Electronic Waste:

Alarming Global Issue

By: Saugat Prajapati 1

Introduction to E-waste
 Electronic waste (e-Waste) is loosely refers to any white goods,
consumer and business electronics, and information technology
hardware that is in the end of its useful life.
 Specifically, Puckett et al. define e-waste as “a broad and growing
range of electronic devices ranging from large household devices
such as refrigerators, air conditions, cell phones, personal stereos,
and consumer electronics to computers which have been discarded
by their users”.
 According to Sinha-Khetriwal , “e-Waste can be classified as any
electrical powered appliance that has reached its end-of-life”.
 Electronic products are defined as products that have an electrical
circuit that during operation can generate or emit a physical field
of radiation in devices.
 The main types of electronic products are audio and video devices,
semiconductors and other electrical components.
 The UN defines e-waste as any discarded products with a battery
or plug, and features toxic and hazardous substances such as
mercury, that can pose severe risk to human and environmental
health.
2
Global market of electronic devices
 The global electronic products market size grew from $1186.56 billion in 2022 to
$1275.34 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate(CAGR) of 7.5%.
 The market size of electronic products is expected to grow to $1657.45 billion in
2027 at a CAGR of 6.8%.
 Major companies in electronic products market includes-samsung electronic Co. ltd,
Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co. ltd, SK Hynix Inc., Qualcomm, HonHai Precision
Industry, Micron Technology Inc., LG display Co. ltd, Intel Corporation, Sony
Corp., and Broadcom Ltd.
 Asia pacific was the largest region in the electronic products market in 2022.
 North America was the second largest region in the electronic products market
share.
 The regions covered in the electronic products analysis are Asia-Pacific, Western
Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa
( The Business Research Company, USA)

3
Global electronic waste management
market value from 2022 to 2029
The global e-waste management market was valued at
58.86 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. It is forecast that the
market will reach a value of more than 137 billion U.S.
dollars by 2029, registering a CAGR of 12.9 percent
during the forecast period 2023 to 2029.
Electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream on
the planet. It consists of everyday electronic equipment,
such as televisions, mobile phones, cameras, kitchen
appliances, and temperature exchange equipment.
According to the UN, in 2021 each person on the planet
will produce on average 7.6 kg of e-waste, meaning that
a massive 57.4 million tons will be generated worldwide.
Only 17.4% of this electronic waste, containing a mixture
of harmful substances and precious materials, will be
recorded as being properly collected, treated and
recycled.
4
Global electronic waste management
market value from 2022 to 2029

5
E-waste Management
International E-Waste Day
 Each year, International E-Waste Day is held on 14 October, an opportunity to
reflect on the impacts of e-waste and the necessary actions to enhance circularity
for e-products.
 ​International E-Waste Day was developed in 2018 by the WEEE (Waste from
Electrical and Electronic Equipments) Forum to raise the public profile of waste
electrical and electronic equipment recycling and encourage consumers to
recycle.
 The WEEE Forum is an international association representing fifty producer
responsibility organizations across the globe.
 Together with the members, they are at the forefront of turning the extended
producer responsibility principle into an effective electronic waste management
policy approach through our combined knowledge of the technical, business and
operational aspects of collection, logistics, de-pollution, processing, preparing for
reuse and reporting of e-waste.
 The mission is to be the world’s foremost e-waste competence centre excelling in
the implementation of the circularity principle.
 14 October 2023 | International E-Waste Day –”You can recycle anything
with a plug, battery or cable!”

