E-Waste Menace (Part 1): Think Locally, Act Globally
Delhi, India is becoming the world’s e-waste capital. Delhi alone generates 50,000 tons of e-waste from recycled and discarded electronic parts. Mumbai and Kolkatta closely follow this lead.
The problem is only partly indigenous; imports into these cities from America add to the burden, with 50-80% of America’s e-waste being exported. California alone exports about 9,000 tons (20 million pounds) to the developing world.
Often, it’s the least desirable and most environmentally harmful materials that are the first to be shipped to other, less affluent countries. No one wants to do deal with them and yet everyone wants to pay the least price to dispose of them. The economics of e-waste further encourage globalized waste dumping.
Satish Sinha, associate director of environmental NGO Toxic Link, told the Hindustan Times that for US recyclers avoiding the $20 cost of electronics recycling in the US plus raking in up to $15 paid by Indian e-waste importers “means a net gain of $35 for the US recycler.”
