MAIN PROJECT( E-WASTE) (updated 3 with draw)

8/7/2019 MAIN PROJECT( E-WASTE) (updated 3 with draw)

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AREPORT ON

E-WASTE IN KOLKATA

CONDUCTED AT:

IMRB INTERNATIONAL

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF:

Mr. Rajarshi Roy

SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE

AWARD OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(INDUSTRY INTEGRATED)

BY

JEET DAS

ENROLLMENT NO: EIILMU/09/S0068

BATCH:

TO: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL (KOLKATA)

EIILM UNIVERSITY, JORETHANG, SIKKIM

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BONAFIDE WORK

I hereby declare that the training project titled has

been submitted by me in the partial fulfillment of the requirement

for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration

(Industry Integrated). This is a record of bonafide work done

under the supervision of Mr. Rudranarayan Kuri and this work

has not been submitted in any other University or Institute for any

other purpose.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to IMRB

INTERNATIONAL for giving me the opportunity to work on

the project.

A large number of individuals have supported me in the creation

of this project and I am thankful to all of them for their help and

encouragement. It was really a learning experience for me

regarding markets and consumers.

I like to take opportunity in this connection to extend my warmgratitude to my internal guide Mr. Rudranarayan Kuri and

external guide Mr. Rajarshi Roy who had rendered their

enormous help to undertake this project. I would also to like

thanks to all my faculty members and placement (IBS Kolkata) in

supporting me to complete this project.

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ABOUT IMRB

IMRB International (formerly known as 'Indian Market

Research Bureau' or 'IMRB') is a marketing research company in

South Asia. It was established in 1971. IMRB is a part of the

Kantar Group, the research & consulting division of WPP. It isassociated with a group of international market companies such

as the 'British Market Research Bureau (BMRB)' and 'Millward

Brown International'.

IMRB International operates through own offices, joint ventures

and associates in over 29 cities across 10 countries - Singapore,

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Dubai, Saudi

Arabia, Egypt and Iran. This network, along with fieldwork

associates in several other countries makes IMRB International

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one of the premier sources for market research and consultancy

services for specific countries or on a multi-country basis

throughout South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

IMRB International's specialised areas are consumer markets,

industrial marketing, business to business marketing, social

marketing and rural marketing.

In India, IMRB International has five full service offices and

fifteen field offices. IMRB research supports 40 of the top 50

brands in the country.

IMRB International has eight specialist units:

Probe Qualitative Research (PQR)

Social and Rural Research Institute (SRI)

Media & Panel Group

CSMM : Partners in Managing Stakeholder Relationships

BIRD : Research-based Consultancy for B2B and

Technology Markets

eTechnology Group@IMRB

IMRB MindTech Systems: Software development house

Abacus Research: Data Processing House.

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Sectors IMRB researches

IMRB International has been the pioneer in conducting market

research exercises for several sectors. Today, there is hardly any

sector that IMRB International hasn't researched. From potato

wafers to PCs, cigarettes to cellular phones, alcohol to air

conditioners and bubble gums to building materials just name it

and we have researched it.

Agriculture and Agro-products

Alcohol

Automotive

Building and Construction

Consumer Durable

Distribution/Retail Trade

Household Care

IT/Internet

Industry and Business

Media and Entertainment

Social and Rural & Government

Tobacco

Engineering Sector

Education Sector

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Processed Food

Sports Goods & Accessories

Health Care

Finance/Banking/Insurance

Energy and Environment

Telecom

Processed Beverages

Cosmetics & Personal Care

Heavy Industries/Chemicals/Industrial/Minerals

Kids Products

Outwear/Clothing/Footwear/Accessories

Office Products & Services (non IT/non telecom)

Paper Products/Machinery

Services

Tourism, Travel & Leisure

Utilities/Infrastructure

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IMRB International has been named MR Agency of the Year

by the Market Research Society of India (MRSI) for the third

time since the award was introduced in 2005.

