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5 e-waste workers risk lives
By
SiliconIndia,Tuesday, 08 December 2009, 19:07 Hrs
Delhi: The hurdle of e-waste is not only an environment hazard, rather the e-waste workers who sustains their livelihood through continuous exposure to toxic chemicals, face a bigger threat. For as little as 
5 per dismantled machine, these people are subjecting themselves to constant cuts and scrapes
In Mustafa Bad, a remote part of east Delhi, a narrow street is home to tiny workshops filled with hard workers. Inside, dozens of people, many of them children, spend tiring hours picking through the remains of old computers and mobile phones - hoping to find reusable parts to sell on for a tiny fee. According to the United Nations, 20-50 million tonnes of electronic waste - or e-waste - is produced every year. A large amount of it goes to recycling plants like this.
"This is our livelihood," says, Mohammad, one of the workers. "For this one computer piece that we've opened up and dismantled, that's five rupees. Yes, we only get five or ten rupees for each one." In a visit to one such plants Satish Sinha who works for an India-based NGO, Toxics Link, saw the plicht of these workers. "I personally have met people who have very visual impact on their body. Broken skin on the fingers, cut marks, abrasions, eyes are watering, complaining of headaches," said Sinha.
They work long hours. They work in small, cramped rooms, squatting on the floor. They're sitting in one position. Without these workers, however, much of the world's e-waste would go un-recycled.
"I think manufacturers must own up this responsibility to deal with the kind of products they bring into the market," said Sinha.
Take Back
Nokia is a manufacturer trying to do just that. Through their new scheme, Take Back, they have encouraged India's mobile users to return their old mobiles to the store so it can be recycled. Such schemes may be a step in the right direction, but according to a recent study by consulting firm Deloitte, it's merely a drop in the ocean: mobile phone waste is estimated to be growing by nine percent every year.
5 per dismantled machine, these people are subjecting themselves to constant cuts and scrapesIn Mustafa Bad, a remote part of east Delhi, a narrow street is home to tiny workshops filled with hard workers. Inside, dozens of people, many of them children, spend tiring hours picking through the remains of old computers and mobile phones - hoping to find reusable parts to sell on for a tiny fee. According to the United Nations, 20-50 million tonnes of electronic waste - or e-waste - is produced every year. A large amount of it goes to recycling plants like this.
"This is our livelihood," says, Mohammad, one of the workers. "For this one computer piece that we've opened up and dismantled, that's five rupees. Yes, we only get five or ten rupees for each one." In a visit to one such plants Satish Sinha who works for an India-based NGO, Toxics Link, saw the plicht of these workers. "I personally have met people who have very visual impact on their body. Broken skin on the fingers, cut marks, abrasions, eyes are watering, complaining of headaches," said Sinha.
They work long hours. They work in small, cramped rooms, squatting on the floor. They're sitting in one position. Without these workers, however, much of the world's e-waste would go un-recycled.
"I think manufacturers must own up this responsibility to deal with the kind of products they bring into the market," said Sinha.
Take Back
Nokia is a manufacturer trying to do just that. Through their new scheme, Take Back, they have encouraged India's mobile users to return their old mobiles to the store so it can be recycled. Such schemes may be a step in the right direction, but according to a recent study by consulting firm Deloitte, it's merely a drop in the ocean: mobile phone waste is estimated to be growing by nine percent every year.
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Reader's comments (20)
1: My name is Amrish Patel and We are know very
well Electronic waste is very dangers for our
health and for our environment so we will
start a plant for dispose of Electronic Waste
and dispose Electronic Waste and clean our
environment because we are live in this our
nice Environment, Our government should
involve in this Electronic Waste matter and
create and develop strict rules So If you
have any electronic waste then sure you will
give to us because we have good and very
large plant in India and state name is
Gujarat and we are doing final dispose with
our government rules and norms because we are
the authorization from Gujarat Pollution
Control Board and if you want then sure we
will give you certificate of dispose
Electronic Waste. If you will want to contact
me then you will call me on my cell no.
9825031734 or you will visit our website
www.ecoliwaste.com
Posted by: Amrish Patel - 01 Jan, 2010
2: There are a LOT of very dangerous jobs out
there in the work world, and usually adults
that do them are paid very well for that.
The know the dangers, they have a need to
support their families. Sometimes they get
sick early, die early, sometimes they can sue
and sometimes not. What's the bad thing
about recycling electronics in India is that
sometimes the children are doing the
dismantling. Are there laws in India that
keep children from doing manual labor until
they are like 16 years old or older? The
young should be in school. That's just the
way it is, the world produces dangerous
stuff.
Posted by: Christie Fox - 09 Dec, 2009
3: The mantra of " Reduce, Reuse, Recycle "
applies here. Reduce your generation of
e-waste through smart procurement and good
maintenance. Reuse still functioning
electronic equipment by donating or selling
it to someone who can still use it. Recycle
those components that cannot be
repaired.Because human life is precious and
definetely it doesnt costs Rs 5.
Posted by: Sumi - 09 Dec, 2009
4: The solution to this what i found is though
not simple but can be possible and will take
around 1 generation more.
"Every girl child should be educated so that when they got married or eligible for marriage they should be in a position to earn the livelihood of their childrens and their own. so that they dont need to work as maid or sweepers in Houses and dont need to send their children at tea stalls.".
But still in india people dont like women to be educated because they think they will argue them in diff matters.
"Every girl child should be educated so that when they got married or eligible for marriage they should be in a position to earn the livelihood of their childrens and their own. so that they dont need to work as maid or sweepers in Houses and dont need to send their children at tea stalls.".
But still in india people dont like women to be educated because they think they will argue them in diff matters.
Posted by: Ashwani Kumar - 09 Dec, 2009
5:housekeeping and cleaning homes here in the
USA is a lucrative career for women. I'm
surprised you suggest that education would
save a woman from a lucrative career such as
house cleaning. Perhaps the difference here
is that the woman owns her own cleaning
business. There maybe you are referring to
the woman working under an employer.
Christie Fox replied to: Ashwani Kumar
post - 09 Dec, 2009
post - 09 Dec, 2009
6: I also feel that child labour should be ended
in india. But i listen few words from a Old
person. he said by poiting to a child working
at his Tea Stall "where this child will go
now, as his father is dead and mother working
as maid in houses, what will his brother do,
if they will not work, they will get into
wrong directions and will become Thiefs or
PickPocket or will be used by smugglers for
their own purposes".
Posted by: Ashwani Kumar - 09 Dec, 2009
7: 1. Child labor should be banned in India and
everywhere else.
2. There will always be risks in certain human endeavors. India's socialist government should take steps to combat these ills if they are going to tax these establishments. This industry should be reclassified as a cottage industry and adult workers should be supplied with free band-aid, gloves, other insulating materials and the workers should be given regular medical checkups.
3. Question: Tiny amounts of gold is utilized in computers. Who gets the gold? Perhaps some worthless, predatory Indian politician will someday get wind of it and take over this industry....... in the name of the Greater Good.
2. There will always be risks in certain human endeavors. India's socialist government should take steps to combat these ills if they are going to tax these establishments. This industry should be reclassified as a cottage industry and adult workers should be supplied with free band-aid, gloves, other insulating materials and the workers should be given regular medical checkups.
3. Question: Tiny amounts of gold is utilized in computers. Who gets the gold? Perhaps some worthless, predatory Indian politician will someday get wind of it and take over this industry....... in the name of the Greater Good.
Posted by: OneOpinion - 09 Dec, 2009
8: I feel the title of this topic should be
"In India, cost of Life = Rs. 5"
Because we have abundant amount population and do not know what to do with it. How many agree with me?
"In India, cost of Life = Rs. 5"
Because we have abundant amount population and do not know what to do with it. How many agree with me?
Posted by: Nag - 09 Dec, 2009
9: Yes all manufacturers and retailers of
electronic goods should plan to re-cycle
things that are obsolete. Otherwise, think of
whole India filled with e-waste and plastic
covers.
Posted by: Anjaneyulu - 09 Dec, 2009
10:When compared to other materials like glass
and metal materials, plastic polymers require
greater processing to be recycled. Another
barrier to recycling is the widespread use of
dyes, fillers, and other additives in
plastics. The polymer is generally too
viscous to economically remove fillers, and
would be damaged by many of the processes
that could cheaply remove the added dyes.
Additives are less widely used in beverage
containers and plastic bags, allowing them to
be recycled more frequently.
