The Hindu : National : E-waste illegally exported to Asian countries: study

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 18, 2004

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E-waste illegally exported to Asian countries: study

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 17. Thousands of tonnes of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) are being illegally exported every year from Britain to developing Asian countries including India, Pakistan and China.

A study conducted by the Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling (ICEER), on behalf of the British Environment Agency (BEA), has revealed that 23,000 tonnes of e-waste are being exported to Asian countries by flouting international laws. The containers, carrying the waste, are often wrongly labelled.

The movement of hazardous waste of all kinds is defined, controlled or prohibited under the Basel Convention — an international treaty of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). India is yet to ratify the amendments to the Convention.

Crackdown

Following the revelations, the BEA has announced that it will identify and shutdown erring exporters. The BEA has announced its crackdown on the export of illegal waste by setting up a special enforcement team that will step up random inspections at ports across England and the Wales. The agency will also play a leading role in major European projects, including "seaports," by enforcing clampdowns at 25 ports across 12 European countries.

Under the British laws, no waste, including electrical or electronic waste, can be being sent abroad for disposal. The rules specify that electronic equipment may be sent for minor repairs, but with prior approval of the BEA. It is illegal to send any hazardous waste, including e-waste, to any developing country for disposal or recovery.

Big business

According to the BEA's communication with the Indian environmental organisation, Toxics Link, e-waste exports are worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Last year, such waste involved thousands of old computers, 500,000 television sets, three million refrigerators, 160,000 tonnes of other electrical equipment and millions of discarded mobile phones — all sent to India, China and Pakistan.

"The trade is absolutely illegal and against the spirit of the Basel Convention," said Kishore Wankhade of Toxics Link in Delhi. He said the electronic waste contains several hazardous and toxic materials such as mercury, cadmium, and PVC plastics, which are dangerous to the environment and human health. "The Indian e-waste recycling system is a combination of several hazardous processes and is not technically or economically equipped to handle even in-house generated electronic waste," Mr. Wankhade said. He was suggesting strict implementation of the Hazardous Waste Rules and issuing of licence for such import.

Earlier this year, Toxics Links had traced a container of e-waste labelled as metal scrap at the Chennai port and had claimed that containers were mislabelled at the time of bill of entry in the port.

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