Techno Trash Toxicity

Xarrin Sindhu

Objectives

• To impart information on this topic• Familiarize you with:– hazards– Laws– initiatives

• Provide solutions– e-cycle– Reduce– reuse

Contents

• What is Techno-trash/E-Waste ?– Trends & Insights– Problems

• Toxic components of E-waste• Legislations– International– National

• E-cycling

•Major generators of e-waste• Businesses, Household, Institutions, manufacturers

•What is techno-trash?• discarded, surplus, obsolete, or broken electrical or

electronic devices.

• Interchangable terms(E-waste, Digital dump, E-junk , e-scrap, WEEE)

Introduction

How Technology becomes Trash?

• Changes and advancement in technology– Digital TV conversion, Cell phone upgrades, software

upgrade• Changes in fashion, style and status• Attractive offer from manufacturers• Small life of equipments– Can’t change battery in your I-pod– Disposable printers

List of most used and frequently replaced electronics

Cell phones 22 monthsDesktop computer 2 yearsTelevision 10+ yearsPortable music player 2-3 yearsDVD player 4-5 yearsPrinter 5+ years

Every year the world tosses 20-50 million metric tons of electronics.Only 10-18% of which is recycled.

Which means

Sales in Electronics

Cont’dAll TV 2010 2011 2012

LCD TVs 247 million(Displaysearch)

248 million(Displaysearch)

254 million(Displaysearch)

All cell phones 1.211 billion (Gartner)

1.59 billion(gartner)

-

E-waste by tonnes Product Recycling rate

Disposed:423,000Recycled:168,000

Computers, laptops and CPUs

39.7%

Disposed:19,500Recycled:2,240

Cellphones/pagers 11.4%

Disposed:10,45,000Recycled:181,000

Television 17.3%

Disposed:595,000Recycled:1,94,000

Computer monitors 32.7%

Disposed:290,000Recycled:97,000

Printers, copiers, fax machines

33.3%

Disposed:67,800Recycled:6,460

Keyboards and mice 9.5%

E-Waste Vs products(2010 statistics)

Statistics(USA-EPA)

• E-waste forms 3-5% of municipal waste• 100,000 pounds of CDs become out-dated, useless or

unwanted in USA alone/month• 5.5 million boxes of software go to landfills or

incinerators/month

E-waste In

creasing

Why e-waste a problem?

• Products are quickly obsolete and discarded• Non-biodegradable – difficult to recycle– Discarded electronics are managed badly– More e-waste goes to landfills– Most recyclers don’t recycle, they export– Prison recycling, high Tech chain gang

• Contains hazardous materials– Heavy metals and toxins(lead, cadmium, beryllium,

mercury, and brominated flame retardants.)

Chemicals in Tecno-trashSubstance Occurance in Techno-trashChromium VI Data tapes, floppy disksLead Batteries, printing wire boardsLithium Li-BatteriesMercury Fluorescent lamps, alkaline batteriesNickel Rechargable Ni-Cd batteriesSelenium Older photocopying machinesBeryllium X-ray lensesPVC Cable insulationArsenic Gallium Arsenide in LEDs

Computer trash, dangerous practices to process it and hazards

Computer/E-waste component

Processes used Potential occupational hazard

Potential environmental hazard

Cathode ray tube Regunning, breaking,removal of Yoke and dumping

SilicosisGlass dust inhalation,cutsInhalation of P,Cd

Lead,barium and other heavy metals leaching into ground water

Printed circuit boards Desoldering and removing computer chips

Tin,Lead,mercury inhalation

Air emission of same substances

Plastic from computer,keyboard, printer,wires

Shredding and low temperature melting,stripping to remove copper

Inhalation of fumes,dioxin exposure

Emission of brominated dioxins and heavy metals

Effects On Environment

• Pollution of Ground-Water.• Acidification of soil.– accounts for 40 % of the lead and 75 % of the

heavy metals found in landfills.• Air Pollution.

Effect on human health

• Damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, blood • systems and kidney damage• Affects brain development of children• Chronic damage to the brain• Respiratory and skin disorders due to bioaccumulation in fishes• Asthmatic bronchitis• DNA damage• Reproductive and developmental problems• Immune system damage• Lung Cancer• Damage to heart, liver and spleen

A Global Pinball Game: Tracking E-Waste

• Waste without frontiers• Exports of charity or grief?• Donated electronics without training/ infrastructure

assured. • Donated electronics without end-of-Life Plan• Exports of near end-of-life equipment• Exports without a reuse market

Digital Dump: Exporting High-Tech Re-use and Abuse

• No rigorous studies of exactly how e-waste exported to developing nations

• 50-80 % of waste collected by recyclers ends up getting exported

Cont’d

Huge quantities of hazardous electronic wastes exported to China, Pakistan and India– US exports 70% of e-waste– China: largest e-waste importer– Guiyu Region, China– 100,000 e Waste workers ‐– processed in operations that are extremely harmful

to human health and the environment

E-waste destinations

( According to an investigation by an International coalition of environmental organisations)

Annually imported under the pretext of ‘second-hand machinery’

Pakistan as a dumping site

•Arrival in Pakistan•separated according to the condition. •Working machines are sold in the market• usable parts are removed•unusable machines are sent to the recycling industry/people to extract metals

•E-waste management market in Pakistan is dominated by informal sector, which includes waste importers, scarp dealers, dissemblers, and recyclers•(photoessay)

How it is handled?

Dangerous practices adopted by people in working on Techno-trash

Bashing open cathode ray tubes with hammers, exposing the toxic phosphor dust inside.

Cooking circuit boards over open fires to melt the lead solder, breathing in toxic lead fumes.

Burning wires in open piles to melt away the plastics (to get at the copper inside).

Burning the plastic casings, creating dioxins and furans