A panel of senior marketing and research professionals short-

listed the 15 best case studies from the 80+ entries submitted

by researchers and marketing professionals. These were

showcased at the societys annual two day conference held inMumbai in September, and IMRB bagged four of the five

awards given, in addition to the overall title.

The annual MRSI conference is a competitive showcase of

the best work carried out by research professionals and also

showcases the latest technological developments in the market

research industry. A panel of eminent senior marketing and

research professionals short listed the 15 best case studies from

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the 80 odd entries submitted by researchers and marketing

professionals. These were showcased at the two day conference

held on September 25 26, at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai. IMRB

swept 4 of the five awards given and also won the MR Agency of

the Year.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION - E-WASTE

Electronics industry is the world's largest and fastest growing

manufacturing industry. Rapid growth, combined with rapid

product obsolescence and discarded electronics is now the fastest

growing waste stream in the industrialized world. The growing

quantity of waste from electronic industry, known as e-waste is

beginning to reach disastrous proportions. Industrialized countries

all over the world are beginning to address e-waste as it is

inundating solid waste disposal facilities, which are inadequately

designed to handle such type of wastes. The project is

complementary to the on-going initiatives for management of e-

waste in India and the following are the key elements of the

project in this regard:

Rationalisation of the inventorisation process

Awareness on e-waste management among

stakeholders

Analyse possible partnership models to promote

environmentally sound management (ESM) of e-waste

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Electronic waste generators can be divided into two main

segments:

Households

Businesses

To calculate the quantity of waste, following formula can be

applied: -

Quantity of waste generated from Computers, Mobiles and

Televisions = Sales of these three products in last 10 years X

Obsolescence rate* of each category of product

* Obsolescence rate is the rate at which these products are

becoming non functional/obsolete. Therefore we need two inputs:

Sales: FROM SECONDARY SOURCES (LIKE

ITOPS)

Obsolescence or Replacement rate: FROM

STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

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Definition

"Electronic waste" may be defined as all secondary computers,entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, and other items

such as television sets and refrigerators, whether sold, donated, or

discarded by their original owners. This definition includes used

electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage,

recycling, or disposal. Others define the re-usables (working and

repairable electronics) and secondary scrap (copper, steel,plastic,

etc.) to be "commodities", and reserve the term "waste" for

residue or material which was represented as working or

repairable but which is dumped or disposed or discarded by the

buyer rather than recycled, including residue from reuse and

recycling operations. Because loads of surplus electronics are

frequently commingled (good, recyclable, and non-recyclable),

several public policy advocates apply the term "e-waste" broadly

to all surplus electronics. The United States Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) includes discarded CRT monitors in its

category of "hazardous household waste". But considers CRTs set

aside for testing to be commodities if they are not discarded,

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phoneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeratorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phoneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeratorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency


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speculatively accumulated, or left unprotected from weather and

other damage.

Debate continues over the distinction between "commodity" and

"waste" electronics definitions. Some exporters may deliberately

leave difficult-to-spot obsolete or non-working equipment mixed

in loads of working equipment (through ignorance, or to avoid

more costly treatment processes). Protectionists may broaden the

definition of "waste" electronics. The high value of the computer

recycling subset of electronic waste (working and reusable

laptops, computers, and components like RAM) can help pay the

cost of transportation for a large number of worthless

"commodities".

Problems

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Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and planned

obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic

waste around the globe. Dave Kruch, CEO of Cash for Laptops,

regards electronic waste as a "rapidly expanding" issue. Technical

solutions are available, but in most cases a legal framework, a

collection system, logistics, and other services need to be

implemented before a technical solution can be applied. An

estimated 50 million tonnes of E-waste is produced each year.

The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100

million phones are disposed of in Europe each year. The

Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 15-20% of

e-waste is recycled, the rest of these electronics go directly into

landfills and incinerators.

In the United States, an estimated 70% of heavy metals in

landfills come from discarded electronics, while electronic waste

represents only 2% of America's trash in landfills. The

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that unwanted

electronics totaled 2 million tons in 2005, and 3 million tons in 2.

