E-Waste Recycling Offers Enormous Economic, Job Potentials in India

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The effective management of disposed electronics items offers huge potential for economic development and job creation in India, says Veena Sahajwalla, materials scientist at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. This is possible through setting up of microfactories across the country and empowering the e-scrap collectors and processors, by providing awareness and training on proper and safe disposal of electronic items.

According to Sahajwalla, India definitely has got tremendous advantage, as it generates huge volumes of e-waste. Estimates indicate that the country generates more than 2 million tonnes of electronic waste every year. Moreover, the proposed e-waste recycling through implementation of microfactories is in line with the government’s "Swachh Bharat" and "Make in India" campaigns. On top of that, the country has huge number of street scrap collections, who can be given formal training to be employed in the microfactories.

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During her meeting with government officials, Sahajwalla clarified that the proposed program will not displace waste collectors and scavengers. Instead, it offers opportunity to work in a sustainable and safe environment, free from toxic waste. It must be noted that much of the e-waste handling and recycling in India is carried out by informal sector using primitive and unhealthy techniques.

The microfactories accept discarded e-waste and transform them into reusable materials, which in turn are converted into commercial materials and products. It also separates high-grade metals like gold, silver, copper and palladium for re-sale purpose. Thus, they could reduce the country's rapidly growing e-waste that either causes environmental pollution or ends up in landfills.

Incidentally, Sahajwalla proposed to build a microfactory in Seelampur, Delhi, which is considered as the capital’s digital graveyard.