Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0726-5 ORIGINAL ARTICLE An analysis on e-waste generation in Chandigarh: quantifcation, disposal pattern and future predictions Manmohit Singh 1  · Parteek Singh Thind 1  · Siby John 1 Received: 28 March 2017 / Accepted: 13 March 2018 © Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract In this study, an assessment of e-waste management in Chandigarh, India was done. A structured questionnaire based survey was used to know about various socio-economic characteristics. Based on the results, the quantifcation of, equipment wise, e-waste generation and their distinctive disposal patterns were acquired. Future, e-waste generation was also estimated using an approach investigated by Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit and Manufacturer’s Association of Information Technology (GTZ-MAIT). The total amount of e-waste generation from households of Chandigarh was found out to be 3276.47 tons/annum, which was equivalent to 3.1 kg/capita/annum. It was also found that most of the e-waste generated was from the use of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) such as Mobile phones, Laptops, Cameras, Washing machines, Air conditioners, Heaters, Geysers, LEDs and LCDs. Moreover, taking the annual GDP growth rate of India into account e-waste generation from households was estimated to reach 9565.1 tons/annum by 2020. Among the various disposal channels “selling as scrap” was the most favored one among the respondents to discard the used EEE. Therefore, it can be concluded from the survey that informal sectors or scrap dealers are very active in e-waste collection as they are aware about the proft- ability from its dismantling and recycling. Keywords E-waste management · Quantifcation · Electrical and electronic equipment · Disposal channel · Survey · Recycling Introduction Rapidly evolving advancements in IT industry introduces pristine electronic equipment into the global market. Conse- quently after every few months most of the electronic equip- ment become obsolete and their prices fall. In Indian society, after every week on an average two computers become obso- lete. This supports lifetime of 50 weeks to a computer [1]. At this obsolescence rate and regular abatement in the prices of electronic equipment, they start falling within the budget of larger population. Subsequently, the consumption of such Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) increases. Similar scenario has been observed in Indian society as well and the share of IT sector in Indian GDP has increased from 1.2% in 1998 to 7.5% in 2012 [2]. Although, this exponential growth in IT sector has been the reason for enhancement in economic growth of India yet it has troubled it by introduc- ing a new waste stream of e-waste. Any waste that was either once a part of EEEs or itself consists of electronic components is known as e-waste [3]. E-waste embodies a broad range of abandoned EEEs generated from homes as well as industries such as: air conditioners, televisions, computers, refrigerators, mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops, tablets, etc. The prompt generation of such e-waste has also encouraged e-waste recycling industry because Waste EEEs (WEEEs) com- prise lucrative metals such as gold, silver, copper, plati- num and palladium. In developed countries, where e-waste recycling is maintained by formal sectors, the quanti f- cation and assessment of e-waste generation is carried out precisely. However, in developing countries, where e-waste recycling is dominated mainly by informal sec- tor, quantifcation of e-waste is a very bewildering task Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0726-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Siby John johnsiby1@gmail.com 1 Punjab Engineering College University of Technology, Chandigarh 160012, India