“ E-WASTE ”

PROJECT REPORT

Submitted for CAL in B.Tech Environmental Sciences (CHY1002)

By-

(M RUPESH RAO-15BCL1046
JOYJEET MOJUMDAR-15BCL1068)

Slot:-D1

Name of faculty: Dr .RUPAM SINGH

(SCHOOL OF ADVANCED SCIENCES)

April,2017

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project work entitled “ E-Waste ” that is being submitted by “
M RUPESH RAO AND JOYJEET MAJUMDAR ” for CAL in B.Tech Environmental
Sciences (CHY1002)is a record of bonafide work done under my supervision. The
contents of this Project work have not been submitted for any other CAL course.

Place: Chennai

Date: 28 April 2017

Signature of Students:

M Rupesh Rao

Joyjeet Majumdar

Signature of Faculty: Dr Rupam Singh

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express our special thanks of gratitude to our professor Dr. RUPAM
SINGH as well as VIT University to give us a golden opportunity to do this wonderful
project on E-Waste.
Secondly we would also like to thank the university management for being supportive.
We are grateful to each member in the group for their contribution in the project.

M Rupesh Rao
(15BCL1046)

Joyjeet Mojumdar
(15BCL1068)

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 ABSTRACT

The main objective and goal of this project was to understand the basic concept of E-
Waste , it's types and it's management . The above goal is hence achieved through regular
surveys done by our group members to the nearby areas to properly understand the
distribution pattern of E-Waste around us. We successfully identified the major E-Waste
landfills around us. We also requested them to send us pictures related to the topic. We
also tried to convert various E-Wastes into things which can be useful to us. We also tried
to know about how to properly manage E-Waste around us. We came to know about the
causes behind the E-Waste and their effects to the society. Lastly, we also identified how
to address the problems related to E-Waste management.

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1. Introduction:

Electronic Waste (e-Waste) comprises of waste electronic/electrical goods which are not
fit for their originally intended use. These include items such as computers, cellular
phones, stereos, refrigerators, air conditioners, other consumer durables, etc.

Is e-Waste Hazardous?

E-waste is not hazardous waste per-se. However, the hazardous constituents present in
the e-waste render it hazardous when such wastes are dismantled and processed, since it
is only at this stage that they pose hazard to health and environment.

Electrical and electronic equipment contain different hazardous materials which are
harmful to human health and the environment if not disposed of carefully. While some
naturally occurring substances are harmless in nature, their use in the manufacture of
electronic equipment often results in compounds which are hazardous (e.g. chromium
becomes chromium VI).

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1.1 Objective and goal of the project:

The main objective and goal of this project is to understand the basic concept of E-
Waste , it’s types, it’s management , causes of E-Waste and the effects it has on our
environment. These objectives were successfully achieved through periodical surveys in
nearby areas by our group members. We also tried to learn the management techniques
used by major E-Waste management organizations here in Chennai.

1.2 Detailed literature survey:

We visited various regions in Chennai in order to see the common E-Wastes disposed
here on the streets. Some of the regions visited by our group are Tambaram,
Kelambakkam and Mambakkam. Some of the common E-Wastes found were Television,
Refrigirator, motors, air conditioners and fans.

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2. Methodology: Experimental/Simulation

Telecommunications and information technology are the fastest growing industries today
not only in India but world over. Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology
(MAIT) has collected the following statistics on the growth of electronics and IT
equipment in India:

1. PC sales were over 7.3 million units during 2007-08, growing by 16 per cent. There is
an installed base of over 25 million units.

2. The consumer electronics market is growing at the rate of 13-15 per cent annually. It
has an installed base of 120 million TVs.

3. The cellular subscriber base was up by 96.86 per cent during 2007-08. Its installed
base is estimated to cross 300 million mark by 2010.

