New Technology and E-waste: A Case of India
Abstract
In the past couple of decades, new technology in the form of ICT has emerged in a big way. Countries, including India, riding high on ICT face the problem of e-waste. ICT as new technology, accepted as GPT (General Purpose Technology) ushered the world into a new techno-economic paradigm, given its far reaching socio-economic and political implications. ICT is considered as a double edged weapon, i.e. on the one hand, it contributes in growth and development of a country but is a main source growing e-waste on the other hand. According to UNEP, size of global market of e-waste was estimated to be USD 410 in 2011 (excluding the informal sector). High and increasing obsolescence rate, fast changing consumer preferences and introduction of new technologies are the contributing factors in e-waste stream in India. For instance, a single 17 inch monitor PC of 20 kg results in the disposal of 37 kg of non-hazardous waste and 0.7 kg of hazardous waste, nothing but double the weight of the end product. Hence, the health and environmental risks for the society, embedded in e-waste, are enormous in nature and scale. Import of e-waste, largely illegal in nature, is another big policy challenge highlights the other dimension of the problem of e-waste in the country. On the policy front, owing to myriads of socio-economic and political reasons, much is left to be done. In nut shell, given the importance of ICT, time has come to re-think on the associated problem of e-waste, which over the decades has assumed a global face.
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