E-waste is not waste, a Bonanza!

 

There is 100 times more gold in a tonne of smart phones than in a tonne of gold ore itself! But the precious metal is virtually thrown away due to poor recycling of e-waste. Yes, E-waste mining could be big business - and good for Mother Earth too!!! Considering the law of conservation of mass postulated by legendary Chemist Lavoisier that, in this world “nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”, the above statement could have immense impact on the ongoing battle for conserving the sanctity of earth’s environment.

 

Is electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) actually ‘waste’? It may be difficult to accept this when one considers the fact that it consists of rare metals like gold, silver, cobalt, platinum, rare earth metals like neodymium, and high qualities of aluminum and tin. All these precious metals are virtually being thrown away, thanks to poor recycling techniques and capacity of the e-waste, globally. It’s a double whammy as poor recycling standards mean that 80 per cent of the e-waste ends up in landfills globally, leading to loss of these precious metals. The UN-World Economic Forum report on e-waste titled, ‘A new circular vision for electronics’, said, “It’s uncommon to throw away gold, silver or platinum jewellery, but that is not true about electronic and electrical goods containing the same precious metals; up to 7 per cent of the world’s gold may currently be contained in e-waste.” However, it needs no emphasizing the hazards of e-waste in the world. E-wastes are considered dangerous, as certain components of some electronic products contain materials that are harmful, depending on their condition and density. The harmful content of these materials pose a threat to human health and environment. Its toxic emissions mixed with virgin soil and air and causing harmful effects to the entire biota either directly or indirectly. Direct impacts include release of acids, toxic compounds including heavy metals, carcinogenic chemicals and indirect effects such as bio magnification of heavy metals. Discarded computers, televisions, DVD, stereos, copiers, fax machines, electric lamps, cell phones, audio equipment and batteries if improperly disposed can leach lead and other substances into soil and groundwater. From lead-lined, cathode ray tubes in old TVs to lead and chromium in circuit boards of various devices, e-waste contains substances that are hazardous to human health, including mercury, cadmium and lead. The presence of toxic substances such as liquid crystal, lithium, nickel, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), selenium, arsenic, barium, chromium, cobalt and copper – which are essential components of electronic devices – makes it very hazardous, if it is dismantled and processed with rudimentary techniques. The question that still baffles the civilized society is-how to deal or handle this gigantic e-waste? I think the eternal mantra of 3 Rs- Reduce, Re-use and Recycle can be the simple answer to the problem, but, may be very difficult proposition to implement successfully. Since it’s very likely that our appetite for new electronics will only increase in the coming years, we all need to be ready for the possible explosion of new devices — and the similar rush to discard older models. Consumerism overshadows all other aspects today in this materialistic world. Hence, the first two Rs- Reduce and Re-use may not be the effective answer or proposition to the problem. Perhaps, Re-cycle could be a possible solution and be pursued vigorously with the available advanced technology. Therefore, emphasis should be on re-cycling in whatever means possible.

 

It is estimated that the e-waste stream has already reached 48.5 million tonnes (MT) in 2018, and the figure is expected to double if nothing changes. Moreover, only 20 per cent of global e-waste is recycled. Due to poor extraction techniques, the total recovery rate of cobalt from e-waste is only 30 per cent. This metal is in great demand for laptop, smart phone and electric car batteries, highlighting the fact that not only does the precious metal goes wasted, but it also leads to more mining for the same. In 2015, the (fresh) extraction of raw materials accounted for 7 per cent of the world’s energy consumption, as per an UN report. The latest forecasts show that e-waste’s global worth is $62.5 billion annually, which is more than the GDP of most countries! It is also worth three times the output of all the world’s silver mines, says the report, which was released on January 24, 2019.  Recycled metals are also two to 10 times more energy efficient than metals smelted from virgin ore. Furthermore, mining discarded electronics produces 80 per cent less emissions of carbon dioxide per unit of gold compared to mining from the ground.

 

E-waste mining is a process where valuable materials like gold, copper, iron and plastic are extracted from the circuitry of computers and cell phones, by using same techniques that miners use to process metal ores. One tonne of scrap from discarded computers contains more gold than can be produced from 17 tonnes of gold ore in traditional mining. Instead of viewing old and used computers, mobile phones, radio and television sets as a problem, we should look at it as a commodity. E-waste is often richer in rare metals than their ores containing 10-50 times higher copper content than its ore. A cell phone contains 5-10 times higher gold content than gold ore. Multiply this with 150,000 tonne of e-waste generated annually and the numbers are quite lucrative. According to study, 5 tonne of e-waste coming from about 183 computers, could give a huge profit of about 1,78,308/- . India has a few small scale regional recycling programmes named Eparisara and Trishiraya located at Chenai. It is felt by the Director of Eparisara that every Metro city should have at least 2-3 such plants each with a processing capacity of 10 tonne a day. There appears to be a sizable interest by domestic and international entrepreneurs to set up plants in India including multinationals like Sony and HP. It may account for only 2% of all solid waste, yet it represents a whopping 70% of all hazardous wastes. This is because electronic equipment contains an array of metals which – once they enter the environment – have disastrous, long-term effects. However, it is pertinent to note that up to 25% of all e-waste consists of something that we already know how to recycle plastic. Globally, one half of all e-waste is personal devices such as computers and phones, while the rest comprises larger household appliances, as well as heating and cooling equipment.

