This document provides an overview of e-waste management in Bangladesh. It discusses the environmental and health hazards posed by e-waste, such as the release of heavy metals into the air, water and soil. Currently, informal and unsafe recycling practices are common in Bangladesh. The document then outlines international initiatives and policies for e-waste management, as well as strategies for reducing e-waste such as inventory management, product redesign, and recovery/reuse programs. It notes challenges in Bangladesh include a lack of awareness and proper regulations. Overall, the document analyzes the current situation of e-waste in Bangladesh and potential solutions to improve management and reduce environmental contamination.

1. A Comprehensive
Study On E Waste
Management:
Present Situation
And Future
Implication On
Bangladesh
MOSFIQUR RAHMAN
Masters of Science in Disaster &
Environmental Engineering, Cuet
E-mail: mr_sunnyctg@yahoo.com

2. Contents
Abstract : 1
Keyword : 1
1 Introduction : 2-4
1.1 Environmental and Human’s Health Effect : 2-4
2 Management of E-wastes : 5-7
2.1 Inventory management : 5
2.2 Production-process modification : 5
2.3 Volume reduction : 6
2.4 Recovery and reuse : 6
2.5 Sustainable product design : 6-7
3 International Initiatives for E-waste Management Policy : 7-10
3.1 Basel Convention : 7-9
3.2 G-8 3Rs Initiative : 9
3.3 StEP - Solving the E-waste Problem : 9-10
3.4 UNEP/ DTIE (IETC) : 10
3.5 GeSI: Global e-Sustainability Initiative : 10
4 Global Situation of E-waste : 11-13
5 E-Waste Bangladesh Scenario : 13-17
5.1 Informal Recycling Practice in Bangladesh : 15-16
5.1.1 Recycling Hotspots in Dhaka City : 15-16
5.1.2 Recycling Hotspots at Chittagong City : 16
5.2 Challenges in Bangladesh : 17
6 Alternative Strategy and Approach : 17-20
6.1 Responsibilities of the Government : 17-18
6.2 Responsibility and Role of industries : 18-19
6.3 Responsibilities of the Citizen : 19-20
7 Conclusion : 20
8 Reference 21-22

3. A Comprehensive
Study on E Waste
Management:
Present Situation &
Future Implication
on Bangladesh

4. 1
Abstract:
Now-a-days, Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of fastest growing pollution problem for
environment and as well as threaten human body due to its presence in variety of toxic
substances as its disposal system are not properly managed. In Bangladesh, a large number of
electronic waste are generated but its subsequent handling, reuse, recycling and disposal are not
properly handled and can cause significant environmental and health hazards. At present, there is
lack of awareness about the hazards of electronic waste in Bangladesh. The electronic waste may
reuse, broken down into parts or disposed of completely. The present informal practice of
recycling is not carried out safely and it becomes a danger to human health and the surrounding
environment. This paper will share the management system of electronic disposal items and
trend of usage of electronic equipments. It will also share what hazards have been created from
this electronic waste, what are the present dumping practices and what rules are there in place for
dumping. It will also identify the level of awareness regarding e-waste and to determine a way to
reduce environmental hazards.
Keyword: E-waste, Hazardous, Recycling, Reuse, Reduce, Disposal.

5. 2
1. INTRODUCTION:
In current era, digitalization of life style changes human behavior on waste generation. The rapid
growth of telecommunication and enormous change in technological sector and mismanagement
in their policy causes generation of electronic garbage. Most of the users are not well known;
about their behaviors where it may contain more than 1000 different substances and its average
in 1-3% of total solid waste in developed countries and darken in their damping process as well
as recycling technique. Most of these increased by 16-28% at every 5years intervals. In terms of
affect to the environment and handling process electronic wastes (E-Waste) are largely differ to
the other waste. Around up to 75% of electronics shipped to computer village in Lagos are
irreparable junk. Commensurate to the global trend, in Bangladesh also the market for electronic
goods is having exponential growth due to the rising disposable income and increasing demand
for the latest electronic gadgets. A large proportion of e-waste generation in Bangladesh
comprises e-waste and generally includes PCs, television , telephone, cell phones, air
conditioners, electronic toys, washing machines etc. and in addition to this, junk electronic
products such as printers, SVDR, lights, radio, horn, compass etc. generated from ship breakage
industry also constitutes a significant quantity of e-waste in Bangladesh.
1.1 Environmental and Human’s Health Effect:
Mostly the electronic wastes are reusable or recyclable. But unplanned disposal effect causes
disturbs to the eco-system and human health effect. So the first approach is to identity the
harmful component which exposed and leeched from waste may lead to effect on environment
and human healths are given below:
 Fe and steel.
 Non-ferrous metals (Pb, Cu, Al, Au)
 Glass
 Plastic
 Electronic components (R, C, L, ICs)
 Others (rubber, wood, ceramics).
A recent report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found nearly 90 percent
of e-waste is being illegally dumped and traded. Due to the relatively new issue of e-waste
disposal, many countries – especially developing ones – do not yet have protocols or laws on the

