The tiny, windowless godown is piled high with computer innards. Copper coils, circuit boards, condensers and wires. All waiting to be dismantled, melted and then sold. The godown is just one of the many that can be found in Shastri Park, known in the Capital as one of the biggest e-waste recycling areas.
According to a report released by NGO Toxics Link last week, a large amount of this highly toxic e-waste is either illegally imported into the country or generated by business houses.
This scrap contains a variety of heavy metals and other toxic compounds such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. ‘‘A large amount of the e-waste we have discovered is being imported into country because it is cheaper to recycle it here. In the US it costs companies approximately $20 to recycle one computer. Instead, they make a profit by selling the scrap to an Indian trader for $5,’’ explains environment activist and Toxics Link director Ravi Agrawal.
At Turkman Gate, where most of the obsolete computers find their way, shopkeepers say they usually buy the goods wholesale from embassies or through tenders issued by the Government.
Hanif, one of the biggest computer scrap dealers in Shastri Park, says he sources his computers not just from Turkman Gate but also from the companies. The metals that have good resale value — like copper, brass, silver and gold — are recovered through a heating process. The workers don’t wear any protective gear as they de-solder circuit boards, burn PVC wires and sort through piles of chips.
‘‘This is where we separate and break down the computers,’’ Hanif says, adding, ‘‘these are basically rejected or outdated models and we buy them in bulk for anything between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000. The average profit is only about five to seven per cent.’’
In one of the godowns that Hanif owns, two boys sit around a small pile of metal shavings. This is what has been retrieved from one computer. A man is busy retrieving copper.
‘‘We take out all the copper, silver, aluminum, brass alloys and iron. The plastic is also kept separately. The circuit board, after everything is taken out, is useless, so we throw it,’’ says Miraj alias Pehalwan.
‘‘The going rate these days is Rs 75 per kg for silver and Rs 100 per kg for copper. We sell the condenser for anywhere from 25 paise to 50 paise. The tube in the monitor is also handy. In fact, many homes in Ghaziabad have black and white TVs which are converted tubes,’’ he says.
Miraj says there is a good demand for PC condensers. ‘‘We sell these in bulk because electricians use them. The plastic is taken either to Mandoli or to Seelampur. The copper and silver is bought by traders in Sadar Bazaar or are used in bhattis or factories outside Delhi to make dyes, utensils or door hinges,’’ he says.
Agrawal says that at the recently-concluded National Workshop on Electronic Waste Management, organised by the Central Pollution Control Board, GTZ and Toxic Link, the CPCB decided to form a task force.
‘‘A plan of action was decided upon and a national assessment study planned. The task force will also look at the possibility of intervention as well as what to do with the imported e-waste,’’ he said.
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Circuit boards and cathode ray tubes contain LEAD, which can damage the brain, cardiovascular functions, circulation and reproductive system. Children most susceptible
Computer batteries, circuit boards and cathode ray tubes contain
CADMIUM. Its fumes can kill immediately or cause pulmonary oedema, kidney and lung damage
Circuit boards, plastic casing cable have Brominated Flame Retardants. These are chemicals used to reduce the risk of fire and cause immunological disorders, cancer
Copper causes chemical inflammation of lungs