Dr Vaibhav Gaikwad
India is the 5th largest producer of electronics waste, or e-waste, in the world, generating close to 2 million metric tonnes in 2016. It faces a huge crisis with e-waste management. Although the Indian Government introduced its first dedicated e-waste management policy in 2011 and expanded its scope in 2016, less than 5% of e-waste in India is recycled through formally regulated units. The informal sector handles the rest, with very little control for environmental and worker health and safety. Several million informal sector workers are involved in recovering valuable metals from e-waste, largely through hazardous and unsafe practices such as open-air incineration and acid leaching.
This Very Short Policy Brief proposes five solutions for linking e-waste management policy and practice.