Where is e waste being recycled

If facilities lack adequate safety protocols, there is a constant risk of exposure to hazardous substances to workers as well as nearby communities. For example, the burning of wiring and cables increases the concentration of dioxins — toxins known to increase the risk of cancer if inhaled by workers or nearby residents.

Likewise, dioxins can contribute to general air pollution. In some developing nations, the people who work at these jobs have very limited economic opportunities. So, despite the health risks, the recycling industry is a welcome opportunity for employment. E-waste recycling is largely a process of separating plastics from metals and internal circuitry. Efficiency in this separation of materials is the foundation of economically viable electronics recycling because the e-waste stream must be processed in a way that separates commodities that can be used to make new products.

As a result, the usual first step in e-waste processing is mechanically shredding products into tiny pieces. Specific recycling processes vary depending on the materials being recycled and the technologies used, but there are some common steps. For example, at the recycling facility, workers may separate iron and steel from the waste stream on a conveyor belt with a powerful overhead magnet that lifts off the iron and steel so it can be prepared for resale as recycled steel.

Further mechanical processing separates aluminum, copper, and circuit boards. This leaves the material stream as mostly plastic. Often, water separation technology is then used to separate glass from plastics. The final step is locating and extracting any remaining metal from the plastics to further filter the material stream.

The separated materials are prepared for sale as usable raw materials for the production of new electronics or other products. Although the quantity of e-waste is growing fast, the quality of e-waste may be declining. The technology has already been transferred for commercialisation. Professor Veena Sahajwalla, an expert, based in Australia, suggests setting up micro-factories in India that can transform e-waste into reusable material to be converted into ceramics and plastic filaments for 3D printing.

The high-grade metals — like gold, silver, copper and palladium — in the e-waste can be separated for re-sale in conditions that are totally safe. She opines that there is no reason to burn plastic, micro-factories can create filament with plastic by compressing the waste in a temperature controlled area. A modular micro-factory, which would require a 50 sq mt area, can be located wherever waste is stockpiled.

She says that if funds are made available towards initial capital expenditure to operators, it will help empower the people working with waste. Immense potential is there in augmenting e-waste recycling in the country. 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.

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Waste Recycling of e-waste in India and its potential Since India is highly deficient in precious mineral resources while untreated e-waste goes to landfill, there is need for a well designed, regulated e-waste recovery regime which would generate jobs as well as wealth By Samar Lahiry Published: Wednesday 17 April Initiatives on building awareness in e-waste management The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology MeitY has initiated an e-waste awareness programme under Digital India, along with industry associations from , to create awareness among the public about the hazards of e-waste recycling by the unorganised sector, and to educate them about alternate methods of disposing their e-waste.

E-waste Management … E-waste recycling Waste India. Google, LG and Motorola all released modular models, but they ultimately failed because they were clumsier and more costly, and because consumers expected their devices to come with every feature as standard. Perhaps as consumers become more aware of the e-waste problem, companies will be able to design a modular phone with more market appeal.

The copyright often forbids consumers by law to tinker with or reverse-engineer the device or use an unauthorized repairer. Extended producer responsibility requires companies that make products to be responsible for the management and disposal of them at the end of their lives.

The idea is to turn waste materials into a resource for producing new products. The New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act requires manufacturers to provide consumers with free and convenient e-waste recycling. Hong Kong, a prime dumping ground for U. It has just instituted a producer responsibility system that will require suppliers and sellers of electronic products to pay for the free removal, collection, handling and proper disposal of items.

EcoATM provides a convenient and safe way to recycle and sell old cell phones, MP3 players and tablets. Consumers can bring their devices to one of 2, kiosks in the U. The EcoATM will evaluate it based on the model and condition, and pay you right there. The items are then either reused or responsibly recycled.

Photo: Michael Rivera. Within 24 hours, an accredited recycler comes to pick it up. In two months, 11, devices were recycled. Nickolas Themelis, professor emeritus of earth and environmental engineering and director of the Earth Engineering Center at Columbia University, said that the best and only economical large-scale recycling being done in North America today uses a copper smelter in Canada.

He explained that when e-waste is fed into the copper smelter, precious metals like silver, gold, platinum, palladium, selenium, and others dissolve in molten copper, which acts like a solvent at high temperatures. The impure copper because it comprises other metals that results is then sent to a refinery where pure copper is separated out and the other valuable metals can be collected.

This integrated smelting process combined with refining, though it recovers only metals that dissolve in copper, is a relatively inexpensive method of reclaiming e-waste metals. The smelter , in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, receives about 50, tons of e-waste each year.

To reduce health and environmental hazards while maintaining the informal recycling system that supports so many people, India and China are looking at ways to integrate the informal and formal recycling systems. One strategy would give informal recyclers financial incentives to divert e-waste to formal collection or recycling centers.

For example, they could be paid more to deliver cathode ray tube screens to a formal collection center than they would get for dismantling it by hand themselves. A circular economy is one that aims to keep products and all their materials in circulation at their highest value at all times or for as long as possible. Europe has made the circular economy a goal for the whole continent.

Using the example of cell phones, Kersten-Johnston explained how the electronics industry could move towards a circular economy.

But imagine a system where the provider or manufacturer retained ownership of the device through the contract so customers would pay a lower monthly fee and be expected to return the device for an upgrade.

The value could be recaptured in the form of parts for remanufacture or materials for recycling, and customers would still get their upgrades. The best thing you can do is to resist buying a new device until you really need it. Find a responsible recycler. Recyclers with the E-Steward label on their websites have been certified to meet the cleanest and most responsible standards for e-waste recycling.

E-Steward recyclers also clear your data in their recycling process. Find places to recycle near you through Consumer Resources, Recycle Electronics. All about e-waste in New York City. New York State e-waste collection sites. A humorous look at a not so funny problem. Growing e-waste problem is a paramount concern and most of the people are not aware of how they can contribute to reduce this problem. Your blog gives comprehensive details on what people can do to handle the e-waste growing issue.

More and more readers can become familiar with the e-waste, its upsurge, the state of e-waste recycling and what they can do. Extremely informative blog. All male vertebrates are being biologically emasculated, feminized, sterilized, stupified and crazyfied.

I think collaboration between the governments of developed and developing countries can help humanity get rid of e-waste. Researchers should also try their best to develop ways to significantly or completely reduce the inclusion of toxic materials in electronic devices.

The resource goes over how to recycle electronics, the importance of properly disposing of electronic waste, and other need-to-know information before throwing away electronics. I have some questions about e-waste if anybody could respond that would be great! It is for a school project and I want to learn more about it! Here, in Turkey also this is a big problem. EcoATM seems a good action on that.

A majority of nations across the globe have regulated electronic scrap generation and their treatment procedures. For instance, the European Union EU has authorized all electronic goods manufacturers to undertake the responsibility for the treatment of end-of-life products.

We have to be aware of that.