6. 3
topic in place yet. A growing black market has thus emerged, with illegal traffickers posing as
legitimate disposal services and then dumping tons of e-waste in random spots across the
developing world. This has led to environmental risks from the internal components of discarded
electronics, specifically heavy metals. Here are some of the main ways that different types of e-
waste can negatively affect the planet and its inhabitants given on Table 1.
Table 1: Environmental effect due to E-waste
Effected Area Mechanism of Effect
Air Many rudimentary e-waste “processing plants” are not ethically run – or safe.
For example, some e-waste trafficker’s burn open computer wires in order to
get to the copper inside – a valuable commodity. The open burning can
release hydrocarbons into the air, while the chemical stripping of gold-plated
computer chips leads to emissions of brominated dioxins and heavy metals. A
recent study of the environmental effects of the largest e-waste landfill in the
world in Guiyu, China, found airborne dioxins to be 100 times more prevalent
than previously measured
Water Cathode ray tubes, often found in older televisions, video cameras and
computer monitors are often broken apart, the yoke removed and the shell
dumped. Contents in the shell, such as lead and barium, could leach through
the soil and into the ground water of local communities. This endangers not
just the people who drink and bathe with this water but also the different
species of wildlife that rely on the water to sustain
Soil Another study of the Guiyu landfill found wind patterns in Southeast China
disperse toxic particles across the Pearl River Delta Region. The area, which
contains a population of 45 million, is at-risk due to the toxins entering the
“soil-crop-food pathway,” which is one of the most common ways that heavy
metals enter the human body
Again if these electronic items are discarded with other household garbage, the toxics pose a
threat to both health and vital components of the ecosystem. In view of the ill-effects of
hazardous wastes to both environment and health, several countries exhorted the need for a

7. 4
global agreement to address the problems and challenges posed by hazardous waste. Here Table
II summarizes the health effects of certain constituents in e-wastes
Table II: Effects of E-Waste constituent on health
Source of e-wastes Constituent Health effects
Solder in printed
circuit boards, glass
panels and gaskets
in computer
monitors
Lead (PB)  Damage to central and peripheral
nervous systems, blood systems and
kidney damage.
 Affects brain development of children.
Chip resistors and
semiconductors
Cadmium (CD)  Toxic irreversible effects on human
health.
 Accumulates in kidney and liver.
 Causes neural damage.
 Teratogenicity.
Relays and switches,
printed circuit
boards
Mercury (Hg)  Chronic damage to the brain.
 Respiratory and skin disorders due to
bioaccumulation in fishes.
Corrosion protection
of untreated and
galvanized steel
plates, decorator or
hardner for steel
housings
Hexavalent
chromium (Cr) VI
 Asthmatic bronchitis.
 DNA damage.
Cabling and
computer housing
Plastics including
PVC
Burning produces dioxin. It causes
 Reproductive and developmental
problems;
 Immune system damage;
 Interfere with regulatory hormones
Plastic housing of
electronic
equipments and
circuit boards.
Brominated flame
retardants (BFR)
 Disrupts endocrine system functions
Front panel of CRTs Barium (Ba) Short term exposure causes:
 Muscle weakness;
 Damage to heart, liver and spleen.
Motherboard Beryllium (Be)  Carcinogenic (lung cancer)
 Inhalation of fumes and dust. Causes
chronic beryllium disease or
beryllicosis.
 Skin diseases such as warts.