The most-often recycled plastic[citation needed], HDPE or number 2, is downcycled into plastic lumber, tables, roadside curbs, benches, truck cargo liners, trash receptacles, stationery (e.g. rulers) and other durable plastic products and is usually in demand. In Israel successful trials have shown that plastic films recovered from mixed municipal waste streams can be recycled into useful household products such as buckets. Similarly, agricultural plastics such as mulch film, drip tape and silage bags are being diverted from the waste stream and successfully recycled into much larger products for industrial applications such as plastic composite railroad ties. CNN reports that Indian Dr. S. Madhu of the Kerala Highway Research Institute has formulated a road surface that includes recycled plastic. Aggregate, bitumen (asphalt) with plastic that has been shredded and melted at a temperature below 220 degrees C (428 °F) to avoid pollution. This road surface is claimed to be very durable and monsoon rain resistant. The plastic is sorted by hand, which is economical in India. The test road used 60 kg of plastic for an approx. 500m long, 8m wide, two-lane road. taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recyclin g
The most-often recycled plastic[citation needed], HDPE or number 2, is downcycled into plastic lumber, tables, roadside curbs, benches, truck cargo liners, trash receptacles, stationery (e.g. rulers) and other durable plastic products and is usually in demand. In Israel successful trials have shown that plastic films recovered from mixed municipal waste streams can be recycled into useful household products such as buckets. Similarly, agricultural plastics such as mulch film, drip tape and silage bags are being diverted from the waste stream and successfully recycled into much larger products for industrial applications such as plastic composite railroad ties. CNN reports that Indian Dr. S. Madhu of the Kerala Highway Research Institute has formulated a road surface that includes recycled plastic. Aggregate, bitumen (asphalt) with plastic that has been shredded and melted at a temperature below 220 degrees C (428 °F) to avoid pollution. This road surface is claimed to be very durable and monsoon rain resistant. The plastic is sorted by hand, which is economical in India. The test road used 60 kg of plastic for an approx. 500m long, 8m wide, two-lane road. taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recyclin g
Christie Fox replied to: Anjaneyulu
post - 10 Dec, 2009
post - 10 Dec, 2009
11:For each monitor, computer, printer and
scanner I want to have recycled (because
there is nowhere else for the non-working
machines to go) I pay Staples to take them
off my hands. Staples then has people in
America who dismantle the machines or fix the
machines and send them overseas.
Christie Fox replied to: Anjaneyulu
post - 09 Dec, 2009
post - 09 Dec, 2009
12: Like Nokia every firm has to start the
initiation.........
Posted by: Kishore - 08 Dec, 2009
13:
Hazardous e-waste shipments that threaten the poor in China, India and Nigeria are likely to see increased shipments in the coming years.
E-waste is consumer and business electronic equipment that is near or at the end of its useful life. Certain components of electronic products contain materials that render them hazardous, and include heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. Many of these elements are extremely valuable, such as gold and platinum, while the majority of them are non-renewable.
Consumers discard an estimated 14 to 20 million personal computers every year just in the US, while activist groups expect developing nations to triple their output of all electronic waste by 2010.
E-waste is likely becoming an environmental and health problem in both Asia and Africa.
Greenpeace International released a report in August 2005 of its scientific investigations into the hazardous chemicals found in scrap yards where China and India recycle their electronic waste. Greenpeace found toxic chemicals that include tin, lead, copper, cadmium and antimony in the soil and local rivers around scrap yards where both countries recycle electronic waste. The organization confirmed that all stages in e-waste processing could release substantial quantities of toxic heavy metals and organic compounds into the workplace environment.
Activists have raised the same environmental and health concerns in Africa.
Professor OladDele Osibjano of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria says that he has found excess heavy metals in soil, plants and people who eat vegetables. He claims that this problem has social health implications due to grazing animals, people picking vegetables and eating them, and drinking water containing toxins.
Companies ship e-waste to India and China because "recycling" is a lucrative business.
The process involves the employment of poverty stricken citizens to strip down computers and extract parts to re-use in machines and sell on the street. Electronic recycling is an unregulated industry in India, and activists now fear that the recycling process is harmful to the health of its employees.
The Indian government estimates that the country generates approximately 146,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, and that another 150,000 tonnes of used PCs, printers and other IT devices enter its ports illegally.
What is called for is to make e-waste producers accountable for their actions and a check on the use of toxic substances during the production process itself.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP)
Hazardous e-waste shipments that threaten the poor in China, India and Nigeria are likely to see increased shipments in the coming years.
E-waste is consumer and business electronic equipment that is near or at the end of its useful life. Certain components of electronic products contain materials that render them hazardous, and include heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. Many of these elements are extremely valuable, such as gold and platinum, while the majority of them are non-renewable.
