Ever wondered what happens to your old mobile phones, computers,
television sets and refrigerators the moment you discard them?
They are most likely to land in an unauthorised scrap yard
waiting to be recycled in a hazardous and unscientific manner —
causing great damage to the environment. The rapid growth of the
information technology sector in India has only contributed to
this problem of accumulating e-waste or electronic waste. The
government finally woke up to this growing problem a couple of
years ago when studies by its information technology department
estimated the e-waste burden on the country to touch 800,000
metric tonnes by December. It responded by framing the e-waste
(management and handling) rules – 2011 which came into effect
this month. While the rules seem impressive on paper,
environmental groups have expressed concerns about its ability
to bring about change due to the sheer oversight of the ground
situation. To begin with, the rules put India along with a
select club of nations like the