2024
Ashwary Sehgal
MA Design strategy and Innovation
Interaction
E-Waste Management in India
Project Description
E-waste management has become most critical and complex for the developing nation where 95% of E-waste recycling is undertaken by the informal sector
which is detrimental for the environment and society.
There are several institutes who practice
established and formal E-waste recycling, around 178. However, a country with more than
billions of people has become very difficult for governments to keep a record of all the
resources. As most informal recycling is undertaken without using any formalization
techniques this makes effective disposal highly problematic. Areas like Seemapuri in Delhi
are the country's largest electrical waste market. Materials like Lead, Cadmium and
Beryllium found in E-Waste could be a potential cause of skin problems, moreover, in all
these toxics chemical can affect the liver and nervous system even in newborn babies. The
Indian government have taken major steps to resolve this issue such as ‘Right to Repair’
which works as a gateway to for the companies to repair their products for the customer.
However, none of these products are designed and developed for recycling and easy repair.
The largest problem for India is to effect encouragement of using the formal practice of
recycling E-waste. This research study will investigate how to encourage manufacturers to
use formal techniques for recycling E-waste and will provide a comprehensive framework for companies to handle E-waste with the support of providing the right skillsets and
technologies for E-waste disposal through the perspective of Design Thinking.