They also estimate that e-waste is growing at two to three times

the rate of any other waste source. Discarded electronics

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represented 5 to 6 times as much weight as recycled electronics.

The Consumer Electronics Association says that U.S. households

spend an average of $1,400 annually on an average of 24

electronic items, leading to speculations of millions of tons of

valuable metals sitting in desk drawers. The U.S. National Safety

Council estimates that 75% of all personal computers ever sold

are now gathering dust as surplus electronics. While some

recycle, 7% of cellphone owners still throw away their old

cellphones.

Surplus electronics have extremely high cost differentials. A

single repairable laptop can be worth hundreds of dollars, while

an imploded cathode ray tube (CRT) is extremely difficult and

expensive to recycle. This has created a difficult free-market

economy. Large quantities of used electronics are typically sold

to countries with very high repair capability and high raw

material demand, which can result in high accumulations of

residue in poor areas without strong environmental laws. Trade in

electronic waste is controlled by the Basel Convention. The BaselConvention Parties have considered the question of whether

exports of hazardous used electronic equipment for repair or

refurbishment are not considered as Basel Convention hazardous

wastes unless they are discarded. The burden of proof that the21
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items will be repaired and not discarded rest on the exporter, and

any ultimate disposal of non-working components is subject to

controls under that Convention. In the Guidance document

produced on that subject, that question was left up to the Parties.

Like virgin material mining and extraction, recycling of materials

from electronic scrap has raised concerns over toxicity and

carcinogenicity of some of its substances and processes. Toxic

substances in electronic waste may include lead, mercury, and

cadmium. Carcinogenic substances in electronic waste may

include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Capacitors,

transformers, and wires insulated with or components coated with

polyvinyl chloride (PVC), manufactured before 1977, often

contain dangerous amounts of PCBs.

Up to 38 separate chemical elements are incorporated into

electronic waste items. Many of the plastics used in electronic

equipment contain flame retardants. These are generally halogens

added to the plastic resin, making the plastics difficult to recycle.

Due to the flame retardants being additives, they easily leach off

the material in hot weather, which is a problem because when

disposed of, electronic waste is generally left outside. The flame

retardants leach into the soil and recorded levels were 93 times.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_(element)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(element)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmiumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenylhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloridehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_elementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_retardanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_(element)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(element)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmiumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenylhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloridehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_elementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_retardanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen


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Higher than soil with no contact with electronic waste. The

unsustainability of discarding electronics and computer

technology is another reason commending the need to recycle or

to reuse electronic waste.

Methods of E-Waste Disposals Practiced Globally

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reusehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuse


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Landfill and Incineration - According to the EPA, in 1997 more

than 3.2 million tons of e-waste ended up in U.S. landfills7. It is

thought that most households and small businesses, that disposes

rather than stores their obsolete electronic components, send their

material to landfills or incinerators rather than take them to

recyclers.

All waste landfills leak. Even the best state- of- the- art landfills

are not completely secure and a certain amount of chemical and

metal leaching is bound to occur. The situation is far worse for

the older or less stringently maintained dumpsites. When

disposed of in a landfill, e-waste becomes a conglomeration of

plastic and steel casings, circuit boards, glass tubes, wires,

resistors, capacitors, and other assorted parts and materials. About

70 per cent of heavy metals (including mercury and cadmium)

found in landfills come from electronic discards. These heavy

metals and other hazardous substances found in electronics can

contaminate groundwater. In 2001, CRTs were banned from

municipal landfills in California and Massachusetts because of

their recognized hazardous nature.

Municipal incinerators are some of the largest point sources for

dioxins in the U.S. and Canadian environments and of heavy

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metal contamination of the atmosphere. Copper, common in e-

waste, is a catalyst for dioxin formation. This is of particular

concern as the incineration of brominated flame-retardants and

PVC leads to the generation of extremely toxic dioxins and furans

and copper makes their formation more likely. Some producers

send their e-waste to cement kilns for use as an alternative to fuel.

But cement kilns present much the same problems posed by

incinerators.

