THE JEOPARDIZED SITUATION OF ELECTRONIC WASTE IN BANGLADESH: CAN CUSTOMIZED POLICY APPROACH SOLVE THE CHALLENGE?
https://doi.org/10.15356/2071-9388_01v09_2016_04
Abstract
Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. In Bangladesh almost 2.7 million metric tons of e-waste generated per year. Of this amount
only 20 to 30 percent is recycled and the rest of the waste is released in to landfills, rivers, drains lakes, canals, open spaces which are very hazardous for the health and environment. Since Bangladesh is in the stream of rapid technological advancement, it is seldom to take necessary steps to avoid the future jeopardized situation because of e-waste. The current practices of e-waste management in Bangladesh suffer from a number of drawbacks like the difficulty in inventorisation, unhealthy conditions of informal recycling, inadequate legislation and policy, poor awareness and reluctance on part of the corporate to address the critical issues. The paper highlights the associated issues and strategies to address this emerging problem, analyses the policy and its gaps. Therefore, this paper also 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 green economy assessment and strategic environmental assessment as part of national policy planning. Finally this work also suggests some alternative strategies and approaches to overcome the challenges of e-waste.
only 20 to 30 percent is recycled and the rest of the waste is released in to landfills, rivers, drains lakes, canals, open spaces which are very hazardous for the health and environment. Since Bangladesh is in the stream of rapid technological advancement, it is seldom to take necessary steps to avoid the future jeopardized situation because of e-waste. The current practices of e-waste management in Bangladesh suffer from a number of drawbacks like the difficulty in inventorisation, unhealthy conditions of informal recycling, inadequate legislation and policy, poor awareness and reluctance on part of the corporate to address the critical issues. The paper highlights the associated issues and strategies to address this emerging problem, analyses the policy and its gaps. Therefore, this paper also 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 green economy assessment and strategic environmental assessment as part of national policy planning. Finally this work also suggests some alternative strategies and approaches to overcome the challenges of e-waste.
About the Authors
Khalid Md. Bahauddin
International Society for Development and Sustainability
Japan
Japan
Tariq Muhammad Salahuddin
Youth Environmental and Social Service (YESS)
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
References
1. Ahmed FRS (2011). E-waste management scenario in Bangladesh. In: WEEE/E-waste management workshop on take-back system, pp. 13–15.
2. Ahmed FRS and Pervez m. (2011). E-waste in Bangladesh. E-waste management workshop on take-back system, pp. 13–15.
3. Abir M., Shanoor R. (2011), Electronic waste in Bangladesh: A situation analysis. Sustainable Development, 19 (5): 23–35.
4. Akenji L., Hotta Y., Bengtsson M., Hayashi S. (2011). EPR policies for electronics in developing Asia: an adapted phase-in approach. Waste Manage Res 29 (9): 919–930.
5. Agamuthu P., Victor D. (2011). Policy trends of extended producer responsibility in Malaysia. Waste Manage Res 29 (9): 945–953.
6. Arora R., (2008), Best Practices for e-waste management in developing nations, Europe Aid Co-operation Office, pp. 1–24.
7. Babu, B.R., Parande, A.K., & Basha, C., A. (2007). Electrical and electronic waste: a global environmental problem. Waste Management & Research, 25 (4), 307–318.
8. Barba-Gutierrez, Y., B. Adenso-Diaz, et al. (2008). “An analysis of some environmental consequences of European electrical and electronic waste regulation.” Resources. Conservation and Recycling, 52 (3): 481–495.
9. BAN (Basel Action Network) (2006): A Call for an Interpretation of Article 17 by the Parties for Rapid Entry into Force of the Basel Ban Amendment. [Online], available at: http://www.ban.org/Library/ban_entry_into_force_06.pdf [accessed on 10 March 2015]
10. Brigden K., Labunska I., Santillo D., Allsopp M. (2005). Recycling of electronic wastes in China and India: workplace and environmental contamination. Greenpeace International, p. 55.
11. Chatterjee S., and Kumar K., (2009), Effective electronic waste management and recycling process involving formal and non-formal sectors, International Journal of Physical Sciences, 4 (13), pp. 893–905.
12. Chung S. (2012) Projection of waste quantities: the case of e-waste of the People’s Republic of China. Waste Manage Res. 30: 1130–1137.
