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Issues and Challenges in E-Waste Management in India: A Gap Between Theory and Practice

Article Details

Pub. Date	: March, 2018
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of Business Strategy
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJBS41803
Author Name	: Mona Chaudhary, Kumar Shalender and Amit Kumar Mishra
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Management
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 10

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Abstract

Due to the rapid growth in the industry and continuous change in the technological field, India has emerged as a huge electronic waste generating nation. E-waste, if not managed formally, leads to many ill effects on human health as well as the environment. Like other developing countries, effective e-waste management is becoming a serious concern for the country and its environment. The study covers the effects of e-waste generation in India. The purpose of the study is to understand the significance of formal processing of e-waste in the country and theoretical models for effective e-waste management. In the background of legal framework, the study evaluates the presence of formal processing of e-waste.

Description

E-waste consists of all waste from electronic and electrical equipment which have reached their end-of-life period or have been disposed of by the original user and are destined for recovery, recycling or disposal. The composition of e-waste is diverse and can be ‘hazardous’ and ‘non-hazardous’. Materials included in e-waste that can affect human health and the environment are lead, mercury, cadmium, brominated flame, retardants, beryllium, arsenic, polyvinyl chloride, etc. 50 million tons of e-waste is generated annually out of which India is responsible for 2.7 million tons (roughly 2.25 kg of waste per individual)—amongst the highest amount in the world. The problem of e-waste has become a major concern. E-waste inventory was 6,792 metric tons in 2008 and is estimated to be 22,443 metric tons in 2019. The alarming e-waste generation is a serious issue more for the developing countries like India as the developed countries have to an extent addressed the issue through policies, scientific methods for managing e-waste. In India, from the regulatory perspective, the existing regulations do not even define clearly the concept of electrical and electronic waste. Due to the rapid growth in the industry, there had been significant increase both in numbers and weight of e-waste from the year 2012. This offers a huge challenge to policy makers including the government, administrative bodies, corporates and the people at large.

Based upon an in-depth literature review, exploratory research design was employed to delve deep into the various aspects of e-waste and e-waste management. Insights from secondary data sources on e-waste, industry wide assessment and policy framework were explored to achieve the objectives of the study.