Impacts of Informal Recycling

The accrued electronic and electric waste in India is dismantled and sorted manually to fractions such as printed wiring boards, cathode ray tubes (CRT), cables, plastics, metals, condensers and other, nowadays invaluable materials like batteries. It is a livelihood for unorganised recyclers and due to lack of awareness, they are risking their health and the environment as well. The valuable fractions are processed to directly reusable components and to secondary raw materials in a variety of refining and conditioning processes. No sophisticated machinery or personal protective equipment is used for the extraction of different materials. All the work is done by bare hands and only with the help of hammers and screwdrivers. Children and women are routinely involved in the operations. Waste components which does not have any resale or reuse value are openly burnt or disposed off in open dumps. Pollution problems associated with such backyard smelting using crude processes are resulting in fugitive emissions and slag containing heavy metals of health concern. CRT breaking operations result in injuries from cuts and acids used for removal of heavy metals and respiratory problems due to shredding, burning etc. They use strong acids to retrieve precious metals such as gold. Working in poorly ventilated enclosed areas without masks and technical expertise results in exposure to dangerous and slow poisoning chemicals. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in older capacitors and transformers; and brominated flame retardants on printed circuit boards, plastic casings, cables and polyvinyl

chloride (PVC) cable insulation can release highly toxic dioxins and furans when burned to retrieve copper from the wires.

On a broader scale, analyzing the environmental and societal impacts of e-waste reveals a mosaic of benefits and costs (Alastair, 2004). Proponents of e-waste recycling claim that greater employment, new access to raw materials and electronics, and improved infrastructure will result. 

These will further boost the region’s advance towards prosperity. Yet the reality is that the new wealth and benefits are unequally distributed, and the contribution of electronics to societal growth is sometimes illusory. Most e-waste “recycling” involve small enterprises that are numerous, widespread, and difficult to regulate. They take advantage of low labor costs due to high unemployment rates, internal migration of poor peasants, and the lack of protest or political mobilization by affected villagers who believe that e-wastes provide the only viable source of income or entry into modern development pathways. They are largely invisible to state scrutiny because they border on the informal economy and are therefore not included in official statistics.

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