Consumers discard an estimated 14 to 20 million personal computers every year just in the US, while activist groups expect developing nations to triple their output of all electronic waste by 2010.
E-waste is likely becoming an environmental and health problem in both Asia and Africa.
Greenpeace International released a report in August 2005 of its scientific investigations into the hazardous chemicals found in scrap yards where China and India recycle their electronic waste. Greenpeace found toxic chemicals that include tin, lead, copper, cadmium and antimony in the soil and local rivers around scrap yards where both countries recycle electronic waste. The organization confirmed that all stages in e-waste processing could release substantial quantities of toxic heavy metals and organic compounds into the workplace environment.
Activists have raised the same environmental and health concerns in Africa.
Professor OladDele Osibjano of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria says that he has found excess heavy metals in soil, plants and people who eat vegetables. He claims that this problem has social health implications due to grazing animals, people picking vegetables and eating them, and drinking water containing toxins.
Companies ship e-waste to India and China because "recycling" is a lucrative business.
The process involves the employment of poverty stricken citizens to strip down computers and extract parts to re-use in machines and sell on the street. Electronic recycling is an unregulated industry in India, and activists now fear that the recycling process is harmful to the health of its employees.
The Indian government estimates that the country generates approximately 146,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, and that another 150,000 tonnes of used PCs, printers and other IT devices enter its ports illegally.
What is called for is to make e-waste producers accountable for their actions and a check on the use of toxic substances during the production process itself.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP)
Posted by: Dr.A.Jagadeesh - 08 Dec, 2009
14:since a lot of the technology is in Asia then
why can't Asia make products that can be
updated instead of thrown away? Sure thrown
away at the end of their use of 15-20 years
since plastic breaks down at 20 years.
When I want to replace dead drives in my computer I'm told to buy a new pc. When my modem gets hit by lightning and needs replacing I was told by a tech that the part was not available (HP DID have the part). When I want my printer to continue working and could just replace the pad inside to make it work I'm told to just buy a new printer. See, it's because the parts aren't available or the products are set by software to not work anymore, or the techs aren't educated enough to fix them. Why not work on that problem from the beginning when designing a product? instead of complaining about the problems that occur later down the line?
When I want to replace dead drives in my computer I'm told to buy a new pc. When my modem gets hit by lightning and needs replacing I was told by a tech that the part was not available (HP DID have the part). When I want my printer to continue working and could just replace the pad inside to make it work I'm told to just buy a new printer. See, it's because the parts aren't available or the products are set by software to not work anymore, or the techs aren't educated enough to fix them. Why not work on that problem from the beginning when designing a product? instead of complaining about the problems that occur later down the line?
Christie Fox replied to: Dr.A.Jagadeesh
post - 09 Dec, 2009
post - 09 Dec, 2009
15:well written. Agree with u.
ratnesh replied to: Dr.A.Jagadeesh
post - 09 Dec, 2009
post - 09 Dec, 2009
16: This is the right time for Government of
India and Central Pollution control Board to
bring a regulation like Restriction of
Hazarodus substance (RoHS)and Waste
Electrical and electronic Equipment( WEEE)
which is mandatory in Europe and China and
also ensure Recovery and Recycling of
Electronic wastes.
Posted by: Sundar - 08 Dec, 2009
17: e-waste management is a big big business
opportunity in India. Wonder why there aren't
any takers out there.
Posted by: Farhad - 08 Dec, 2009
18:We are trying to start up an e-waste facility
in India. But do you have any idea how hard
the government make it to start up a company
like this? Lets just say they don't make it
easy.
KJinIndia replied to: Farhad
post - 09 Dec, 2009
post - 09 Dec, 2009
19:Dozens of takers exist across the country!
Lots of e-waste management companies are operating across the country. They have safe working conditions and govt certifications. But the kabariwala network manages to collect all e-waste.
About 5% of total e-waste goes to formal recyclers.
Lots of e-waste management companies are operating across the country. They have safe working conditions and govt certifications. But the kabariwala network manages to collect all e-waste.
About 5% of total e-waste goes to formal recyclers.
FFF replied to: Farhad
post - 09 Dec, 2009
post - 09 Dec, 2009
20: This is a very terrible situation that the
workers are in. Hope the authorities taken up
some initiatives to change this scenario..
Posted by: Das - 08 Dec, 2009
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