GURUGRAM: Almost all Indians have at least one cellphone and we need a new one every few years. But how many of us know how to dispose of an old phone? Should it be thrown in the dustbin, for instance, or sold to a scrap dealer? Or is it still lying in your drawer because you haven’t quite made up your mind on what to do?Besides, there’s the old SIM (as you oscillated between standard, micro and nano), the memory card, the charger, the USB cable and the headphone. The old TV too as you’ve moved on to a bigger screen, Premier League and TV series-worthy. Probably a desktop as well, long-rejected but still occupying a place in the store room. And the Wi-Fi dongle… it can be an endless list, can’t it?Disposal of electronic waste, or e-waste , is not something that gets too much attention even though all devices of everyday use are going smart (in their ability to read internet signals). Plus, a whole new breed of voice-assisted devices is entering homes. We know how to buy them but what about how to throw them?In Gurugram, for instance, a Haryana State Pollution Control Board reply to an RTI query, says the city produces 8.54 tonnes e-waste every day. It includes everything from mobile devices and parts to all kinds of gadgets and equipment, discarded both from homes as well as industrially. “As per this office’s records, approximately 8.54 tonnes e-waste is being generated on a day-to-day basis. Guidelines regarding dismantling, disposal of e-waste have been prescribed under E-Waste Management Rules, 2016,” states the RTI response.Gurugram currently has only two licensed e-waste recyclers . There is, however, no e-waste recycling plant in the city. Most of the e-waste is managed by scrap dealers and the unorganised sector. Equipment is dismantled for metal and other parts and the rest is thrown away, which means that discarded cellphone or battery or other gadget parts could just be lying at landfill sites or dumped at roadsides. The waste often ends up in landfills, causing toxic chemicals to leach into the soil and pollute both land and groundwater. Burning of e-waste also releases harmful compounds into the air.Long-term exposure to metals and chemical compounds found in e-waste like lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has is associated with various health hazards. Some of the compounds are also carcinogenic. So far, no study has been conducted on the impact of e-waste in Gurugram.According to the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016, the dismantler and collector are responsible for disposal of the waste. But consumers should also ensure e-waste generated by them is channelised through e-waste collection centres, dealers, recyclers, or through designated take-back service providers of the producer (like a mobile phone company).While HSPCB officials claimed there are strict norms in place for e-waste management and disposal, environmentalists say administrators must set up a monitoring mechanism to prevent unauthorised scrap dealers from disposing of it improperly.“Recycling e-waste helps in saving energy and metals used in electrical equipment, apart from making sure that the amount of waste is reduced. That means we don’t need to extract and refine as much material from the ores for new products,” said Aseem Takyar, who filed the RTI application.“The amount of e-waste in Gurugram is a serious concern because most of it goes to unauthorised vendors,” says Tushar Shrivastava, a resident involved in e-waste recycling awareness.HSPCB regional officer Jai Bhagwan said notifications have been sent to commercial firms in the city for proper disposal. He said individuals can approach licensed recyclers. “We are making sure everyone is aware of the rules,” he told TOI.According to Toxics Link, an NGO that works in the environment sector, more than 10,000 people — including children — work in the informal recycling industry in Delhi alone. India, according to a recent study, is among the world’s top 5 e-waste generators and produced 2 million tonnes of e-waste annually.

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