A typical electronic waste recycling plant combines the best of dismantling for component recovery with increased capacity to process large amounts of electronic waste in a cost effective-manner. Material is fed into a hopper, which travels up a conveyor and is dropped into the mechanical separator, which is followed by a number of screening and granulating machines. The entire recycling machinery is enclosed and employs a dust collection system. The recycling process depends on the type of electronic waste.

According to a survey by IRG systems South Asia, a subsidiary of the IRG, Washington DC, USA, the total waste from electronic and electrical equipment in India has been estimated to be 1,46,180 tonnes per year. Mumbai at present tops the list, followed by Delhi at 9,730 tonnes, Bangalore 4,648 tonnes, Chennai 4,132 tonnes and Kolkata 4,025 tonnes. Ahmedabad 3,287 tonnes, Hyderabad 2,833 tonnes, Pune 2,584 tonnes and Surat 1,836 tonnes figure in the list. E-waste generally consists of obsolete devices such as DVDs, CDs, floppies, tapes and electronic components including chips, processors, mother boards, printed circuit boards and industrial electronics. Experts say e-waste contains many hazardous substances like heavy metals, PVC plastics, brominated flame retardants. While the density of e-waste in the country is on the rise, at present there is no e-waste recycling plant in India. The waste is also disposed of in landfill, which if mixed up with water can cause problems to the humans ...more