Upsc Relevance-
Prelim(India as the 3rd largest e-waste generator……)
Mains- GS PAPER-3,Environment
Why in the News?
India generated 2.2 million tonnes (MT) of e-waste in 2025, making it the third-largest e-waste generator globally, after China and the United States. Despite having formal recycling capacity, more than half of this e-waste is still processed informally, creating a growing public health and environmental crisis.
Background
India’s digital transformation has revolutionised communication, education, commerce, and governance. From smartphones to smart homes, convenience has become the foundation of urban living.
However, behind this technological leap lies a toxic trail. Electronic waste (e-waste) — the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world — has become one of India’s most pressing but least acknowledged urban challenges.
Escalating Burden of E-Waste
- Rising Volumes: India produced 0.71 MT of e-waste in 2017–18. By 2025, this surged by 150% to 2.2 MT, and is projected to double again by 2030.
- Urban Epicentres: More than 60% of e-waste originates from just 65 cities. Hotspots include:
- Seelampur & Mustafabad (Delhi)
- Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh)
- Bhiwandi (Maharashtra)
- Formal vs Informal: Though India has 322 registered recycling units with a combined capacity of 2.2 MT annually, informal recycling dominates. Most e-waste ends up with kabadiwalas, scrap dealers, and slum workshops.
Example: In Seelampur, Asia’s largest e-waste market, air quality is severely compromised due to open burning of wires and circuit boards.
E-Waste and Human Health
E-waste is not just an environmental hazard — it is a serious public health crisis, particularly for workers and communities living around informal recycling hubs. Here’s how it affects people:
1. Respiratory Illnesses
- Informal recycling (burning wires, circuit boards) releases toxic gases and fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀).
- These particles go deep into the lungs, causing chronic cough, bronchitis, asthma, and breathing difficulties.
- Evidence:
- In Benin, West Africa: 33.1% of e-waste workers had respiratory problems vs 21.6% in non-exposed groups.
- In India (2025 study, MDPI Applied Sciences): 76–80% of informal recyclers suffered from asthma, chronic bronchitis, or persistent cough.
2. Neurological Damage & Developmental Delays
- E-waste releases neurotoxins like lead, mercury, and cadmium.
- Children are most vulnerable because their bodies absorb toxins faster, and their brains are still developing.
- Effects:
- Reduced IQ, learning difficulties, behavioral issues.
- Attention deficits, memory loss, impaired coordination.
- Long-term risks: hormone disruption, DNA damage.
- Evidence:
- A 2023 review (Frontiers in Public Health) of 20 studies (mainly China) found children in e-waste hubs often had blood lead levels above 5 µg/dL (enough to cause brain damage).
- WHO warns that millions of children worldwide face lasting neurological harm due to informal e-waste recycling.
3. Skin and Eye Disorders
Direct handling of devices, wires, and acids without protective gear causes:
- Rashes, chemical burns, dermatitis, and skin lesions.
- Eye irritation from toxic fumes and chemicals.
Evidence:
- A 2024 review found skin disorders in up to 100% of informal recyclers in certain clusters.
- In Guiyu, China (famous e-waste hub): workers reported chronic gastritis, skin lesions, headaches, miscarriages, and preterm births, linked to toxic soil and water.
4. Genetic & Systemic Impacts
- Beyond immediate health problems, long-term exposure causes:
- DNA damage and genetic mutations.
- Epigenetic changes (toxic stress altering gene expression).
- Oxidative stress, weakening immunity and increasing cancer risks.
- Children show higher levels of immune dysfunction and inflammatory markers in polluted recycling clusters.
5. The Syndemic Effect (Multiple Crises Together)
- The health impacts of e-waste don’t act alone — they interact with poverty, malnutrition, and lack of healthcare.
- This creates a “syndemic”: where multiple diseases worsen each other in vulnerable populations.
- Scale:
- WHO estimates 18 million children and 13 million women work in or live near informal waste zones globally.
- In India, children often help parents dismantle electronics in home workshops, exposing them to lifelong health risks.
In short:
E-waste doesn’t just pollute the environment — it poisons lungs, brains, skin, and even genes. The worst affected are poor workers, women, and children in informal recycling hubs, where lack of safety equipment and healthcare magnifies the crisis.
Policy Progress and Gaps in India’s E-Waste Management
1. Policy Progress
- E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 introduced stronger safeguards, with key features:
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Companies that manufacture or sell electronics must take responsibility for collecting and recycling them after use.
- Mandatory registration: Dismantlers and recyclers must be registered, ensuring accountability.
- Incentives for formalisation: Encouragement for companies to use scientific recycling methods instead of informal ones.
- Better monitoring framework: To track e-waste collection and recycling.
On paper, these rules mark a significant step forward compared to earlier versions.
2. Implementation Gaps
- Despite strong rules, ground-level execution is weak.
- Informal sector dominance: Most e-waste is still handled by kabadiwalas and scrap dealers.
- Low formal processing: In 2023–24, only 43% of India’s e-waste was officially processed in the formal system.
- EPR credit issues:
- Prices for EPR credits (certificates that producers must buy to show compliance) have been capped by the government.
- Manufacturers argue this cap makes compliance harder and reduces incentives.
- This has led to legal battles, delaying smooth enforcement.