Re-use - Re-use constitutes direct second-hand use, or uses after

slight modifications are made to the original functioning

equipment. Re-use makes up a small percentage (about 3 per cent

in 1998) of the computers that have been discarded by their users.

These computers are later sold in very small numbers at some

recycling stores or are given to schools, or nonprofit

organizations. School districts that used to accept older computers

though now demand more recent generation computers for

training students.

Foreign markets, on the other hand, have such cheap labour

forces that they can buy working and non-working old computers,

repair them at very little cost, and resell them for a profit. While

there are no figures available, the amount of computers being

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exported for reuse is increasingly significant. While extending the

usable life of a computer is a good thing, these older units

obviously have a limited life span and will end up as waste sooner

or later. Thus, these used computers will also end up as e-waste

on foreign shores, often in countries that are least able to deal

with them appropriately.

Domestic recycling - All of the current information regarding e-

waste recycling point out that most of the e-waste recycling

happen in developing countries. Recycling in these countries

results in toxic exposures to local workers and the open dumping

or burning of toxic residues and wastes in these recycling centres.

While the recycling of hazardous materials anywhere creates a

serious pollution challenge, it can be a disastrous one in an area

of the world where the knowledge of, and infrastructure to deal

with hazards and waste is almost non-existent. Large corporations

and manufacturers of new equipment tend to have a much higher

rate of electronic waste recycling than individuals and small

businesses because EPA regulations apply to much of this sector

(unlike households and small business who are basically exempt

from regulation). About 75 percent of end-of-life electronic

products received by electronics recyclers come from new

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equipment managers and large-scale users (those with more than

500 employees).

Export to developing countries According to Exporting

Harm, The High-TechTrashing of Asia, a report by The Basel

Action Network (BAN) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

(SVTC), 50-80% of the US E-waste is exported to developing

countries under the guise of recycling. There are three primary

reasons why e-waste is increasingly flooding Asian countries:

Cheaper labour costs

Lax environmental and occupational regulations and not well

enforced

It is legal in the U.S., despite international law to the contrary

(US not having ratified the Basel Convention on the Control of

Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their

Disposal), to allow export of hazardous E-wastes with no controls

whatsoever.

Circuit board recycling - It is likely that the most

environmentally destructive recycling overall involves the

recovery of various components and materials found on electronic

circuit boards. Solder is also collected by slapping the boards on a

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hard surface such as a rock and is later melted off and sold. While

sometimes fans are placed to blow the toxic lead-tin solder fumes

away, the exposure on a daily basis is likely to be harmful to the

labourers' health.

Acid stripping of chips - Much of the work to remove chipsfrom circuit boards is done for the ultimate purpose of removing

precious metals. According to BAN, a very primitive method like

acid bath is still being used for this.

Plastic chipping and melting - The plastic parts of e-waste, and

in particular the housings of computers, monitors, and plastic

keyboard parts, etc are all sent to recycling sites which process

plastics. The casings would lye and decay for while, and then

plastics would be chipped into small particles. The colour

pigments will then be extracted and a transparent plastic liquid

will emerge at the end of the process. Often children are

employed for this tedious job.

E-waste Hotspot Globally

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Electronic waste is often exported to developing countries.

Increased regulation of electronic waste and concern over the

environmental harm which can result from toxic electronic waste

has raised disposal costs. The regulation creates an economic

disincentive to remove residues prior to export. In extreme cases,

brokers and others calling themselves recyclers export unscreened

electronic waste to developing countries, avoiding the expense of

removing items like bad cathode ray tubes (the processing of

which is expensive and difficult).

Defenders of the trade in used electronics say that extraction of

metals from virgin mining has also been shifted to developing

countries. Hard-rock mining of copper, silver, gold and othermaterials extracted from electronics is considered far more

environmentally damaging than the recycling of those materials.

