Abstract:
In the 21st century, electronics have become an indispensable part of the everyday life
amongst all spheres of people irrespective of their economic conditions. Due to the daily
advancement of technology every day, people are shifting their preferences towards their
consumption of the products, and the discarded electronics are of no significant value to
the user anymore and regarded as E-wastes. The pace of e-waste generation is increasing
daily, and this massive volume of garbage production is increasingly being seen as a global
concern. The reason behind this concern is the issues raised by the generation of this huge
amount of wastes, its handling and impacts upon the environment and the management
framework and infrastructures to handle these wastes and its efficiency.
The aggregation of data and analysis helps us analyse the adverse impacts of this generation
of E-wastes upon the environment and human health. The informal and inappropriate
disposal methods of this E-wastes upon the environment may result in the pollution of all
the components of the ecosystem, such as air, water and soil through the various hazardous
components of the composition of the E-wastes, such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, ferrous
etc. The impacts and the management are the two key related issues, as an appropriate
management system may reduce the impacts upon the environment significantly. This has
been the key for the developed countries, but still a concern for the developing countries
like our where there are significant barriers to overcome to yet establish an appropriate
framework.
To analyse the barriers and the recommendation of an appropriate management framework,
historic data and researches were analysed using the available literature, policies and
legislation, visits to concerned authorities and institutes, consulting management and
recycling structures and finally, a questionnaire survey to gather the mass public opinion
of all groups of people regarding the matter.
This study helps to analyse the efficient ways of handling and managing E-wastes and
creating public awareness considering the perspective of our country and how it can reduce
the impacts upon the environment and human health.
