E-Waste Terror!
E-Waste Terror!
When did you last buy a new mobile phone, how many mobiles are there in your home at the moment, how many mobiles do you or your family use?
The number of electronics we do not use has increased by terabytes in the last few years. India emits 18 lakh tonnes of waste a year. In 2018, it will rise to 30 lakh tonnes. More shocking information than that ... We import millions of tons of electrical waste from other countries. Why import garbage?
There is the process of separating the components from the waste and recycling it. There are many dangers in doing so. Sometimes even radiation is possible. After extracting the required materials, the useless items should be dumped in the soil. It is harmful to the environment. So many advanced countries are illegally dumping their country's waste into our country. The dangerous work of extracting it, and the harmful effects of that effluent on the environment, are being imposed on our heads. Atro is the only company that duly licenses and imports waste. All other imports are illegal.
Don't think of e-waste as a Hollywood-style alien plot to destroy Earth. Electric waste is all the unwanted electrical and electronic items we throw away, starting with the remote, mobile chargers and cables.
The number of electronics we do not use has increased by terabytes in the last few years. India emits 18 lakh tonnes of waste a year. In 2018, it will rise to 30 lakh tonnes. More shocking information than that ... We import millions of tons of electrical waste from other countries. Why import garbage?
There is the process of separating the components from the waste and recycling it. There are many dangers in doing so. Sometimes even radiation is possible. After extracting the required materials, the useless items should be dumped in the soil. It is harmful to the environment. So many advanced countries are illegally dumping their country's waste into our country. The dangerous work of extracting it, and the harmful effects of that effluent on the environment, are being imposed on our heads. Atro is the only company that duly licenses and imports waste. All other imports are illegal.
Don't think of e-waste as a Hollywood-style alien plot to destroy Earth. Electric waste is all the unwanted electrical and electronic items we throw away, starting with the remote, mobile chargers and cables.
The e-waste we generate and import from other countries comes to the city of Silampur, which is close to Delhi. It is the largest waste disposal site in India. There are 3,000 e-waste stores here, small and large. About 70 percent of the world's waste comes from Silampur. One lakh people across India survive on this yet unregulated industry. Of that, 30,000 were in Silampur alone.
Most of the workers in the Silampur area are teenagers. Children and youth work here earning 200-300 rupees a day without going to school or college. Even their hair shines like gold. That's because of the copper in the air of this city. Their job is only to extract the copper present in the plastic material. They say they are then taken to the wild. Mercury, lead, and cadmium in most wastes are oxidizing. Dumping them into the ground and burying them in the ground is harmful to the environment.
In Silampur, the family extracts gold and copper from circuit boards. Yes ... they say you can even get gold from some electronics if you are lucky. When you look at a motherboard, even the children of this town tell you whether it was made in Japan or in China. The secret that Silampur discovered was that gold and good copper were available in Japanese products rather than Chinese products. After taking the gold and copper wires the whole unit is burned. They melt plastic and sell the remaining metals for cash.
Dealing with waste is not easy. Many children’s hands see blood from plastic objects every day. Radiation from some electrical waste can be life threatening. In 2010, one person was killed in a radiation accident at Mayapuri near Silampur. Many are in poor health and still unable to return to work.
Most of the workers in the Silampur area are teenagers. Children and youth work here earning 200-300 rupees a day without going to school or college. Even their hair shines like gold. That's because of the copper in the air of this city. Their job is only to extract the copper present in the plastic material. They say they are then taken to the wild. Mercury, lead, and cadmium in most wastes are oxidizing. Dumping them into the ground and burying them in the ground is harmful to the environment.
In Silampur, the family extracts gold and copper from circuit boards. Yes ... they say you can even get gold from some electronics if you are lucky. When you look at a motherboard, even the children of this town tell you whether it was made in Japan or in China. The secret that Silampur discovered was that gold and good copper were available in Japanese products rather than Chinese products. After taking the gold and copper wires the whole unit is burned. They melt plastic and sell the remaining metals for cash.
Dealing with waste is not easy. Many children’s hands see blood from plastic objects every day. Radiation from some electrical waste can be life threatening. In 2010, one person was killed in a radiation accident at Mayapuri near Silampur. Many are in poor health and still unable to return to work.
The Indian government has tightened the rules after such incidents. The government is beginning to pay close attention to the use of child labor, minimum wages and security measures. A lot of regulated e-waste companies have arrived. Because of this, ordinary traders are in crisis. It is important to regularize this dangerous industry. At the same time, it could be in danger of being completely handed over to the corporate. The government should pay more attention to this sector which is expected to grow at a gigantic pace in the coming years. The government should monitor the waste companies at regular intervals and renew the licenses. Their actions must be urged to be transparent.
The people of Silampur say that he is lucky to get gold and tin from e-waste. The question now is what the government is going to take!
The people of Silampur say that he is lucky to get gold and tin from e-waste. The question now is what the government is going to take!
A titles with minkalivukal list of Indian states of Maharashtra in the first place. Tamil Nadu is in second place. Chennai is next to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore in the list of cities. There is a large waste handling factory at Oragadam near Chennai. They say Tamil Nadu needs at least 10 factories like this
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