 

India is ranked fifth in the world among the top e-waste producing countries after USA, China, Japan, and Germany. Computer equipment accounts for almost 70% of e-waste, followed by telecommunication equipment phones (12%), electrical equipment (8%) and medical equipment (7%), with the remaining from household e-waste. A few years ago, the country generated 2 million tonnes of e-waste every year; this figure is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 30% and is estimated to have reached 5.2 million tonnes in 2020. As newer and newer models of electronic equipment are developed, they replace the older ones in our consumerist society. Most of the e-waste is dumped in rivers, lakes or canals, causing irreparable damage to the environment. E-waste is also sold in the market to scrap dealers who dismantle it instead of recycling. Dismantling e-waste products releases further toxic emissions in the air. We formally recycle less than 2% of the total e-waste we produce. Major part is recycled by the informal sector.

 

As one of the biggest producers of e-waste in the world, India doesn't have data and monitoring mechanisms to manage e-waste. But as per the E-Waste Management Rules, which were notified in October 2016, and enacted in 2017, manufacturers of electric and electronic equipments must facilitate their collection and return it to authorised dismantlers or recyclers. However, even three years after the law was passed, there is little evidence that it is being implemented effectively. The law says that producers of electronic items should provide postal address, email and toll-free numbers of collection centres – where consumers can drop off their e-waste – through websites and user booklets to facilitate the return of e-waste items. The law also details different mechanisms to collect and recycle e-waste. These include deposit return schemes (where the producer takes a surcharge at the time of the sale and refunds it when the customer returns the product) and exchange schemes. The stakeholders – producers (all brand owners and importers), manufacturers (all registered companies that make electronic goods), dismantlers and recyclers – have to obtain an authorisation for their operations. The producers must obtain an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) authorisation from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which will ensure that they channelise the e-waste to recyclers/dismantlers and meet their annual collection targets. This target is required to be at least 20% of the waste generated by their sales. This will increase by 10% annually for the next five years (40% for FY 20- 21). The law also says that the responsibility of producers is not confined to waste collection, but also to ensure that the waste reaches the authorised recycler/ dismantler.

What are an e-waste collector’s responsibilities? The law mandates the following:

• Collect e-waste on behalf of producer/dismantler/recycler including those arising from orphaned producers, provided the collection centers established by the producer are equipped to do so.
• Ensure that the facilities are in accordance with the standards or guidelines issued by the CPCB from time to time.
• Ensure that the waste collected is stored in a secure manner until it is sent to the concerned authority.
• Ensure that no damage is caused to the environment during storage and transportation of waste.

 

It’s not that the world does not realise its significance. In fact, the informal sector of e-waste recycling is flourishing only to extract these precious metals. In India, more than 95 per cent e-waste is recycled by the informal sector, where they burn the plastics to extract these metals. But, the methods they use are very coarse, with low extraction rate and negative impacts on health of those who extract it. The solution, the report says, lies in creating a circular economy of electronics. It advocates a multi-pronged strategy for the same. First of all, it says, the products need to be designed in such a way that they can be re-used, are durable and safe for recycling. The producers should also have buy-back or return offers for old equipment, and plans to incentivize the consumer financially. The report also advocates a system of ‘urban mining’ by strengthening the extended producer responsibility provision. According to this approach, any electronic/electric e-waste producer is supposed to have designated collection centres in a city where the customers can drop their products. Further, they have to ensure that those dropped products are recycled. Every producer has to ensure that the product reaches a designated dismantler or recycler. Every producer has a certain target for recycling its products, which is directly proportional to the weight of the total annual production.  India had notified a policy on similar lines in October 2016, called the E-Waste Management Rules. However, its implementation remains very poor. A report cites the example of a recycler in China to show the way ahead. It says that, “One recycler in China already produces more cobalt (by recycling) than what the country mines in one year!” It also says that this can hold tremendous economic value. “A circular model for electronics could reduce the costs for consumers by 7 per cent by 2030 and 14 per cent by 2040,” says the report. This will further lead to creation of more jobs and safe working conditions for informal sector workers in the e-waste value chain.

 

Presently, the market size of e-waste in India is of 3.2 million MT and expected to touch to 20 million MT by 2020. In terms of value, it is presently of Rs 25,000 crore industry which is expected to touch Rs 125,000 crores by 2020. Fortunately, the entire industry is presently untapped by the formal sector as required under the E-waste management rules of India.  Immense potential is there in augmenting e-waste recycling in the country. There are some forward movements in this direction, however, lots of ground has to be covered through awareness campaign, skill development, building human capital and introduction of technology while adopting adequate safety measures in the country’s informal sector. Since India is highly deficient in precious mineral resources (whereas untreated e-waste goes to landfill), there is need for a well designed, robust and regulated e-waste recovery regime which would generate jobs as well as wealth and go a long way in reducing the environmental hazards of e-waste.