Sources of E Waste

The main generators of E-waste in India are government institutions and corporate sector, accounting for almost 70 per cent of the total waste. The contribution from individual households is relatively small coz they like to go for exchange for a new product. Manufacturers of components and assemblers are another important source of e-waste generation in the country. However, it is difficult to capture the exact quantity of waste generation by this group. The import of e-waste, which is illegal, is another major source and preliminary estimates do point that the quantity being brought in is very significant. This takes place both in a legal as well as quasi-legal way, since e-waste is either misclassified as ‘metal scrap’ or imported as second hand or ‘end-of-life’ goods, which soon become waste.