e-Waste

Subject: Environment

Context:

United Nations University (UNU) released report on e-waste.

Concept:

Findings:

• E-waste will increase by 38 per cent in the decade between 2020 and 2030.
• There was 6 million tonnes (MT) e-waste in 2019, according to the report. That is a nearly 21 per cent increase in just five years.
• Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019 about 24.9 MT, followed by the Americas (13.1 MT) and Europe (12 MT). Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 MT and 0.7 MT respectively.
• Less than 18 per cent of the e-waste generated in 2019 was collected and recycled.
• The number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation or regulation has increased from 61 to 78 and includes India.

Concept:

• E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and / or coordination system. according to the report.
• There are 312 authorized recyclers of e-waste in India, with the capacity for treating approximately 800 kilotonnes annually.
• However, formal recycling capacity remains under-utilized, as the large majority of the waste is still handled by the informal sector. About 90 per cent of the country’s e-waste is recycled in the informal sector, according to the report.