Business Matters | What needs to change in India’s e-waste policy? | The Hindu

Do you remember what happened to the last 3 mobile phones in your family and that are not in use anymore? That old electrical iron box? Your camera lying untouched because your phones have taken over? Are they in cupboards, lofts?

If you are kicking yourself for letting electronic waste piling up in this manner, you can draw consolation from the fact that you aren’t alone in this world.

The world today has 16 billion mobile phones. Of these, 5.3 billion will go out of use this year. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum recently conducted surveys whose results were consolidated by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme released last month on International e-Waste Day.

In 2022 alone, small EEE items such as cell phones, toasters and cameras produced worldwide will weigh an estimated total of 24.5 million tonnes. “These devices offer many important resources – gold, silver, palladium – that can be used in the production of new electronic devices or other equipment, such as wind turbines, electric car batteries or solar panels – all crucial for the green, digital transition to low-carbon societies.”

What is the e-waste management policy in India? Why is e-waste recycling critical? And what are the problems facing the recycling industry?

Script and presentation: K. Bharat Kumar
Production: Shibu Narayan
Videography: Johan Sathyadas

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