Introduction

Electronic waste recycling is gaining currency around the world as larger quantities of electronics are coming into the waste stream. Managing the increasing volumes of e-waste effectively and efficiently–in cost and environmental impact–is a complex task. Firstly, special logistic requirements are necessary for collecting the e-waste. Secondly, e-waste contains many hazardous substances which are extremely dangerous to human health and the environment, and therefore disposal requires special treatment to prevent the leakage and dissipation of toxics into the environment. At the same time, it is a rich source of metals such as gold, silver and copper, which can be recovered and brought back into the production cycle. This particular characteristic of e-waste has made e-waste recycling a lucrative business in both developed as well as developing countries. While some countries have organised systems for the collection, recycling, disposal and monitoring, other countries are still to find a solution that ensures jobs while minimizing the negative environmental impacts of e-waste recycling. This paper presents a comparison of the endof-life treatment of electronics in two countries, Switzerland and India.

Switzerland was chosen because it was the first country to implement an industry-wide organised system for the collection and recycling of electronic waste. Having been operational for a decade, the Swiss system provides the best opportunity to study the evolution of an e-waste management system. India was chosen as the other country for study because it is not only among the fastest growing markets for the consumption of electronic appliances, but also because it has a large recycling industry and has emerged as a major market for old and junked computers (Agarwal et al., 2003).

The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first is to provide a description of the current e-waste management system in the two countries. The second is to compare the two systems and understand how and why they differ. The comparison is being made only of the overall national situations in each country, looking in each case at only a few interesting social and environmental aspects.

Data and information for both case studies was collected through personal interviews with leading experts, senior management of appliance manufacturers as well as high ranking government officials responsible for environmental policy. The Indian case study is based primarily on a pilot study conducted by Empa in Delhi in 2003–2004 (Empa, 2004). The authors assume that the pattern of e-waste handling in the rest of India, mainly the large urban centres, is similar to that of New Delhi.

2. E-waste recycling in Switzerland

2.1. Background

Switzerland, with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world,is also among its most technologically advanced countries. The total installed PC base in Switzerland is 3.15 million PCs, which translates into one PC for almost every two persons (World Bank,2004), over 99% of the households have refrigerators and over 96% have TVs (Euromonitor, 2003). Even though market penetration of electrical and electronic goods is high, the market for new appliances remains strong, with annual per capita spending on ICT products topping US$3600, the highest in the world.