They also state that repair and reuse of computers and televisions

has become a "lost art" in wealthier nations, and that refurbishing

has traditionally been a path to development. South Korea,

Taiwan, and southern China all excelled in finding "retained

value" in used goods, and in some cases have set up billion-dollar

industries in refurbishing used ink cartridges, single-use cameras,

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and working CRTs. Refurbishing has traditionally been a threat to

established manufacturing, and simple protectionism explains

some criticism of the trade. Works like "The Waste Makers" by

Vance Packard explain some of the criticism of exports of

working product, for example the ban on import of tested

working Pentium 4 laptops to China, or the bans on export of

used surplus working electronics by Japan.

Opponents of surplus electronics exports argue that lower

environmental and labor standards, cheap labor, and the relatively

high value of recovered raw materials leads to a transfer of

pollution-generating activities, such as burning of copper wire. In

China, Malaysia, India, Kenya, and various African countries,

electronic waste is being sent to these countries for processing,

sometimes illegally. Many surplus laptops are routed to

developing nations as "dumping grounds for e-waste".[2] Because

the United States has not ratified the Basel Convention or its Ban

Amendment, and has no domestic laws forbidding the export of

toxic waste, the Basel Action Networkestimates that about 80%of the electronic waste directed to recycling in the U.S. does not

get recycled there at all, but is put on container ships and sent to

countries such as China. This figure is disputed as an

exaggeration by the EPA, the Institute for Scrap Recycling30
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Packardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_nationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste#cite_note-tmc-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Conventionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Convention#Basel_Ban_Amendmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Convention#Basel_Ban_Amendmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Action_Networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_shiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Packardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_nationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste#cite_note-tmc-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Conventionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Convention#Basel_Ban_Amendmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Convention#Basel_Ban_Amendmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Action_Networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship


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Industries, and the World Reuse, Repair and Recycling

Association.

Guiyu in the Shantou region of China, Delhi and Bangalore in

India as well as the Agbogbloshie site near Accra, Ghana have

electronic waste processing areas. Uncontrolled burning,

disassembly, and disposal can cause a variety of environmental

problems such as groundwater contamination, atmospheric

pollution, or even water pollution either by immediate discharge

or due to surface runoff(especially near coastal areas), as well as

health problems including occupational safety and health effects

among those directly involved, due to the methods of processing

the waste. Thousands of men, women, and children are employed

in highly polluting, primitive recycling technologies, extracting

the metals, toners, and plastics from computers and other

electronic waste. Recent studies show that 7 out of 10 children in

this region have too much lead in their blood.

Proponents of the trade say growth of internet access is a stronger

correlation to trade than poverty. Haiti is poor and closer to the

port of New Yorkthan Southeast Asia, but far more electronic

waste is exported from New York to Asia than to Haiti.

Thousands of men, women, and children are employed in reuse,

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refurbishing, repair, and remanufacturing, sustainable industries

in decline in developed countries. It is held that denying

developing nations access to used electronics denies them

affordable products and internet access.

Opponents of the trade argue that developing countries utilize

methods that are more harmful and more wasteful. An expedient

and prevalent method is simply to toss equipment onto an open

fire, in order to melt plastics and to burn away unvaluable metals.

This releases carcinogens and neurotoxins into the air,

contributing to an acrid, lingering smog. These noxious fumes

include dioxins and furans. Bonfire refuse can be disposed of

quickly into drainage ditches or waterways feeding the ocean or

local water supplies.

In June 2008, a container of electronic waste, destined from the

Port of Oakland in the U.S. to Sanshui District in mainland

China, was intercepted in Hong Kong by Greenpeace. Concerns

over exports of electronic waste were raised in press reports in

India, Ghana, Ivory Coast, andNigeria.

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Kolkata- Emerging E-waste H otspot

West Bengal has been one of Indias fastest growing states in last

decade, with a 5.2% growth in per capita net SDP. Over the three-

year period, it was also ranked as the fifth most attractive

destination for investments. The state had identified IT as a

priority focus sector to be developed into a growth engine. This

focus was reflected in the fact that West Bengal was among the

first states to articulate an IT policy, (formalised in 2000) which

was followed by a special incentive scheme for IT industry

introduced in 2001.