3. Risks
- Policy on paper, weak on ground: Without strict enforcement, rules won’t reduce health and environmental hazards.
- Legal disputes: Conflict over EPR credit pricing may discourage producers from genuine compliance.
- Informal sector continues unchecked: Without integration of informal workers into the formal system, unsafe recycling practices will persist.
In short:
India has progressive rules for e-waste management, but weak enforcement, legal disputes, and informal sector dominance are undermining progress. Unless these gaps are addressed, India risks worsening the public health and environmental crisis despite having the right policies in place.
Challenges
- Dominance of Informal Sector – Kabadiwalas remain central to e-waste handling.
- Health Hazards Ignored – Workers lack PPE, health checks, and social security.
- Regulatory Weakness – Pollution control boards remain under-staffed and under-funded.
- Low Public Awareness – Citizens often dump electronics irresponsibly.
- Technology Gaps – Lack of affordable, local recycling technology limits scaling up.
The Way Forward
To break the toxic cycle of e-waste, India must pursue a multi-pronged, systemic strategy:
1. Formalise the Informal Sector
● Integrate informal workers into the regulated system.
● Provide skill certification, safety gear (PPE), safe recycling infrastructure, healthcare access, and social security.
● This not only protects workers but also ensures compliance with environmental norms.
2. Strengthen Enforcement
● Empower Pollution Control Boards with funds, technology, and legal authority.
● Introduce digital e-waste tracking systems to trace every discarded device.
● Make environmental audits mandatory for producers and recyclers.
● Penalise non-compliance strictly to close loopholes in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
3. Expand Health Surveillance
● Set up medical camps in e-waste hotspots for early diagnosis of diseases.
● Conduct long-term epidemiological studies on children and vulnerable groups.
● Provide targeted healthcare schemes for affected workers and families.
4. Foster Innovation and Infrastructure
● Support R&D for low-cost, eco-friendly recycling technologies tailored for local needs.
● Develop decentralised recycling hubs to reduce transportation costs and improve efficiency.
● Encourage public–private partnerships for investment in formal recycling facilities.
5. Raise Public Awareness
● Launch mass awareness campaigns on safe disposal and recycling of e-waste.
● Incorporate e-waste education into school curricula to build responsibility from an early age.
● Encourage citizens to deposit old gadgets at formal collection centres.
Conclusion
India stands at a toxic crossroads. The digital revolution that fuels growth cannot come at the cost of public health and environmental collapse. The rising e-waste mountain must not be silently normalised.
The way forward demands action that is:
- Science-led (evidence-based recycling and monitoring),
- Justice-driven (protecting vulnerable workers and communities),
- Future-oriented (ensuring technology uplifts, not undermines, human dignity and health).
Only then can India achieve a sustainable digital transformation.
UPSC Prelims practice questions
Q1. Consider the following statements about e-waste in India:
- India is the third largest generator of e-waste in the world, after the U.S. and China.
- The E-Waste (Management) Rules 2016 introduced the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
- Most e-waste in India is processed through formal recycling units regulated by CPCB.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (A) 1 and 2 only
- India is the 3rd largest e-waste generator (true).
- EPR was indeed introduced in 2016 Rules (true).
- However, 90% of e-waste is handled informally, not formally (false).
Q2. Which of the following health hazards are linked with e-waste exposure?
- Lead poisoning affecting children’s brain development.
- Respiratory illness due to burning of plastics and wires.
- Mercury exposure causing kidney damage.
- Obesity and diabetes.
Select the correct answer using the code below:
(A) 1, 2 and 3 only
(B) 2 and 4 only
(C) 1 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (A) 1, 2 and 3 only
- Lead, mercury, cadmium, etc. cause neurological, kidney and respiratory damage.
- Obesity and diabetes are not direct impacts of e-waste exposure.
Q3. With reference to e-waste management in India, consider the following pairs:
| Feature / Initiative | Description |
| 1. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) | Makes producers responsible for collecting & recycling e-waste |
| 2. Digital e-waste tracking system | Introduced under 2022 amendment for better compliance |
| 3. Basel Convention | Prohibits transboundary movement of hazardous waste including e-waste |
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
- All three are correct: EPR is Indian law, 2022 added digital tracking, and Basel Convention restricts e-waste trade.
Q4. Which of the following measures can help break the cycle of toxic informal e-waste recycling in India?
- Skill certification and provision of PPE to informal workers.
- Digital monitoring of e-waste flows.
- Setting up decentralised recycling hubs.
- Expanding medical surveillance in hotspots.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1, 3 and 4 only
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
- The “Way Forward” section mentions all these measures.
Q5. Recently, the term “toxic normalisation” was used in context of which of the following?
(A) Silent acceptance of pesticide residues in food
(B) Informal handling of e-waste in India
(C) Indoor air pollution from biomass burning
(D) Genetic modification in agriculture
Answer: (B) Informal handling of e-waste in India
- The article highlights that India must reject the silent normalisation of informal toxicity from unregulated e-waste recycling.
GS Mains practice question
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Q. India is the third-largest e-waste generator in the world, yet more than 90% of its e-waste is handled by the informal sector. Discuss the challenges of e-waste management in India and suggest a multi-pronged strategy to address the health and environmental risks involved.
(10 marks, 150 words)