Recycling Processes and Plastic in Electronic Waste Is an Emerging Problem for India: Implications for Future Prospect

Abstract

A steady rise in demand of electronic equipment is prevalent in both developed and developing nations. The high consumption rate of electronic goods has given rise to a new stream of waste known as electronic waste or e-waste. The informal sector is dominant and critically active in developing countries like India to recover precious metals from e-waste. The illegal trade of electronic waste products also adds up to a good proportion of e-waste. Recent studies from India reported that the crude processes involved in the informal e-waste recycling sector is a major cause for the emission of persistent toxicants into the environment. Some of those studies mentioned that the open burning of e-waste in dumpsites and landfills have further contributed to the release of persistent organic pollutants in the environement. Burning of plastics present in e-waste (e-plastics) is another serious problem. This chapter presents a review of both formal and informal e-waste recycling and how informal sector is proving to be of a major environmental concern in India. Further, we have discussed the sustainable recycling methods for plastic and metal recovery and the future prospects of e-waste recycling sector.