Though a late starter in the field of information technology, at the

moment, there are more than 250 IT companies which are

providing direct employment to over 50,000 professionals. These

companies registered an export earning of over Rs 3,500 crore in

the financial year.

West Bengal today is home to most leading names in the IT

sector, including TCS, Wipro, IBM, Cognizant, PWC, HCL,

Genpac, Skytech, Siemens, etc. The department of information

technology has been attracting high-end IT companies; KPOs and

BPOs to the state to generate more employment and increase

export revenues. The government is also trying to develop

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satellite IT hubs in towns such as Siliguri, Durgapur, Kalyani,

Kharagpur and Haldia. While IT parks on Public Private

Partnership model have already been launched at Siliguri and

Durgapur, efforts are being made to develop an advanced IT park

near the IIT at Kharagpur. The vision is to rank among the top-3

IT States in India by 2010 and contribute 15-20 per cent of the

countrys total IT revenues. Its GDP in the service sector since

2001 has also grown at a blistering 25 percent. Banking and

insurance led that sector with 56 percent growth.

Kolkata, is the biggest and most important commercial point in

the eastern part of the country. The informal recycling business

has been going on this urban agglomerate for decades. Wastes

like plastic, metal, glass etc have traditionally been processed in

Kolkata and E-waste has joined this elite group in recent times.

As it is an important port city, most of the international trade of

the eastern region of India also passes through Kolkata.

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OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The main objective of this project is:

To get the quantitative estimates of the waste arising from

electronic and electrical equipments.

To identify and document existing sources of e-waste

streams along the life cycle including product assembly, pre

and post usage, management and disposal and identify

improved practices based on the 3R principles.

To generate awareness on e-waste management among

various stakeholders in the selected industry sector.

The main objective of this project is to get the quantitative

estimates of the waste arising from electronic and electrical

equipments. Scope of our study is limited to calculate the

quantity of waste generated from following three products only:

Computers (Desktops & Laptops both)

Printers

Mobile handsets

Televisions

Refrigerators

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DVD/VCD Players

TARGET RESPONDENTS

To the establishment (private / govt.) who have disposed off

any computers or laptops & any computer peripherals

particularly in that establishment in last 2 years.

To the establishment who have stored any desktop or laptop

in that establishment which are not in workable condition in

last 2 years.

The employee strength of that establishment should be

minimum 10.

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SAMPLE SIZE

TOTAL

-1080

HOUSEHOL

D-700

COMPUTER

-200

REFRIDGERATOR

-100

DVD/VCD

-100

TELEVISION

-150

MOBILE

-150

BUSINESS-

380

PRIVATE

-350

GOVERNMENT

-30

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OWN CONTRIBUTION

TOTAL-20

PRIVATE-19

GOVERNMENT-01

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METHODOLOGY

The study was based on face to face basis interview.

There was no database. So we could go to any establishment.

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We had to talk with IT manager or administration or

commercial manager.

Brief Description of Methodology

The study was carried out through various methods like review of

existing literature, structured and unstructured interviews,

exploratory surveys and photo documentation. Experiences from

earlier studies of IMRB were used to plan the study.

The research was carried out in phases-

1. Review of the existing literature.

2. Structured interviews with the industry (public and private) to

assess the amount of waste generated.

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3. Interviews to find out methods of disposal, reasons for

replacement & durability of one computer & its peripherals.

4. Exploratory survey with various stakeholders to understand

their perspective regarding the issue.

5. Exploratory visits and unstructured interviews with the

informal recyclers.

6. Observation regarding the health and environmental impacts

7. Analysis of the information collected.

For the assessment of the amount of waste generated in Kolkata,

different categories of generators were contacted to find out about

their disposal rates and patterns. Mainly three categories were

identified for the study and data collection a) organizations, b)

individuals, namely the students, servicemen, small business

holders and the academicians, and c) the recyclers and re-users.