8. 5
2. MANAGEMENT OF E-WASTES
It is estimated that 75% of electronic items are stored due to uncertainty of how to manage it.
These electronic junks lie unattended in houses, offices, warehouses etc. and normally mixed
with household wastes, which are finally disposed at landfills. This necessitates implementable
management measures.
In industries management of e-waste should begin at the point of generation. This can be done by
waste minimization techniques and by sustainable product design. Waste minimization in
industries involves adopting:
 Inventory management,
 Production-process modification,
 Volume reduction,
 Recovery and reuse,
 Sustainable product design.
2.1 Inventory management
Proper control over the materials used in the manufacturing process is an important way to
reduce waste generation (Freeman, 1989). By reducing both the quantity of hazardous materials
used in the process and the amount of excess raw materials in stock, the quantity of waste
generated can be reduced. This can be done in two ways i.e. establishing material-purchase
review and control procedures and inventory tracking system.
2.2 Production-process modification
Changes can be made in the production process, which will reduce waste generation. This
reduction can be accomplished by changing the materials used to make the product or by the
more efficient use of input materials in the production process or both. Potential waste
minimization techniques can be broken down into three categories:
(a) Improved operating and maintenance procedures,
(b) Material change and
(c) Process-equipment modification.

9. 6
2.3 Volume reduction
Volume reduction includes those techniques that remove the hazardous portion of a waste from a
non-hazardous portion. These techniques are usually to reduce the volume, and thus the cost of
disposing of a waste material. The techniques that can be used to reduce waste-stream volume
can be divided into 2 general categories: source segregation and waste concentration.
Segregation of wastes is in many cases a simple and economical technique for waste reduction.
Wastes containing different types of metals can be treated separately so that the metal value in
the sludge can be recovered. Concentration of a waste stream may increase the likelihood that the
material can be recycled or reused. Methods include gravity and vacuum filtration, ultra
filtration, reverse osmosis, freeze vaporization etc.
2.4 Recovery and reuse
This technique could eliminate waste disposal costs, reduce raw material costs and provide
income from a salable waste. Waste can be recovered on-site, or at an off-site recovery facility,
or through inter industry exchange. A number of physical and chemical techniques are available
to reclaim a waste material such as reverse osmosis, electrolysis, condensation, electrolytic
recovery, filtration, centrifugation etc. For example, a printed-circuit board manufacturer can use
electrolytic recovery to reclaim metals from copper and tin-lead plating bath.
However recycling of hazardous products has little environmental benefit if it simply moves the
hazards into secondary products that eventually have to be disposed of. Unless the goal is to
redesign the product to use non-hazardous materials, such recycling is a false solution.
2.5 Sustainable product design
Minimization of hazardous wastes should be at product design stage itself keeping in mind the
following factors,
 Re-think the product design: Efforts should be made to design a product with fewer
amounts of hazardous materials. For example, the efforts to reduce material use are
reflected in some new computer designs that are flatter, lighter and more integrated.
Other companies propose centralized networks similar to the telephone system.
 Use of renewable materials and energy: Bio-based plastics are plastics made with
plant-based chemicals or plant-produced polymers rather than from petrochemicals.

10. 7
Bio-based toners, glues and inks are used more frequently. Solar computers also exist but
they are currently very expensive.
 Use of non-renewable materials that are safer: Because many of the materials used are
non-renewable, designers could ensure the product is built for re-use, repair and/or
upgradeable. Some computer manufacturers such as Dell and Gateway lease out their
products thereby ensuring they get them back to further upgrade and lease out again.
3. INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR E-WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY:
There is a huge gap between developed and developing countries related to WEEE/E-waste
policies/ laws/ regulations and institutional mechanisms. Recognizing the urgency to address this
gap, a number of agencies like as,
 Basel Convention,
 G8 3Rs Initiative,
 StEP,
 GTZ,
 UNEP/DTIE (IETC),
 GeSI and
 SECO have undertaken initiatives at global, regional and country level.
A brief description of these initiatives is given below.
3.1 Basel Convention:
The fundamental aims of the Basel Convention are the control and reduction of Trans-boundary
movements of hazardous and other wastes including the prevention and minimization of their
generation, the environmentally sound management of such wastes and the active promotion of
the transfer and use of technologies.
A Draft Strategic Plan has been proposed for the implementation of the Basel Convention. The
Draft Strategic Plan takes into account existing regional plans, programs or strategies, the
decisions of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies, ongoing project activities
and process of international environmental governance and sustainable development. The Draft
requires action at all levels of society: training, information, communication, methodological
tools, capacity building with financial support, transfer of know-how, knowledge and sound,