13. Dennis V., Agamuthu P. (2012). Strategic environmental assessment policy optimization prospects for solid waste management in Malaysia. Presented at the International Solid Waste Association World Congress, Italy, 2012, Florence, Italy.
14. Gibson K., Tierney J.K. (2006). Electronic waste management and disposal issues and alternatives. Environ Claims J. 18 (4): 321–332.
15. Gottberg A., Morris J., Pollard S., Mark-Herbert C. and Cook M. (2006), Producer responsibility, waste minimization and the WEEE Directive, Case studies in eco-design from the European lighting sector, Science of the Total Environment, 359, pp. 38–56.
16. Herat S. (2008). Green electronics through legislation and lead free soldering. CLEAN Soil Air Water 36 (2): 145–151.
17. Huisman, J., & Stevels, A. (2004). Eco-efficient implementation of electronic waste policies in practice. Electronics and the Environment Conference Record for 2004 IEEE International Symposium, pp. 243–248.
18. Kahhat, R., Kim, J., Xu, M., Allenby, B., & Williams, E. (2008). Proposal for an e-waste management system for the United States. IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment Year, pp. 1–6.
19. Kojima M., Yoshida A., Sasaki S. (2009). Difficulties in applying extended producer responsibility policies in developing countries: case studies in e-waste recycling in China and Thailand. J. Mater Cycles Waste Manage 11 (3): 263–269.
20. Lindhqvist Thomas. (2000). Extended Producer Responsibility in Cleaner Production. Policy Principle to Promote Environmental Improvements of Product Systems, IIIEE Dissertations 2000:2. Lund University, the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics: Lund.
21. Manomaivibool, Panate. (2009). Extended producer responsibility in a non-OECD context: The management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in India. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 53 (3): 136–144.
22. Mo, H., Wen, Z., & Chen, J. (2009). China’s recyclable resources recycling system and policy: A case study in Suzhou. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 53 (7), 409–419.
23. Nnorom, I.C. and O. Osibanjo (2008). “Overview of electronic waste (e-waste) management practices and legislations, and their poor applications in the developing countries.” Resources. Conservation and Recycling 52 (6): 843–858.
24. Robinson, B., H. (2009). E-waste: An assessment of global production and environmental impacts. Science of the Total Environment, 408 (2), 183–191.
25. Schmidt, M. (2005). A production-theory-based framework for analysing recycling systems in the e-waste sector. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 25 (5), 505–524.
26. Sthiannopkao S., Wong M.H. (2012). Handling e-waste in developed and developing countries: Initiatives, practices, and consequences. Sci Total Environ, Aug.
27. Terazono A., Murakami S., Abe N., Inanc B., Moriguchi Y., Sakai S., Kojima M., Yoshida A., Li J., Yang J. (2006). Current status and research on E-waste issues in Asia. J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manage 8 (1): 1–12.
28. UNEP (2007). E-waste volume II: e-waste management manual. Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, International Environmental Technology Centre, Osaka.
29. Wagner, T.P. (2009): .Shared responsibility for managing electronic waste: A case study of Maine, USA., in: Waste Management 29, 12, pp. 3014–3021.
30. Widmer, R., Oswald-Krapf, H., Sinha-Khetriwal, D., Schnellmann, M. & Boni, H. (2010). Global perspectives on e-waste. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 25 (5), 436–458.
31. Yoshida, Aya, Tasaki, Tomohiro and Terazono, Atsuhi. (2008). Estimation of Secondhand Personal Computer Import and Export in Asian Region. IEEE Xplore. Downloaded 14 January 2009.
32. Xianbing, L., Masaru, T., & Yasuhiro, M. (2006). Electrical and electronic waste management in China: progress and the barriers to overcome. Journal of Waste Management & Research, 24 (1), 92–101.
Review
For citations:
Bahauddin Kh.M., Salahuddin T.M. THE JEOPARDIZED SITUATION OF ELECTRONIC WASTE IN BANGLADESH: CAN CUSTOMIZED POLICY APPROACH SOLVE THE CHALLENGE? GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY. 2016;9(1):42-58. https://doi.org/10.15356/2071-9388_01v09_2016_04
Views:
1270
Email this article 