ELECTRONIC WASTE

• The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) released a report on the potential of a circular economy in India's electronics sector, focusing on the management of electronic waste (e-waste).
• This initiative followed collaboration with NITI Aayog, aiming to transform the handling of discarded electronics and capitalize on a significant market opportunity estimated at $7 billion.

2. Informal E-Waste Management

• E-waste management in India is primarily informal, with approximately 90% of collection and 70% of recycling handled by a competitive informal sector.
• This sector excels in salvaging older devices for parts and extracting precious metals like gold and silver from printed circuit boards (PCBs) in industrial hubs such as Moradabad.
• To streamline e-waste management, the Indian government enacted the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, digitalizing the process and enhancing transparency in the e-waste movement.
• The proliferation of affordable phones and increased usage, driven by cheaper data plans, has contributed to a growing volume of e-waste.
• The informal sector employs various strategies, including "cannibalization," where repair shops purchase entire devices and use them as spare parts for repairs, capitalizing on lower tariffs for finished products.

3. Importance of a Circular Economy

• A circular economy is crucial due to the rising demand for electronics, resource scarcity, and high emissions associated with electronic device production.
• Instead of merely discarding parts, a circular economy aims to reintegrate them into the electronics ecosystem, creating wealth from materials.
• Policy efforts should encourage manufacturers to reuse old components, following China's example of directing 5% of secondary raw materials into new product manufacturing by 2019, with a 2030 target of 35%.

4. Recycling Strategies

• The ICEA report proposes public-private partnerships to establish an extensive "reverse supply chain," involving collecting devices, wiping personal data, and processing and recycling.
• It recommends creating auditable databases of materials and geographical clusters for device breakdown. Encouraging "high-yield" recycling centres is also suggested.

5. Challenges

• There are several challenges to recycling e-waste in India. One challenge is the lack of awareness about e-waste recycling.
• Many people are not aware of the harmful effects of e-waste, and they do not know how to recycle their old electronics.
• The lack of material for recycling plants, Many recycling plants in India do not have enough e-waste to operate at full capacity.
• This is because the informal sector often collects and recycles e-waste before it can reach formal recycling plants.
• Recycling e-waste requires specialized equipment and facilities, which can be expensive to set up and operate.

6. The Way Forward

• India needs to take steps to address the growing problem of e-waste. This includes raising awareness about e-waste recycling, increasing the collection of e-waste, and developing more recycling facilities.
• By transitioning to a circular economy for e-waste, India can help to protect the environment and conserve resources.