11. 8
proven cleaner technologies and processes to assist in the concrete implementation of the Basel
Declaration. It also calls for the effective involvement and coordination by all concerned
stakeholders which is essential for achieving the aims of the Basel Declaration within the
approach of common but differentiated responsibility.
A set of interrelated and mutually supportive strategies are proposed to support the concrete
implementation of the activities as indicated in the website is described below:
1. To involve experts in designing communication tools for creating awareness at the
highest level to promote the aims of the Basel Declaration on environmentally sound
management and the ratification and implementation of the Basel Convention, its
amendments and protocol with the emphasis on the short-term activities.
2. To engage and stimulate a group of interested parties to assist the secretariat in exploring
fund raising strategies including the preparation of projects and in making full use of
expertise in non-governmental organizations and other institutions in joint projects.
3. To motivate selective partners among various stakeholders to bring added value to make
progress in the short-term.
4. To disseminate and make information easily accessible through the internet and other
electronic and printed materials on the transfer of know-how, in particular through Basel
Convention Regional Centers (BCRCs).
5. To undertake periodic review of activities in relation to the agreed indicators;
6. To collaborate with existing institutions and programs to promote better use of cleaner
technology and its transfer, methodology, economic instruments or policy to facilitate or
support capacity-building for the environmentally sound management of hazardous and
other wastes.
The Basel Convention brought about a respite to the trans-boundary movement of hazardous
waste. India and other countries have ratified the convention. However United States (US) is not
a party to the ban and is responsible for disposing hazardous waste, such as, e-waste to Asian
countries even today. Developed countries such as US should enforce strict legislations in their
own country for the prevention of this horrifying act. In the European Union where the annual
quantity of electronic waste is likely to double in the next 12 years, the European Parliament
recently passed legislation that will require manufacturers to take back their electronic products

12. 9
when consumers discard them. This is called Extended Producer Responsibility. It also mandates
a timetable for phasing out most toxic substances in electronic products.
3.2 G-8 3Rs Initiative:
Taking 3Rs Initiatives at Minister Level, held in April 2005 in Tokyo, formally launched the 3Rs
Initiative agreed upon by the G8 leaders at the Sea Island Summit. During the Conference,
participating countries and organizations shared information on 3R-related activities. The Basel
Secretarial works closely with 3Rs initiative on E-waste issue. The Senior Officials Meeting on
the 3Rs Initiatives (SOM) was held in Tokyo, Japan on 6 to 8 March 2006 and was hosted by the
Ministry of Environment, Japan. Twenty countries participated in the meeting apart from the
European Commission, eight international organizations and network, including the Basel
Convention Secretariat. The Asia 3Rs Conference was held in Tokyo, Japan on 30 October to 1
November 2006 and was hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Japan. Twenty Asian countries
and six G-8 countries participated in the meeting, which included eight international
organizations and 32 networks, including the Basel Convention Secretariat. At the Working
Group on E-waste Management, the progress of the Asia Pacific E-waste Project was presented
by the Basel Secretariat and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for SEA in Jakarta.
3.3 StEP - Solving the E-waste Problem:
The StEP initiative, developed in 1984 and formally launched in March 2007, is based in the UN
University, Bonn, Germany. The StEP initiative is the offspring of UNU, the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The role
of SteP is to provide analysis and dialogue from a neutral standpoint in order to find solutions,
which reduce environmental risk and enhance development. Its prime objectives are optimizing
the life cycle of electric and electronic equipment by:
(a) Improving supply chains;
(b) Closing material loops;
(c) Reducing contamination;
(d) Increasing utilization of resources and reuse of equipment;
(e) Exercising concern about disparities such as the digital divide between the industrializing
and industrialized countries;
(f) Increasing public, scientific and business knowledge.

13. 10
Principles:
1. StEP's work is founded on scientific assessments and incorporates a comprehensive view
of the social, environmental and economic aspects of E-waste.
2. StEP conducts research on the entire life-cycle of electronic and electrical equipment and
their corresponding global supply, process and material flows.
3. StEP's research and pilot projects are meant to contribute to the solution of E-waste
problems.
4. StEP condemns all illegal activities related to E-waste including illegal shipments and
reuse/ recycling practices that are harmful to the environment and human health.
5. StEP seeks to foster safe and eco/energy-efficient reuse and recycling practices around
the globe in a socially responsible manner.
3.4 UNEP/ DTIE (IETC)
UNEP through International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) is implementing
“Integrated Solid Waste Management Project” based on 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle). ISWM
covers all types of wastes in an integrated manner. UNEP DTIE-IETC is also focusing on
WEEE/E-waste management and is developing two manuals on WEEE/E-waste assessment and
WEEE/E-waste management. Earlier UNEP DTIE supported a city level WEEE/E-waste
assessment study for Mumbai and Pune in India.
3.5 GeSI: Global e-Sustainability Initiative:
The Secretary of GeSI is located in UNEP/DTIE. It is an industrial organization for which a
membership fee is paid annually to run the Secretariat and handle other administrative matters.
GeSI consists of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) service providers and
suppliers, with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and International
Telecommunication Union. Their objectives are to share their experience and knowledge, work
with stakeholders, manage their own private sector operations in a sustainable way, raise
awareness of the contribution ICT can make to society and engage in research and
benchmarking.

