E-waste
Also called: electronic waste · Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 7 "Factors of Production"
Meaning
E-waste is discarded electrical and electronic equipment, such as phones, computers and batteries. If it is dumped or burnt carelessly, it leaks toxic substances like lead and mercury into soil and water. It is also a resource, because it contains metals that can be recovered. India regulates it through the E-Waste Management Rules 2022. These rules use extended producer responsibility (EPR), which makes producers collect and recycle their products at the end of their life.
Example
Class 8 NCERT notes that old phones that are not recycled leak lead and mercury into the ground. Under EPR, a phone company must arrange to collect a share of its old handsets for proper recycling. Recovering the metals from them is called urban mining.
Related concepts
- Linear economy
- Circular economy
- Recycling
- Extended producer responsibility
- Urban mining
- Right to repair
- Porter hypothesis
- Sustainable infrastructure
- Sustainable consumption and production
- Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions