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E-waste hazard: The impending challenge

Company Name : Generic

Introduction

The production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is one of the fastest growing global manufacturing activities. Rapid economic growth, coupled with urbanization and a growing demand for consumer goods, has increased both the consumption and the production of EEE. The Indian information Technology (IT) industry has been one of the major drivers of change in the economy in the last decade and has contributed significantly to the digital revolution being experienced by the world. New electronic gadgets and appliances have infiltrated every aspect of our daily lives, providing our society with more comfort, health and security and with easy information acquisition and exchange. the knowledge society however is creating its own toxic foot prints.

The same hypertechnology that is hailed as a \' crucial vector\' for future modern societetal development has a not-so-modern downside to it: electronic waste (e-waste).

E-waste broadly covers waste from all electronic and elecrical appliances and compprises of items such as computers, mobile, phones, digital music recorders/players, refrigirators, washing machine, television, and many other house hold consumer items.

The increasing \'market penetration\' in the developing countries, \' replacement market\' in the developed countries and \'high obsolescence rate\' make a e-waste one of the fastest waste streams. This new kind of waste is posing a serious challange in disposal and recycling to both developed and developing countries. While having some of the world\'s most advance high-tech software and hard ware developing facilities, India\'s recycling sector can be called medieval. The dumping of e-waste, particularly computer waste, into India from developed countries (\'green passport\' according to Gutierrez), because the latter find in convenient and economical to export waste, has further complicated the problems with waste management.

All this has made e-waste management an issue of environment and health concern.