14. 11
4. GLOBAL SITUATION OF E-WASTE:
In the 1990s, governments in the European Union (EU), Japan, the United States (US) and some
other industrialized countries began to tighten the regulatory framework against electronic
wastes and simultaneously commenced the setting up of electronic waste retrieval and recycling
systems. Consequently, therefore, such industrialized countries began exporting their
predicament to developing countries where laws to protect workers and the environment are non-
existent, inadequate or unenforced. Recycling waste in developing countries, as for instance, the
cost of breaking down or recycling of electronics in the US is 26 times more than the cost in
Nigeria. In this most populous African country, labor costs are much lower while safety and
environmental regulations are ignored or corruptly negotiated. Krueger described the general
scenario this way: “in the late 1980s the average disposal cost for one tone of hazardous waste in
Africa was between $US2.50 and $US50, while in the OECD it ranged from $US100 to
$US2000. Electronic waste (or e-waste‘) is the term used to cover all types of electrical and
electronic equipment that has or could enter the waste stream. Although electronic waste is a
general term, it has assumed technical usage as a term covering any household or business item
with circuitry or electrical components with power or battery supply. These may consist of
electrical and electronic equipment and accessories that are non-operational or whose life cycles
are extinguished. Although China and India used to be the dumping grounds for such discarded
global electronic wastes, several studies have exposed illegal exporting of electronic wastes from
developed countries to African countries, and several Asian and Pacific countries, over the past
few decades. Further levels of internally generated electronic wastes are rising across the
developing world as well, a result of increased electronic goods consumption stemming, inter
alia, from upward indices of material wealth in the so-called Third World countries.
Understandably, while the age of information superhighway has brought about many benefits,
rising consumption of electrical and electronic equipment coupled with increasingly rapid
obsolescence due to unrelenting technological advances, and diminishing product lifetimes has
led to significant increases in global electronic wastes levels. Although exact data are difficult to
come by because of the often clandestine nature of the trans-boundary movements of toxic
wastes and hazardous products, researchers estimate that some 50 million tons of electronic
waste is produced annually around the world, of which only ten percent is recycled. The UNEP
study of 2009 warns that by 2020, electronic waste in South Africa and China will have soared

15. 12
by 200-400 percent from 2007 levels and by 500 percent in India. Statistics also suggest that the
United Kingdom alone is responsible for producing some 1 million tons per year of electronic
wastes while the United States dumps between 300 and 400 million electronic items per year,
and yet, less than twenty percent of those electronic wastes are properly recycled. This mounting
crisis is compounded by low recycling rates, and illegal trans-boundary movement from
developed to developing countries. At the same time, there is a significant increase in demand
for electrical and electronic equipment from within developing countries, thus further
contributing to future potential increases in electronic wastes. Individual demand for electrical
and electronic equipment is rising at a considerable pace across developing countries, driven
primarily by growing disposable incomes and the quest for the monetary values of components
retrieved from obsolete electrical and electronic equipment. Demand in the poorer countries of
Africa and Asia for electronic waste has steadily grown as informal scrap yards found they could
extract valuable substances such as copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold, during the recycling
process. A mobile phone, for example, is 19 percent copper and 8 percent iron.
Despite this growing demand for, and saturation rates of, electronic and electrical equipment
across the African continent, many people are unable to afford new electronic devices. The
resultant quest for cheaper second-hand electrical and electronic equipment, coupled with low
labor costs for reparation and refurbishment, has thus led to a strong electronic re-use market in
developing countries, and is clearly strong across much of the developing world. Taking Nigeria
as case study, for instance, the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) declared that within the
first quarter of 2010 alone, it destroyed over 30 container shipments estimated at three hundred
million Naira (approximately two million US dollars). Ghana is reported to have imported
31,400 metric tons of used electrical appliances in 2010 alone, 75 percent more than what was
imported in 2009, with the United Kingdom accounting for more than half the quantum of
imports into that country. In Tanzania, the World Bank asserts that over the last decade, personal
computer penetration rates has risen ten-fold, while the number of people who own mobile
phones has increased by over a hundred percent. In Kenya, electrical and electronic equipment
was found to contribute up to twenty percent of the stock of second-hand ICT equipment in the
country as of 2009. Much of the remaining demand for secondhand electrical and electronic
equipment in developing countries is met by imports from developed countries. However,
estimates from Greenpeace International, an independent international non-governmental

