The menace called e-waste
By: Basharat Saleem
The output of hazardous wastes worldwide saw about 400 million tons in 1990s, out of which 300 million tons were produced by the OECD countries. These wastes were derived mainly from chemical industries, energy production industries, pulp and paper producing factories, mining industries and leather tanning processes.
Though tighter regulatory controls are enforced on these industries in developed countries, resulting in an increased cost of waste treatment and disposal, the developing countries and countries with no stringent control measures have become a heaven to shift the production operations from developed countries to the developing countries. Officially, less than 1000 tons of wastes a year are traded to developing countries; but illegal and unofficial trade is much more and is of serious proportions; the illegal traffic in hazardous wastes poses a serious threat to environment and human health in developing countries.
One way of combating such illegal trade is through a system called Prior Informed Consent (PIC) for certain hazardous Substances in International Trade. Operated by FAO and UNEP,PIC is a procedure that helps the participating countries learn more about the characteristics of potentially hazardous chemicals that may be supplied to them. This in turn generates the necessary public opinion world over to put pressure on the governments to act in a responsible way. The procedure would also help the dissemination of information to other countries and promotes a shared responsibility.
India is increasingly becoming a dumping ground for toxic industrial wastes from developed countries, which can pose serious threats to public health and the Environment. While the developed countries ban the use of hazardous substances and even the processes that generate them, the governments of developing nations like India seem to think that they need every dollar and every job that the processing of such substances creates.
Thus brain damaging Mercury and toxic electronic and plastic wastes from the United States; Cancer causing asbestos from Canada; defective steel and tin plates from European union, Australia and US; toxic waste oil from the united Arab Emirates, Iran and Quwait; toxiczionc ash, residue and skimmings; Lead waste and Scrap; used Batteries and waste and scrap of metals such as cadmium, chromium, cobalt,antimony, hafnium, and thallium from Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium and Norway are all dumped on India. Hazardous substances are those that are ignitable, corrosive, reactive or toxic.
According to studies, including those by environmental activist groups such as Green peace and Toxic Link, every year over 1,00,000 tonnes of hazardous wastes enter India in gross violation of 1997 Supreme Court Order banning such import.
Lately the developed countries have gone a step forward, by shifting production processes that generates hazardous wastes to developing countries. With 101 countries prohibiting waste imports (up from 3 in 1989),South Asian Counties particularly India, with their Tax laws and regulations, are becoming the preferred dumping ground for hazardous wastes.
It is not as if there are no laws or international instruments to regulate trade in hazardous wastes. In India, there are the Hazardous Waste Act,1989 and the May 1997 Supreme Court ruling banning the import of hazardous wastes followed by orders of 1998 disallowing auction of hazardous waste stocks in ports and container depots but these illegal instruments were never practiced. The solution lies in making industries accountable, maintaining precautionary principle, refusing waste from other countries and strengthening local initiatives.
India’s infrastructure related to the management of e-waste is yet to take a definite shape. The developed countries like the U.S add to the waste that has been already generated. According to report, nearly 1.38 million obsolete PC’s like 486, 386 and 286 have been dumped in India.
In Bangalore alone, four lakh PCs have been dumped. The E-waste has adversely affected soil and water bodies, especially ground water. E-waste needs to be managed efficiently because of potential health hazards they pose. Heavy metals like Lead, Silicon, Cadmium and Mercury used in PCs are well known toxins and carcinogens, the study has said. Metals cause neurological disorders, and liver, kidney and the lungs can be severely damaged, according to Doctors.
Most of this waste finds its way into the landfills on the City’s outskirts, where solid wastes are deposited. In India there is an abysmal gap between environmental legislation and enforcement. Besides there is no specific Law or Legislation to deal with E-Waste and to make matters worse, India allows import of PCs that are less than 10 years old.
The present practice is to manage E-Waste through various low end management alternatives such as product reuse, conventional disposal in landfills and burning in the open air, apart from recycling, which exposes the worker to hazards of the metals.
Some of the NGOs have been working towards the effective E-wastes management policy. Such initiatives by NGOs go a long way in ensuring strong safety measures.( Source:”E-Waste causing soil, water pollution”, The Hindu June25,2003.)
There are yet another initiative in Bangladesh against trade in Toxic materials. In the field of environment in 1998 various groups came together in Bangladesh when the News spread that there was an attempt to bring foreign waste into Bangladesh under a business venture and a ship with toxic material was roaming in Bay of Bengal.
It was also reported in the press that a ship with 15,000 tons of toxic incinerator ash was around. This led to the promotion of “Foreign Trade Resistance Committee” to stop the proposed plant and to make the Government active in Monitoring the movement of the foreign ship. Major political parties also joined the movement. In response to a strong reaction and concern from the citizens and the scientists’, the government activated the Navy to trace the Foreign ‘Felicia’..as a part of this movement, the scientists warned that the import of industrial waste could be radioactive and dangerous for public health.
The scientists urged the government to ratify the convention on trans –boundary movement of hazardous waste sponsored by the UN Environment Programme. The media also played a critical role in regularly updating the public on the toxic water debacle. The government finally dropped the proposal for the import of industrial waste from a developed country into Bangladesh.
Waste generation and Management being economic offshoots of development and globalization can be categorized and managed under following heads.
- Generation of Industrial and Muncipal solid waste.
- Generation of Hazardous waste
- Management of radioactive waste.
4.Waste recycling and reuse.
Recycling and reuse of materials are methods by which energy and resources can be saved considerably. Recycling of paper, glass and aluminum and steel is well known. Innovative techniques and uses of other materials like wire spools, consumer plastics, waste household paint, waste motor vehicle oil etc are being implemented.
Picture tubes and phones are recycled .Discarded tyres, plastic bottles, metal cans, concrete from incinerator ash and insulation from old newspaper are incorporated into buildings. Techniques have been developed to recover and recycle the mercury and aluminum and other compounds. The metal from old radioactive used pumps is recycled to new pumps for use within industry.
Although the Legislation with regard to hazardous wastes in India is in the shape of 1.Hazardous Wastes(Management and Handling )Rules,1989.2.Manufacture,Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals rules,1989.3.Manufacture,Use,Import,Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro-Organisms, Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cell Rules,1989.Besides India being signatory to International Basal Convention on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. Date of Signture,15/03/1990.Date of Ratification,24.06.1992.
So summing up we can conclude that Apart from active Judicial and Legislative role as cited above, inspiration should be drawn by following Bangladesh’s example of having strong and active coordination between Media, Social welfare groups and vigilant citizens to halt and combat movement and trade in all types of hazardous E-waste in and across waters and borders in India which is proving as a soft heaven for such illegal and anti-people activities.
(The author is practicising advocate at Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, Srinagar Wing)
