Integration of informal e-waste recyclers in Bangalore

Mainstreaming the informal sector.

The informal sector is handling and recycling over 95% of India’s e-waste which is not only generated within India, but imported illegally as well. As 94% of Indian companies still do not have an e-waste disposal policy, this material has captured the attention of the large, existing network of the informal sector. It is estimated that around 25,000 people work in the informal e-waste sector and earn wholly or partly their living out of it, as per an e-waste case study Bangalore city. However, thanks to the informal sector, e-waste has been kept away from the dump sites so far. But, its activity still generates a high environmental and social impact (use of toxic chemicals, poor working conditions, child labour, etc.). The objective is not to take the business away from these skilled people, but to integrate them in a transparent and fully organised system.

There is strong evidence that once awareness for e-waste is created /enhanced, material flow to the informal sector will decrease significantly, especially if the law requires that companies and public agencies are allowed to sell obsolete computers to authorised recyclers only. Such shortage of material will motivate the informal sector seek authorisation. Among the informal recyclers there is one association viz, e-WaRDD which is keen to get authorisation and to change their status. Once authorised, e-WaRDD will focus only on collection and dismantling. Thus, hazardous material will be kept away from the informal sector.

In addition, an EMPA study has shown that manual precious metals recovery techniques as presently done in the informal sector is very inefficient and higher revenue could be generated from printed circuit boards by sending them to a state-of-the-art precious metals refinery. This is a strong financial incentive to enforce the change of handling these potentially hazardous materials.