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As per the MAIT-GTZ e-Waste assessment study 2007, India generated 3.3Lakh
tonnes of e-waste in 2007 and that number is expected to reach 4.7 lakh tonnes
by 2011. Out of the total e-waste generated, only 19 thousand tonnes gets
recycled. The main reason for the low recycle rate is the lack of proper
recycling infrastructure.
In India, obsolete products are generally piled up in warehouses or storeroom
by average consumers. The ones that are thrown out or sold are processed to
extract re-saleable products and precious materials. The method done for the
extraction leads to pollution and environmental degradation. Most of us really
do not pay attention before throwing out or handing over the gadget that once
took your fancy. However, by taking few simple steps you can help save the
environment.
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The Motorola W233 Renew is made using recycled plastics |
Buy Recyclable Gadgets - Although the concept has been around from
several years, manufacturers have recently started producing gadgets that are
completely recyclable. Motorola's W233 Renew phone is made from recycled
plastics from water bottles and is certified carbon free. Nokia has the 3110
Evolve cellphone made from materials out of which 80% can be recovered in the
recycle process.
Pass it on – An average Indian consumer prefers to change his or her
gadget within a 2 year time period. The existing gadget becomes obsolete and is
generally piled up in a corner even though it is working perfectly fine. We
suggest that instead of just keeping it in a corner, gift it to charity or give
it to a friend who can actually make good use of the device's remaining life
time.
Recycle Programs – There are few organizations that have started
recycle programs in India. Nokia has a take back program for mobile phones and
accessories. Nokia will plant a tree for every handset dropped in its recycle
bins that have been setup across the country. Similarly Dell, Apple, HP and
Lenovo offer recycling programs for their products. These programs are yet to
gather steam across the country though.
| The industry goes
green |
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| Vinnie Mehta, ED, MAIT |
MAIT, GTZ, Green Peace and Toxics Link, are together working on safe
disposal of e-waste. Everybody realizes that management of e-waste is a huge
challenge; the industry, the government and all other stakeholders have now
to work together to address the challenge. All stakeholders need to realize
that e-waste is a huge challenge and we need to take corrective action as
well as proactive action. The proposed legislative framework is a step
towards that direction. Every stakeholder in the value chain needs to take
his or her liability and responsibility seriously. The consumers on their
part should return the 'dead' electronic items to the collection centre who
in-turn should ensure that the waste is sent for recycling to recyclers with
sound technologies with minimal environmental degradation. The government
should also regularly monitor the entire value-chain through periodic
audits. |
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| Mahesh Bhalla, General Manager of Consumer Sales,
Dell India. |
Dell recently has taken a strong stance against e-waste exportation,
becoming the first major computer manufacturer to ban the export of
electronic waste from any developed country as part of its global policy on
responsible electronics disposal.
Dell has offered the consumer free recycling in India, in line with its
global offering, since 2006. Dell was in fact the first computer company to
offer consumer free recycling worldwide and is committed to providing free,
efficient and convenient product recovery options directly to consumers to
facilitate responsible product retirement. Consumers need to be
environmentally aware in the way they use technology, from the time they
buy, right up to responsible disposal of an end-of-life product. Consumers
need to check with the vendor they buy from whether the company has a
program available for recycling and how easily can the company facilitate
the process. The consumers can also learn to be aware of the components of
the PC's they buy and how is the vendor company looking to reduce toxic
elements in their products.
Dell recognizes that we have a responsibility to offer free recycling
services for the products we make. We also accept responsibility for
continually improving the environmental design aspects of our products and
their end-of-life management. |
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