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♤ “The Global E-Waste Monitor 2014”, 17 lakh tonnes of e-waste generation was reported in the country in 2014. No comprehensive State-wise inventorization of e-waste generation in the country has been done.
♤ In India, among top ten cities, Mumbai ranks first in generating e-waste followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.
♤ The 65 cities generate more than 60% of the total generated e-waste, whereas, 10 states generate 70% of the total e-waste.
♤ Most of the e-waste is recycled in India in unorganized units, which engage significant number of manpower. Recovery of metals by primitive means is a most hazardous act.
♤ The recycling process, if not carried out properly, can cause damage to human being through inhalation of gases during recycling, contact of the skin with hazardous substances and contact during acid treatment used in recovery process.
♤ Proper education, awareness and most importantly alternative cost effective technology need to be provided so that better means can be provided to those who earn the livelihood from this.
♤ A holistic approach is needed to address the challenges faced by India in e-waste management. A suitable mechanism needs to be evolved to include small units in unorganized sector and large units in organized sector into a single value chain.