16. 13
organization that acts to transform attitudes and actions in order to protect and conserve the
environment and to promote peace indicate that between 25 and 75 per cent of second-hand
electrical and electronic equipment imported into Africa arrived in an unusable condition,
beyond repair. In summing up this segment, it becomes discernible that the electronic waste
problem is a global concern because of the nature of the generation, distribution and dumping of
wastes in the globalized world economy. While it is hard to calculate overall amounts of
electronic wastes, it is beyond question that hefty quantities end up at locations where
dispensation takes place at very rudimentary levels. This engenders concerns in relation to
capacity building, resource efficiency and also the shorter and longer term apprehensions about
the perils to human beings and the environment. Certainly, there is a lengthy and often complex
sequence of processes in the electronic waste menace, starting from an idea that an info-tech
expert has conceived for making a new invention, then the fabrication of that product, leading to
its commercialization, procurement and, ultimately, it’s dumping by the consumer after the
products life span or usefulness. These are the issues that throw up the questions around waste
management beyond its confinement as a legal issue simplicities.
5. E-WASTE BANGLADESH SCENARIO:
Bangladesh is developing with the increasing of technology usage. Sustainable and safe use of
technology is a big challenge for Bangladesh. The wastes from electronic goods come to
Bangladesh as curse. People consume and dump the useless products without any consideration
of environmental damages and sustainability. Moreover, every year significant number of scrap
ships is imported to Bangladesh by importer legally and/illegally. These ships are broken in ship
breaking yard located mainly in southern part of Bangladesh. During ship breaking, many heavy
metals and toxic pollutants emit to environment and oil spills to land and water bodies. As
Bangladesh has binding to import scrap ships, thus illegal import and trade off of e-waste is
happening by importer to make profit and hence, e-waste vulnerability of Bangladesh is
increasing. The scrap ships are carrying large volume of toxics products and electrical &
electronic waste, includes: antiques, barometers, clothes irons, electronics, lamps/light bulbs,
light switches, paint(Latex), pesticides, television sets, thermometers, mirrors, washing
machines, calculators, desktop liquid crystal display(LCD) monitors, laptop, LCD monitors,
neon lights, sewer pipes, etc. In Bangladesh almost 2.7 million metric tons of e-waste generated

17. 14
per year. According to yearly generation figures, it is clear that ship breaking yard occupied
highest (2.5 million metric tons) position. Wastes from television sets have taken the second
highest (0.182 million metric tons) position with an exponentially increasing rate. Bangladesh is
one of the highly e-waste generating countries in the world. In Bangladesh about 2.7 million
metric tons of e-waste has generated per year, in contrast, it is stated in the report ―From e-
waste to Resource‖ that in the world volume of e-waste generated per year is 20 million metric
tons. However, according to UNEP projections, an estimated 20-50 million tons of e-Waste is
being generated annually in the world. No inventory has been made to assess the extent of e-
waste problem in Bangladesh.
The goods bellow generates e-wastes in Bangladesh;
 Total number of PCs, TVs and Refrigerators in the year 2006 was 600,000, 1,252,000
and 2,200,000.
 The total number of TV sets users is roughly 10.3 million at the end of the year 2008.
 Every year around 59, 85,000 TV sets become scraping and generated 88,357.14 metric
tons of e-waste.
 The total number of mobile phone active subscribers in Bangladesh was 58.36million at
the end of May 2010.
 Each year more than 2.8 million tons of electronic waste (it includes e-waste from ship
breaking yard) generated in Bangladesh.
 E-waste generated from ship breaking yards about 2.5 million metric tons in a year.
 POPs: from ship breaking sites, PCB, Dioxin, Furan.
 10,504 metric tons of toxic e-waste by cell phone sets within last 21 years.
 Within the last 10 years IT sector generated 35,000 metric tons of e-waste in Bangladesh
According to an estimate, more than 500 thousand computers were in 2004 and this number has
been growing at 11.4% annually (Hossain, 2004). Even if the figure of 500 thousand were taken
as the baseline that many PCs would contain approximately 15,233 tons of waste (27.2 kg/PC for
5 years obsolescence) in 2010 containing deadly plastic, lead, mercury etc. the quantity if e-
waste (PC and Cell phone) to be generated has been estimated by following two methods
suggested in (Sinha et al. 2007). The first method, Market supply Method A (MA) assumes that
the averages lifetime of an electronic product is approximately five years and after that these are
discarded and come to the waste stream. The second method, Market Supply Method B (MB)

