that gets displayed.