E-Waste Problem in India
India ranks 177 amongst 180 countries and is amongst the bottom five
countries on the Environmental Performance Index 2018, as per a report
released at the World Economic Forum 2018. This was linked to poor
performance in the environment health policy and deaths due to air
pollution categories. Also, India is ranked fifth in the world amongst top ewaste producing countries after the USA, China, Japan, and Germany and
recycles less than 2 per cent of the total e-waste it produces annually
formally. Since 2018, India generates more than two million tonnes of ewaste annually, and also imports huge amounts of e-waste from other
countries around the world. Dumping in open dumpsites is a common sight
which gives rise to issues such as groundwater contamination, poor health,
and more. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM) and KPMG study, Electronic Waste Management in India
identified that computer equipment account for almost 70 per cent of ewaste, followed by telecommunication equipment phones (12 per cent),
electrical equipment (8 per cent), and medical equipment (7 per cent) with
remaining from household e-waste