18. 15
assumes that the products are not disposed at the same time rather they are disposed in varying
quantities over successive years. Here weighted average method is used to show the product
disposal trend. For PCs the growth rate is considered to be 11.4% (Hossain, 2004) and for cell
phones a 100% growth rate is considered annually (parvez et al. 2007). The quantity of e-waste
to be generated from two types of electronic products shown in Table III
Table III: Estimation of PC and Cell Phone Waste in Dhaka
Year Personal Computers wt. (in tons) Cell Phones wt. (in tons)
M A M B Average M A M B Average
2010 16,701 13,945 15,323 2,567 2,824 2,696
2011 18,251 16,701 17,476 5,135 5,135 5,135
2012 19,802 16,116 17,959 7,702 7,702 7,702
Bangladesh is a signatory to the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous
Waste. Currently there is no specific regulation dealing with e-waste management.
5.1 Informal Recycling Practice in Bangladesh:
With the rapid update of technological product, large amount of electronic goods are becoming
obsolete and are disposed in a short period time. The equipments that are disposed of by the
various offices and personal users go to people involved in different tiers in recycling those
things. Beside another region, two major cities in Bangladesh have larger hotspot of e-waste
recycling process informally.
5.1.1 Recycling Hotspots in Dhaka City:
Largest Computer scarp shop that is so called as “Vangari” mainly situated in chankhar pool,
Nimtali. Few spots are situated in others places beside Nimtoli of Dhaka. The main spots are:
 Nimtali
 Dolai khal
 Elephant Road
Their recycling flow of the informal sector is shown by the following Fig.1

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Figure 1: Informal sector recycling process in Dhaka
5.1.2 Recycling Hotspots at Chittagong City:
There are different areas in Chittagong that handles second hand electronic products. Among
them following are the key areas dealing with e-waste recycling:
 CDA market
 Coxy Market
 Ice Factory Road
 Bhatiyali
 Kadamtali
Their recycling process followed by all the markets mentioned is almost similar. Their recycling
flow of the informal sector is shown by the following Fig. 2.
Figure 2: Informal sector recycling process in Chittagong

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5.2 Challenges in Bangladesh:
 Lack of legislation to control in-flow of used electronics products
 Lack of awareness by public on inherent dangers of E-Waste
 Lack of recycling facilities
 Poor corporate responsibility by industry
 Used electronics not contraband to Bangladesh Customs Service
6. ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY AND APPROACH:
Considering the severity of the problem, it is imperative that certain management options be
adopted to handle the bulk e-wastes. Following are some of the management options suggested
for the government, industries and the public.
6.1 Responsibilities of the Government:
i. Government should set up regulatory agencies in each district, which are vested with
the responsibility of co-coordinating and consolidating the regulatory functions of the
various government authorities regarding hazardous substances.
ii. Government should be responsible for providing an adequate system of laws, controls
and administrative procedures for hazardous waste management (Third World
Network. 1991). Existing laws concerning e-waste disposal be reviewed and
revamped. A comprehensive law that provides e-waste regulation and management
and proper disposal of hazardous wastes is required. Such a law should empower the
agency to control, supervise and regulate the relevant activities of government
departments.
Under this law, the agency concerned should
 Collect basic information on the materials from manufacturers, processors and
importers and to maintain an inventory of these materials. The information
should include toxicity and potential harmful effects.
 Identify potentially harmful substances and require the industry to test them
for adverse health and environmental effects.
 Control risks from manufacture, processing, distribution, use and disposal of
electronic wastes.

