E-Waste Production and Green IT
Introduction
There is no doubt that information technology has revolutionized our way of living and has impacted our lives in a positive way. In the past ten years, there has been a tremendous growth in information technology. Electronic products like computers, tablets, mobile phones & laptops have become an integral part of our life. Because of high growth rate in the electronics industry, electronic products are becoming obsolete within a few months of their usage. This has resulted in the generation of an enormous amount of e-waste. According to a report by MOEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests), e-waste from old computers and mobile phones would jump by 500% and 1800% as compared to 2007 levels by 2020 in India. But before that, let us understand what exactly e-waste is, what are its implications and how companies are trying to curb this by using Green IT.
Scenario of e-waste in India: Electronic waste (E-waste) in simple terms, refer to the discarded electronic devices. E-waste includes waste generated by discarding of equipments like computers, tablets, mobile devices, washing machines, televisions, refrigerators and many other consumer durables. At present, India generates approximately 400000 tones of e-waste annually, which is expected to grow at a rate of 10-15 % per year. In spite of laws and regulations, additional 50000 tonnes of e-waste was illegally imported in our country [1].
E-waste hazards: Electronic equipments are made up of many components, which contain toxic substances, which can impact the human health adversely. E-waste generated due to disposal of computers forms the major portion of total e-waste generated in our country due to the rapid growth in the software sector as well as increased penetration of IT in our country. Listed below are the toxic constituents of a computer [2].
Due to improper extraction of metals from the electronic equipments during recycling, these toxic elements enter into the bloodstream of extraction
There is no doubt that information technology has revolutionized our way of living and has impacted our lives in a positive way. In the past ten years, there has been a tremendous growth in information technology. Electronic products like computers, tablets, mobile phones & laptops have become an integral part of our life. Because of high growth rate in the electronics industry, electronic products are becoming obsolete within a few months of their usage. This has resulted in the generation of an enormous amount of e-waste. According to a report by MOEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests), e-waste from old computers and mobile phones would jump by 500% and 1800% as compared to 2007 levels by 2020 in India. But before that, let us understand what exactly e-waste is, what are its implications and how companies are trying to curb this by using Green IT.
Scenario of e-waste in India: Electronic waste (E-waste) in simple terms, refer to the discarded electronic devices. E-waste includes waste generated by discarding of equipments like computers, tablets, mobile devices, washing machines, televisions, refrigerators and many other consumer durables. At present, India generates approximately 400000 tones of e-waste annually, which is expected to grow at a rate of 10-15 % per year. In spite of laws and regulations, additional 50000 tonnes of e-waste was illegally imported in our country [1].
E-waste hazards: Electronic equipments are made up of many components, which contain toxic substances, which can impact the human health adversely. E-waste generated due to disposal of computers forms the major portion of total e-waste generated in our country due to the rapid growth in the software sector as well as increased penetration of IT in our country. Listed below are the toxic constituents of a computer [2].
Due to improper extraction of metals from the electronic equipments during recycling, these toxic elements enter into the bloodstream of extraction