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Press Release

First MAIT-GTZ study reveals extent of e-waste challenge

India generated 3.3 lakh tonnes e-waste in 2007
E-waste expected to touch 4.7 lakh tonnes by 2011
Dumping from developed countries and informal recycling adding to environmental degradation
Inclusive eco-friendly recycling need of the hour

New Delhi; December 13, 2007: MAIT, the apex body representing India’s IT hardware, training and R&D services sectors, together with GTZ, the German Technical Cooperation agency today announced the findings of its study on e-waste assessment in the country. The study, a first-of-its-kind to inventorise e-waste in the country, revealed that a total of three lakh, thirty thousand metric tonnes (3,30,000 MT) of e-waste is generated annually in India, while an additional fifty thousand metric tonnes (50,000 MT) is illegally imported into the country. However, only nineteen thousand metric tonnes (19,000 MT) of this is recycled due to high refurbishing and reuse of electronics products in the country and also due to poor recycling infrastructure. Currently e-waste recycling, especially processing, remains concentrated in the informal sector, which due to poor processing technologies and very small capacities, contributes significantly to pollution and environmental degradation. It is estimated that e-waste generated in India will touch four lakh seventy thousand metric tons by 2011.

The e-waste assessment study, conducted by the e-Technology group of India’s leading market research firm IMRB International is a survey of over two hundred corporate houses and close to four hundred households to map their e-waste management practices. The study identifies stakeholders in the e-waste value chain including the profile and practices of the formal and informal recycling facilities in the country with focus on Delhi (NCR), where the largest proportion of e-waste is recycled/processed. The study involved primary research and expert interviews of the vendors, channels and both formal and informal recyclers. Electronic waste or "Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment" ("WEEE"), according to the WEEE Directive of the European Commission, is defined as waste material consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliances. However, the MAIT-GTZ assessment study focussed only on the waste stream of computers, televisions and mobile handsets only.

Commenting on the findings of the study, GTZ Director Dr. J Bischoff, said, “Significant growth in consumption of electronics items in the last few years, accompanied by a very high rate of obsolescence of these products is, leading to generation of electronic waste in the country. In addition to the e-waste generated in the domestic market, dumping from developed countries has further compounded the problem in India. It is essential that India take note of this menace or it will have to pay a heavy price for environmental degradation.”

Elaborating on the measures identified in the study to manage e-waste in an environmentally conducive manner, MAIT Executive Director, Vinnie Mehta said, “ The situation could assume alarming proportions and therefore it is high time we pay serious attention to the issue of e-waste and take corrective actions to contain this problem. As the first principle of recycling is reuse, it is essential that the electronics industry encourages reuse of obsolete electronics items by suitably refurbishing them and by providing them necessary service support. Further, institutional users must mandatorily put in place a policy on e-waste management and for disposal of obsolete electronic equipments.”

Calling for stringent measures to be adopted by the government, Mehta added, “Government should develop an inclusive model by explicitly identifying and defining the roles of each stakeholder including the vendors, the users, the recyclers and the regulator for environmentally friendly recycling. The informal recyclers should also be included in this model and an awareness campaign put in place to ensure right information on e-waste reaches out to all stakeholders in a timely manner.”

Some of the significant findings of the MAIT-GTZ e-waste Assessment study:
IT Ownership and Disposal behavior: It was observed that 94% of the organisations studied did not have any policy on disposal of obsolete IT products/e-waste. Further, while a lot of business organisations were aware about e-waste, the depth of knowledge was lacking.

Recycling Practices: Ninety-five percent of the e-waste is segregated, dismantled and recycled in the informal sector based in urban slums. It is fairly commonplace to find operations such as open burning of wires to extract re-saleable copper, soaking of circuit boards in open acid bath followed by manual scrapping to extract copper and precious materials next to open drains. Unlike the informal recyclers, the formal recyclers do not use any chemicals or incinerations and use environmentally sound processes. Also, the efficiency of processes is significantly lower in the informal sector compared to the formal sector.

e-waste estimates: It was found that most of the used electronic products are either put to use for less resource intensive applications or given to relatives/ friends for further use. Due to lack of proper collection systems, households and institutions at times end up storing these products in their warehouses/ storerooms. Even when the obsolete products are sold or exchanged, these are refurbished and then resold. Only a small proportion of obsolete electronics products actually finds its way into the e-waste processing stream.

An estimated three-lakh thirty thousand metric tonnes of e-waste is generated in India, while an additional fifty thousand tonnes is imported. Although the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) of India does not permit the import of electronics waste, it however finds its way through mis-declaration. Of the total e-waste, only about forty percent finds its way into the recycling stream while the rest sixty percent remains in warehouses/storehouses due to poor/inefficient collection system. A significant proportion of the waste that finds its way into the recycling stream, especially televisions and mobile handsets, is refurbished and resold. Only about nineteen thousand tonnes, representing just five percent of the total e-waste is processed in the country.

Of the total e-waste generated in the country, Western India accounts for the largest proportion at thirty-five percent, followed by the South at thirty percent. North and East account for twenty-one percent and fourteen percent respectively. While North India is not a leading generator, it happens to be the leading processing centre of e-waste in the country. Currently there are no formal recyclers operating in the North or the East. There are two formal recyclers in the South of India and one in Western India. It is understood that several formal recycling facilities would be coming up across the country in the next couple of years.

Estimate of e-waste in India

About the methodology of the study:

A funnel approach was used for accuracy and better understanding of the e-waste production in India. The e-waste has been estimated at three levels:

Annual e-waste generated: IT and electronics products that have reached end of life. It includes items that get stacked inside warehouses/ store rooms, those that are not sold by consumers because of inappropriate resale value, or are used for lower level application, etc. This was estimated by applying input and obsolescence method.

e-waste available for recycling: Electronics products that have been exchanged/ sold/ by their owners. A significant proportion of these products gets refurbished, are re-used or relocated to smaller towns or villages. The quantity of e-waste available for recycling was estimated on the basis of inputs from expert interviews and channel member insights along with the validation through the primary survey.

e-Waste processed: Disposed electronic waste that is processed. Typically includes the broken down parts and components. This was estimated based on interviews with formal and informal recyclers across India.

About GTZ:
GTZ has been active in India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). GTZ's priority areas for cooperation with India are sustainable economic development, energy, environmental policy and conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. GTZ cooperates with the Central Government and various state agencies. The German side additionally supports bilateral development cooperation through initiatives for reform of the health sector and those aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS and polio. GTZ operates an office in New Delhi.

About MAIT:
Set up in 1982 for purposes of scientific, educational and IT industry promotion, MAIT has emerged as an effective, influential and dynamic organisation. Representing IT hardware, training, R&D, and associated services in India, MAIT’s charter is to develop a globally competitive Indian IT Industry, promote the usage of IT in India, strengthen the role of IT in national economic development and promote business through international alliances.