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 Encourage beneficial reuse of "e-waste" and encouraging business activities
that use waste". Set up programs so as to promote recycling among citizens
and businesses.
 Educate e-waste generators on reuse/recycling options
iii. Government must encourage research into the development and standard of
hazardous waste management, environmental monitoring and the regulation of
hazardous waste-disposal.
iv. Government should enforce strict regulations against dumping e-waste in the country
by outsiders. Where the laws are flouted, stringent penalties must be imposed. In
particular, custodial sentences should be preferred to paltry fines, which these
outsiders / foreign nationals can pay.
v. Government should enforce strict regulations and heavy fines levied on industries,
which do not practice waste prevention and recovery in the production facilities.
vi. Polluter pays principle and extended producer responsibility should be adopted.
vii. Government should encourage and support NGOs and other organizations to involve
actively in solving the nation's e-waste problems.
viii. Uncontrolled dumping is an unsatisfactory method for disposal of hazardous waste
and should be phased out.
ix. Government should explore opportunities to partner with manufacturers and retailers
to provide recycling services.
6.2 Responsibility and Role of industries:
1. Generators of wastes should take responsibility to determine the output characteristics
of wastes and if hazardous, should provide management options.
2. All personnel involved in handling e-waste in industries including those at the policy,
management, control and operational levels, should be properly qualified and trained.
Companies can adopt their own policies while handling e-wastes. Some are given
below:
 Use label materials to assist in recycling (particularly plastics).
 Standardize components for easy disassembly.

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 Re-evaluate 'cheap products' use, make product cycle 'cheap' and so that it has no
inherent value that would encourage a recycling infrastructure.
 Create computer components and peripherals of biodegradable materials.
 Utilize technology sharing particularly for manufacturing and de manufacturing.
 Encourage / promote / require green procurement for corporate buyers.
 Look at green packaging options.
3. Companies can and should adopt waste minimization techniques, which will make a
significant reduction in the quantity of e-waste generated and thereby lessening the
impact on the environment. It is a "reverse production" system that designs
infrastructure to recover and reuse every material contained within e-wastes metals
such as lead, copper, aluminum and gold, and various plastics, glass and wire. Such a
"closed loop" manufacturing and recovery system offers a win-win situation for
everyone, less of the Earth will be mined for raw materials, and groundwater will be
protected, researchers explain.
4. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers should undertake the responsibility of
recycling/disposal of their own products.
5. Manufacturers of computer monitors, television sets and other electronic devices
containing hazardous materials must be responsible for educating consumers and the
general public regarding the potential threat to public health and the environment posed
by their products. At minimum, all computer monitors, television sets and other
electronic devices containing hazardous materials must be clearly labeled to identify
environmental hazards and proper materials management.
6.3 Responsibilities of the Citizen:
Waste prevention is perhaps more preferred to any other waste management option including
recycling. Donating electronics for reuse extends the lives of valuable products and keeps them
out of the waste management system for a longer time. But care should be taken while donating
such items i.e. the items should be in working condition.
Reuse, in addition to being an environmentally preferable alternative, also benefits society. By
donating used electronics, schools, non-profit organizations, and lower-income families can
afford to use equipment that they otherwise could not afford.

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E-wastes should never be disposed with garbage and other household wastes. This should be
segregated at the site and sold or donated to various organizations.
While buying electronic products opt for those that:
 are made with fewer toxic constituents
 use recycled content
 are energy efficient
 are designed for easy upgrading or disassembly
 utilize minimal packaging
 offer leasing or take back options
 Have been certified by regulatory authorities. Customers should opt for upgrading
their computers or other electronic items to the latest versions rather than buying
new equipment’s.
NGOs should adopt a participatory approach in management of e-wastes.
7. Conclusion:
Industrial revolution followed by the advances in information technology during the last century
has radically changed people's lifestyle. Although this development has helped the human race,
mismanagement has led to new problems of contamination and pollution. Like as solid waste
management, which is already a big challenge for Bangladesh, is becoming more complicated by
the invasion of e-wastes. There exists an urgent need for a detailed assessment of the current and
future scenario including quantification, characteristics, existing disposal practices,
environmental impacts etc. Institutional infrastructures, including e-waste import, collection,
transportation, treatment, storage, recovery and disposal, need to be established, at national
and/or regional levels for the environmentally sound management of e- wastes. Establishment of
e-waste collection, exchange and recycling centers should be encouraged in partnership with
private entrepreneurs and manufacturers. E-waste policy development may require a paradigm
shift in perception from a problematic waste issue to an opportunistic green growth solution for
Bangladesh. Consequently, this paper suggest that e-waste policy development may require a
more customized approach where instead of addressing e-waste in isolation it should be
addressed as part of the national development agenda that integrates GEA and SEA as part of
national policy planning.

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