Organizations were classified as manufacturing industries, service

organizations and the IT Sectors and the manufacturers. One to

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one interaction was conducted in most of the cases and interviews

were based on general questions. From all the users, data on

computer and its peripheries disposal were taken. For each

individual group, the percentage of users who have knowledge

about the toxic contents of a typical desktop computer was also

investigated. The users were made aware of the present scenario

related to recycling etc. and their opinion was sought regarding

possible manner of disposal of computers. They were specifically

asked to mention whether the manufacturers, the users, the

government, the recyclers should shoulder the responsibility of

minimizing hazards related to e-waste.

Exploratory surveys and unstructured interviews were conducted

mainly to identify areas where e-waste is recycled. Informal

discussions were carried out and emerging trails were followed to

investigate the areas of such activities. The recycling areas/units

were surveyed to assess the conditions of recycling both from an

environmental as well as an occupational health perspective.

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LIMITATIONS

The concept of e-waste is still at a nascent stage in Kolkata and

India as well. Hence, the study has the following limitations-

1. There is a lack of accurate data pertaining to e-waste, thus the

assessment figures are approximate estimates based on limited

information. The assessment only took into account limited

equipments.

2. There is lack of awareness and absence of any policy in most

organisations regarding e-waste. Hence, many organisations had

no records and no response to questions regarding their end-of-

life disposal procedures.

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3. E-waste recycling, lately, has received a lot of media attention

due to the hazardous nature of the activities. This has made the

people in the informal recycling sector very cautious, which made

it quite difficult to acquire detailed information about the areas of

e-waste recycling and the recycling processes.

4. In most places, we did not receive permission to take

photographs.

ANALYSIS OF THE

PROJECT

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QUERY ABOUT IT DISPOSALGUIDELINE

46

0

10

20

YES 5

NO 15

1st Qtr


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From the database we can see that the majority of the companies donthave any IT disposal guideline. Here we can see that only 5 companies

out of 20 companies have their IT disposal guideline. We also can see thatin the case of Government units they have their IT disposal guidelinefixed by the Government rules. But for other companies they decide aboutthe processes of IT disposal methods.

TIME OF REPLACEMENT FOR DESKTOPS

47

5 TO 7

YEARS

42%3 TO 5

YEARS

58%


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The next question of the questionnaire was about the time for replacementof desktops, we can see from the database that 42% companies have

disposed off their desktops after 5 years to 7 years after installation. Andother 58 % of the companies have disposed off their desktops after 3 to 5years after installation. Later we have discussed about the causes ofreplacement. But after that time duration the desktops become nonworkable.

TIME OF REPLACEMENT FOR LAPTOPS

48

2 TO3

YEARS

3 TO5

YEARS

3020


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Now my next analysis is about the time of replacement or laptops. We cansee from the database that the 30 companies 0ut of 50 companies havedisposed off their laptops after 3 to 5 years after installation and other 20companies normally disposes off their laptops after 2 to 5 years ofinstallation. So, we can say that generally a laptop can work up to 5 yearsafter installation.

REASONS FOR REPLACEMENT

49

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

TECHNICAL PROBLEM 80%

OBSOLENCE OF TECHNOLOGY 70%

LATEST TRENDS 20%

1st Qtr


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The next question of the questionnaire was the reasons for replacement ofcomputers. From the database we can see that major cause of thereplacement was technical problem. From the chart we can see that 80%

people said that the major for replacement is technical problem. Another70% people have said that the reason was obsolence of technology. Likewe can say now a days we normally use WINDOWS XP. So, the there isno use for Windows 98 etc. But other 20% people have said that the

reason for replacement was to keep pace with latest trends.

MAIN REASON FOR REPLACEMENT

50

0

5

10

15

East 15 5

TECHNICAL OBSOLENSE OF

1510

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In the previous page we have analysed the various reasons forreplacement of computers. Now we are considering about the mainreason for replacement. From the database we can see that among 20companies 15 companies have said that the main cause of replacement

was technical problems. And other 5 companies have said the mainreason for replacement was the obsolence of technology. So, we cansee the major factor of replacement was the technical problems.