6
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) also
indicates that e-waste is one of the largest and most
complex waste streams in the world.
According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, the
world generated 53.6 Mt of e-waste in 2019, only 9.3
Mt (17%) of which was recorded as being collected
and recycled. E-waste contains valuable materials, as
well as hazardous toxins, which make the efficient
material recovery and safe recycling of e-waste
extremely important for economic value as well as
environmental and human health.
Tne United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
also estimated in a 2015 report “Waste Crimes, Waste
Risks: Gaps and Challenges in the Waste Sector” that
60-90 per cent of the world’s electronic waste, worth
nearly USD 19 billion, is illegally traded or dumped
each year.
7
8
Composition of E-gadgets
 The E-gadgets comprise two significant units: i) the outer housing of
polymer composites, and ii) the inner metallic, conducing-sensory units
(Szalatkiewicz 2014, Narasimha et al., 2019).
 The outer cases and circuit boards are generally made up of polymer
resins such as polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane
(PU), and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (Tyagi & Tyagi 2014).
 The materials are also prepared in the form of composites using
different inorganic substances such as silica (SiO2), calcium oxide
(CaO), magnesium oxide (MgO), carbon black, graphite, alumina, etc. as
fillers.
 Nowadays, the organic fillers are also being used due to their
lightweight and as a part of green practices (Jarup 2003).
 The conducting-sensory units contain various expensive metals, some of
them being used to write on circuit board for acquiring unique
properties such as gold (Au), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag) and palladium
(Pd).
 The others metals, such as nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr),
iron (Fe), are inexpensive ones and are employed for conductivity and
soldering purposes (Jarup 2003, Peterson 2009).
9
Moreover, the composites may contain fire
retardants, usually made up of hazardous
chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyl
(PCB) and polychlorinated terphenyl (PCT).
The latter substances exhibit toxic effects on
disposal to the free environment (Peterson
2009).
Thus, the E-wastes may contain many
environments degrading and bio-unfriendly
substances such as heavy metals and
polymers along with some toxic chemicals
which need proper management to save the
environment and associated living beings.

10
Effects of E-waste: On Air
 Contamination in the air occurs when e-waste is informally disposed by dismantling,
shredding or melting the materials, releasing dust particles or toxins, such as dioxins,
into the environment that cause air pollution and damage respiratory health.
 E-waste of little value is often burned, but burning also serves a way to get valuable
metal from electronics, like copper.
 Chronic diseases and cancers are at a higher risk to occur when burning e-waste
because it also releases fine particles, which can travel thousands of miles, creating
numerous negative health risks to humans and animals.
 Higher value materials, such as gold and silver, are often removed from highly
integrated electronics by using acids, desoldering, and other chemicals, which also
release fumes in areas where recycling is not regulated properly.
 The negative effects on air from informal e-waste recycling are most dangerous for those
who handle this waste, but the pollution can extend thousands of miles away from
recycling sites
 The air pollution caused by e-waste impacts some animal species more than others,
which may be endangering these species and the biodiversity of certain regions that are
chronically polluted.
 Over time, air pollution can hurt water quality, soil and plant species, creating
irreversible damage in ecosystems.
 For instance, an informal recycling hub in Guiyu, China that was formed by parties
interesting in extracting valuable metals from e-waste, and subsequently has caused the
region to have extremely high lead levels in the air, which are inhaled and then ingested
when returned to water and soil. This can cause disproportionate neurological damage
to larger animals, wildlife and humans in the area.
11
Effects of E-waste: On Soil
 When improper disposal of e-waste in regular landfills or in places
where it is dumped illegally, both heavy metals and flame
retardants can seep directly from the e-waste into the soil, causing
contamination of underlying groundwater or contamination of
crops that may be planted near by or in the area in the future.
 When the soil is contaminated by heavy metals, the crops become
vulnerable to absorbing these toxins, which can cause many
illnesses and doesn’t allow the farmland to be as productive as
possible.
 When large particles are released from burning, shredding or
dismantling e-waste, they quickly re-deposit to the ground and
contaminate the soil as well, due to their size and weight.
 The amount of soil contaminated depends on a range of factors
including temperature, soil type, pH levels and soil composition.
 These pollutants can remain in the soil for a long period of time and
can be harmful to microorganisms in the soil and plants.
 Ultimately, animals and wildlife relying on nature for survival will
end up consuming affected plants, causing internal health problems
12
Effects of E-waste: On Water
After soil contamination, heavy metals from e-waste,
such as mercury, lithium, lead and barium, then leak
through the earth even further to reach groundwater.
 When these heavy metals reach groundwater, they
eventually make their way into ponds, streams, rivers
and lakes.
Through these pathways, acidification and toxification
are created in the water, which is unsafe for animals,
plants and communities even if they are miles away from
a recycling site.
Clean drinking water becomes problematic to find.
Acidification can kill marine and freshwater organisms,
disturb biodiversity and harm ecosystems.
If acidification is present in water supplies, it can
damage ecosystems to the point where recovery is
questionable, if not impossible.
13
Effects of E-waste: On Human
 Electronic waste contains toxic components that are
dangerous to human health, such as mercury, lead, cadmium,
polybrominated flame retardants, barium and lithium.
 The negative health effects of these toxins on humans include
brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage.
 It can also considerably affect the nervous and reproductive
systems of the human body, leading to disease and birth
defects.
 Improper disposal of e-waste is unbelievably dangerous to the
global environment, which is why it is so important to spread
awareness on this growing problem and the threatening
aftermath.
 To avoid these toxic effects of e-waste, it is crucial to properly
e-cycle (to reuse or recycle (electronic equipment or
components), so that items can be recycled, refurbished,
resold, or reused. The growing stream of e-waste will only
worsen if not educated on the correct measures of disposal.

