| As swanky electronic gazettes have become the | | | | According to Dealers of home equipments, used |
| new lifestyle status symbols of the modern society, | | | | Television and Electronic equipments are purchased |
| more and more people have started taking to | | | | by dealers as buyback. This second hand equipments |
| adapting and flaunting latest technology equipments. | | | | if working are usually resold to small vendors from |
| The usage of mobiles, laptops, mp3 players, | | | | nearby villages otherwise they are sold to scrap |
| computer, LCD TVs and home equipments with | | | | dealers in town. These scrap dealers in turn use |
| advanced technologies have become common. With | | | | some of the useful material from the equipments and |
| new upgrades in technology everyday, old | | | | throw away the rest of then things in garbage. |
| equipments are fast phasing out because of | | | | According to Mobile phone showroom owners, when |
| obsolence. This obsolete, non-working, non-repairable | | | | they come across non-repairable phones, they keep |
| but durable equipments obviously find there way into | | | | the working parts of the phone into their inventory |
| the garbage. | | | | and throw away the stripped phone. There are many |
| According to N.M. Taphani, Regional Officer, Pollution | | | | people who change handphones almost every 6-8 |
| Control Board, this Electronic Waste is highly | | | | months as the one he is using either gets outdated |
| dangerous for environment and hence should not be | | | | or becomes non-repairable due to extensive usage. |
| disposed with the regular garbage. Electrical and | | | | They normally sell the old phones for peanuts to |
| electronic equipment are made up of a multitude of | | | | second hand vendors. Environmentalist Dr. Vinod |
| components, some containing toxic substances which | | | | Pandya say the toxins and chemicals released by |
| can have an adverse impact on human health and the | | | | disposing this waste creates dangerously harmful |
| environment if not handled properly. They should be | | | | effects to human body. According to him, the |
| segregated and disposed as per the norms However, | | | | quantity of eWaste is drastically increasing in our |
| according to him the disposal of all domestic waste is | | | | environment and if it is not controlled using specified |
| the responsibility of Municipal Corporation or civic | | | | methods, it will create unpredictable harm to the |
| authorities. Hence, they have not been taking any | | | | environment. According to an Assistant Engineer |
| action on the matter. The Ministry of Environment | | | | working in the Solid Waste Management department |
| and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India has | | | | of the civic authorities, they do not collect Industrial |
| developed a special guide for issues and problems | | | | Waste and Bio-medical Waste in their garbage. The |
| created by eWaste. However, the workgroup for | | | | rest of the waste collected is send to the Porcessing |
| this divison are currently functional only in Bangalore, | | | | Plant. At processing plant they segregate solid |
| Mumbai and New Delhi. | | | | wastes received during garbage collection, however, |
| Vendors in the business of used computers says, | | | | he is confident that they are not receivng any |
| they often come across non-working computer parts | | | | eWaste with the garbage. He believes that there are |
| whose repairing may cost more than a new one. | | | | many Rag Tickers who pick up this waste material |
| They usually throw such parts like display cards, | | | | from dustbins and hence, these waste do not reach |
| network cards or mother boards of old computers | | | | the Processing plant. |
| into the nearest dustbin alongwith other garbage. | | | | |