Management of the challenges of electronic waste in India: an analysis

Managing the increasing amounts of waste from electrical and electronic equipment is a major challenge for Indian cities. However, it also offers social and economic opportunities if proper planning and implementation are put in place. The country's electronic waste management sector has a number of socio-economic implications that could be seen as constructive. For instance, electronic waste recycling businesses provide ample employment opportunities to a number of urban low-skilled poor. In this paper, the social and economic role of electronic waste management in the country is analysed and a number of stories of successful electronic waste entrepreneurs in the country are identified. It is concluded that opportunities in the informal sector, such as labour intensiveness, availability of cheap labour, traditional expertise of informal recyclers and networks among informal recyclers, could be explored further for better management initiatives and possible profitable interventions. The challenges rest in identifying these opportunities adequately and amplifying them towards their maximum potential for advantages for society at large.