14
International Practices of E-wastes Disposal
There are stringent international practices in sound E-Waste
management (Sawhney et al., 2008, Hoornweq & Tata 2012).
The most economically developed regions, like the EU, USA,
and Japan, have adopted quite strong regulations and policies
for E-waste management (Sawhney et al., 2008; Ababio
2012).
Also, the economically emerging countries such as India and
China have induced E-waste management in their national
development policies (Joseph 2007; Chen et al., 2015;
Karmacharya et al., 2015).
The global practice of waste management is “no throwing
away” where system follows the procedure with a reduction
in waste generation, their vehicular collection, separation,
reuse, recycle, and finally the waste disposal by composting,
incineration and landfilling (Hoornweq & Tata 2012;
Narasimha et al., 2019).
15
India added recovery of metals such as copper from the
circuit board on its management elements
(Joseph 2007).
Malaysia practices household management for E-waste in
different ways such as recycling, giving to scrap collectors,
dismantling for further applications, and selling as second-
hand equipment (Kalana 2010).
European Union has formulated quite strict regulatory
provisions for the E-waste management (EEC No. 259/93;
Directive 2002/96/EC & Directive 2002/95/EC).
The Directive 2002/95/EC is about the restriction of use of
certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic
equipment. In contrast, the Directive 2002/96/EC limits the
use of six harmful substances (such as lead, mercury,
cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls
(PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)) in E-
gadgets (Wu et al., 2008; Mansfield 2013).
16
 To address these challenges, the principle of 3R’s (viz. Reduce,
Reuse, and Recycle) is being practiced.
 Many countries are practicing 3Rs principles to address the E-
waste problem.
 China has adopted a national policy of converting the wastes to
energy. (Xu et al., 2016).
 Utilizing this ‘waste-to-energy’ strategy, in 2014, China increased
its energy production from the wastes by 39 % more than in
2013, and it contributes to the total energy consumption of the
whole country by 0.44 % (Dunne et al., 2008).
 Ireland has a unique waste management policy in which the
polluters have to pay. This way, the country has added a 15 % tax
more in the purchase of such materials, which, however, has
caused a reduction in buying tendency to 92 % (Zaman 2013).
 The astonishing results were observed in San Francesco, the
USA, where in 2000 the waste was reduced to 50 %, in 2011 80
%, and they have targeted up to 100 % waste reduction (or zero
waste planning) by 2020 (Brandl 2001).
 Such practices are being implemented in Italy, Nova Scotia-
Canada, and many other countries

17
Research works on e-waste mangement
There are many research works ongoing to overcome
the terror created by E-wastes.
 Different methodologies of chemical and biological
treatments for such wastes are being investigated.
For instance, it has been reported that metal poisoning
can be reduced by leaching with acids and incubation
with some bacteria or fungi.
 The bacteria such as Thiobacillus thiooxidans, T.
ferrooxidans and fungi such as Aspergillus
niger,Penicillium simplicissimum feed on severe health
hazardous, soil or water contaminants such as Zinc
(Zn), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb),
Aluminium (Al) (Widmera et al., 2005; PACE Nepal Pvt.
Ltd., 2017)
18
Management of e-waste

19
Circular Approach for Electronics

20