TIME OF REPLACEMENT FOR INK JET PRINTERS

51

0

5

10

15

East 13 7

5 TO6 6 TO7

13

07


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Now we are considering the printers. There are two types of printersmainly used: a) Ink jet printers, b) laser printers. Now we are analyzingthe time for replacement of ink jet printers. From the database we can seethat among 20 companies 13 companies have said that they can use an ink

jet printers for 5 to 6 years after installation. Other 07 companies havesaid that they can use it for 6 to 7 years after installation. So, we can seethat overall one ink jet printer can stay around 5 to 7 years afterinstallation.

TIME OF REPLACEMENT FOR LASER PRINTERS

52

0

5

10

15

East 12 8

6 TO7 7 TO8

08

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Now we are analyzing the time of replacement of laser printers. Among 20 companies 12 companies have said that thereplacement time is 7 to 8 years after installation. Other 08 companieshave said that the replacement time is 6 to 7years after installation.

CAUSES OF REPLACEMENT OF PRINTERS

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TONERPROBLEM

TECHNICALPROBLEM

2

18

We can see from the database that only 02 companies out of 20companies have replaced their printers for toner problem & other 18companies have replaced their printers for technical problems.

METHODS OF DISPOSAL OF IT PRODUCTS

54

0

5

10

15

BUY BACK 2

SELL TO

DEALER

12

SELLTO

EMPLOYEES

6

1st Qtr


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We can see from the database that out of 20 companies 2companies have taken buy back policy with their vendors, 12 companieshave taken decision that they will sell off their wastage products to localdealers & other 6 companies will sell them to their employees at lower

price.

UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE TERM E-WASTE

55

yes

no83%

17%


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Now about the questions regarding awareness about impactsof electronic waste, it has revealed that the most companies do not knowabout the concept & also they are not concerned about it. Only 17%companies have very good understanding about the problems of electronicwaste & the problems related to it. So I think it is a matter of concern for

the whole society.

EXPECTATIONS FROM THE RECYCLING COMPANIES

56

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

PICK UP FROM OFFICE 20%

MONETARY VALUE 85%

PICK UP QUICKLY 10%

1st Qtr


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Here we are studying about what services do expected bythe companies from recycling companies. We can see from the databasethat 85% companies are concerned about the monitory value from thoserecycling companies. That is the main need of the companies.

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FINDINGS

MAIN FINDINGS FROM THE PROJECT

For assessing waste generating from computers & peripherals I

have visited 19 private organizations & 1 governmentorganizations. From these users their patterns of disposals & rates

for number of PC s, laptops & printers were sought. Responses

from all companies were collected. This survey revealed that the

manufacturing units disposed off 100 computers & 36 printers in58


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last 2 years. The study result shows that only 17 percent of the

people interviewed are acquainted with the term e- waste. While

83 % of people are ignorant of any toxic content in computers.

Among the choices that were given the majority preferred to go

for buy back / selling to second hand dealers plan. The second

choice was to give the obsolete computers to a collection centers

set up by authorized recyclers. It is to be noted that 83% of the

users expects returns in exchange money.

On the question if sharing responsibility of e- waste

management respondents put the responsibility with the

government.

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RECOMMENDATION

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MAIN RECOMMENDATION TO THE PROJECT

The study result shows that only 17% percent of the people

interviewed are acquainted with the term e- waste. While 83% of

people are totally unaware about such things. All the persons

surveyed were made aware of the risk with the disposal of

electronic waste & the existence of recycling industry in Kolkata.

The study also indicated that most of the users wanted an e-waste

management system governed by a structured regulation. This

they felt, would also generate a scope for some business. The also

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revealed that the consumers felt that the manufacturers should

pay for the disposal procedures & the users must be made more

aware on the issues & the ill effects of e- waste. There should be

warning & instructions by the manufacturers on each of the

packages &also should clearly indicate the responsibilities of the

in the process of its disposal.

THANK YOU

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MAIN PROJECT( E-WASTE) (updated 3 with draw)

Documents

Transcript of MAIN PROJECT( E-WASTE) (updated 3 with draw)