With the unprecedented induction and growth in the electronics industry, obsolescence
rate has also increased. People are phasing out/replacing their IT, communication and
consumer electronics equipment including white and brown goods as shown in Table II.
As per a GTZ-MAIT sponsored study conducted recently by IMRB, e-waste generated in
India during 2007 was around 332,979 MT besides about 50,000 MT entering the country
by way of imports. The reasons for generation of this large quantity of e-waste were
unprecedented growth of the IT industry during the last decade, and the early product
obsolescence due to continuous innovation. Thus the net effect is the e-waste turning into
a fastest growing waste stream. However, the total e-waste available in 2007 for
recycling and refurbishing was 144,143 MT. Of this, only 19,000 MT of e-waste could be
processed

Components of e-waste management

The stakeholders, i.e., the people who can help in overcoming the challenges posed by e-
waste, are:
1. Manufacturers
2. Users
3. Recyclers
4. Policy makers

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E-Waste management occurs in various places here in Chennai, details of which are
given below:

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.

We also sent mails to some of the above stated firms, requesting them to give
some information about their working process!

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What You Can Do

• Do’s:
·       Always look for information on the catalogue with your product for end-of-
life equipment handling.
·       Ensure that only Authorized Recyclers repair and handle your electronic
products
·       Always call Local E-waste Authorized Collection Centers to Dispose
products that have reached end-of life
·       Always drop your used electronic products, batteries or any accessories
when they reach the end of their life at your nearest Authorized E-Waste
Collection Center.
·       Wherever possible or as instructed, separate the packaging material
according to responsible waste disposal options and sorting for recycling.
·       Always disconnect the battery from product, and ensure any glass surface is
protected against breakage.

What you should not do

•  Don’ts:
·       Do not dismantle your electronic Products on your own
·       Do not throw electronics in bins having “Do not   Dispose” sign.
·       Do not give e-waste to informal and unorganized sectors like Local Scrap
Dealer/ Rag Pickers.
·       Do not dispose your product in garbage bins along with municipal waste that
ultimately reaches landfill.

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3. Results and Discussion

The Basel Action Network (BAN) which works for prevention of globalisation of toxic
chemicals has stated in a report that 50 to 80 per cent of e-waste collected by the US is
exported to India, China, Pakistan, Taiwan and a number of African countries. This is
done because cheaper labour is available for recycling in these countries. And in the US,
export of e-waste is legal. E-waste recycling and disposal in China, India and Pakistan are
highly polluting. Of late, China has banned import of e-waste. Export of e-waste by the
US is seen as lack of responsibility on the part of Federal Government, electronics
industry, consumers, recyclers and local governments towards viable and sustainable
options for disposal of e-waste. In India, recycling of e-waste is almost entirely left to the
informal sector, which does not have adequate means to handle either the increasing
quantities or certain processes, leading to intolerable risk for human health and the
environment.
Hence, government organizations must try to increase the number of recycling centers for
proper management of E-Waste.

Our group tried to make something useful out of the E-Wastes, we used the CD(compact
disk) which was no longer fit to use to make a photo frame and we made a decorative
item from a damaged mouse.

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4. Conclusion

Anne Cheong, senior service specialist in Dell, said each manufacturer has an individual
producer responsibility. “We start from home. We have proper recycling facility in all
countries including India. We are exploring that in Karnataka as well.” Though
companies claim they are taking action, many don’t believe enough is being done.
“Things are very slow. Corporates are yet to understand the importance of it,” said Wilma
Rodrigues, founder member of Saahas, a development organisation. Decisions related to
e-waste management, she said, are still taken by junior employees in organisations, with
top executives not even looking at it.

Finally, through improved e-waste management in the major Indian cities, the e-waste
initiatives taken in the country will achieve better environmental conditions. Moreover,
health conditions of workers active in the e-waste recycling sector will enormously
improve at the local level. As an overall effect, the living conditions for the neighbouring
population will be better. The already existing schemes of e-waste recycling and material
recovery, mainly in the informal sector, will be transformed to transparent and workers-
and environment-friendly methods. In the long term, the problem of improper e-waste
recycling will disappear due to improved methods, implementation of a take-back system
and consideration of the extended producer’s responsibility.

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5. REFERENCES

 www.tnpcb.gov.in/

 www.globalwastemanagement.com

 "Electronic waste- an emerging threat to the environment of urban India" .Journal

 http://www.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/paper/ewaste/ewaste.html

 http://ifixit.org/ewaste

 http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/e-waste

 http://recyclenation.com/partners/electronic-waste-journal

 http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/08/e-waste-stream-growing-can/

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 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/E-Waste

 Journal on "Electronic Waste: A Growing Concern in Today's Environment" by

**********

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