A Circular Path for the E-World

Can you envision a day without your mobile phone, laptop, internet connectivity, television or other Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE)? Impossible, right? The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed our alliance with devices. This new alliance brings a tonne of waste. Consumers worldwide generated 53.6 million metric tonnes of electronic waste in 2019. Moreover, E-Waste is estimated to grow to 74.7 million metric tonnes by 2030!

Is this that big of an issue? Well, YES! The life cycle of an electrical appliance has catastrophic environmental and health impacts. E-waste is any Electrical and Electronic Equipment discarded without the intent of reuse. India is the world's third-largest e-waste generator, producing approximately 3.23 million metric tonnes of e-waste. So, where does that waste go? Discarded equipment enters an e-waste management system that relies heavily on informal means of management.

Let's dive deeper into the e-waste pit! How does it affect us and our home? The uncollected waste ends up in landfills or river banks, leaving a stream of toxins in our environment. When e-waste is dumped into landfills not explicitly designed for them, the land and groundwater get polluted with deadly chemicals.

"Oh, I make sure to put them in the recycling bins!" Recycling is great, and it plays a crucial role in a circular economic model for e-waste. Sadly, there is always a BUT! The Global E-waste Monitor Report 2020 highlights that out of 53.6 million metric tonnes, only 17.4% of the total e-waste was recycled in 2019 globally. In India, only a small proportion (approximately 10%) of the waste gets collected and recycled formally. Furthermore, the unlawfully imported e-waste from developed countries adds a burden on India's e-waste management system.

Seelampur is India's largest e-waste hub, where workers dismantle waste with their bare hands. Men, women and children are employed but are paid differently. Acid washing and burning waste are common to attain metals like copper, gold, tin, silver, and titanium. This earns them amounts ranging between Rupees 200 to 800.

Hazardous exposure to by-products and toxins lead to health problems like loss of hearing, stunted growth, abnormalities in liver functioning. Additionally, the mismanagement of this waste is bound to add to India's air pollution problem. The occupational hazards make this informal e-waste management system unsafe, exploitative and unsustainable.

Even though India is the only South Asian country to have e-waste management legislations, the transition to a formal and safe system has been relatively slow. A shift to ethical and circular means of e-waste management has been long overdue now.

Okay, e-waste is terrible for people and the planet, but what about my money? The health of people and the earth will have to be the primary concern while tackling the waste problem. In 2019, about 57 Billion USD worth of reusable material was discarded. Would discarding something worth billions even make sense? Moreover, we undergo the same production cycle and extract even more minerals, leaving too little for later. Society depends upon extraction for consumption. Every new product often uses a virgin resource which is wasted upon discarding. Discarded material must be granted a new life, a second chance. It looks like we need a new economic approach for the e-world.

We love circles! Pizza, burgers, kachoris, pies and cakes. They're all circles. Our survival depends on circular processes like the water cycle and the nitrogen cycle. A circular economic model can take away the woes that e-waste brings. Waste generation starts from the inception and ideation of a product to be consumed and discarded. The fundamental design of electrical equipment contains toxins with a short product life and marginal scope for affordable servicing. Design can fundamentally change the world as we know it. The circular economic model greatly emphasises the design of equipment which lasts longer, can be repaired, and once discarded, is given a new life.

All of this sounds too good to be true. So what’s the catch? There is no catch! A strong willingness to tackle the problem can go a long way. Here is what we need to do: a shift from a linear economic model (take, use and throw) to a circular one. This approach radically reduces resource consumption and wastage. The transition also provides an opportunity to have an organised sector for e-waste management where people can shift from informal to formal means of livelihood. This shift gives a chance to eliminate child labour and improve working conditions. Moreover, the circular approach advocates and advances innovation and development, creating highly skilled job opportunities.

Individual and systemic actions empower us all. Here's what YOU can do! Let’s go back to fourth-grade textbooks and follow the 5 R's: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle. Taking good care of equipment can increase their efficiency and life, thus reducing the need to upgrade to newer products. Combating climate change is a fight against consumerism. Individual actions and advocating for sustainable products and policies can go a long way in tackling the dual burden of e-waste and environmental degradation.

What goes around comes around, so will the circular economy with its perks that leaves the world untangled and habitable. Corporations must adopt similar measures but on a systemic level. This involves reducing e-waste in general operations like lighting, heating, air conditioning, etc. The next step consists in changing the perception of sustainability. It is no longer a marketing campaign but a continuous process of rebuilding an ailing home. The world is already going circular. So why must the e-world wait?