E-waste or electronic waste includes electrical and electronic equipment like phones, computers, consumer electronic products like ovens, floppies, printer cartridges, toasters, TVs, toys, batteries and other discarded electronic items etc. It has components that are toxic and non biodegradable like lead, mercury, carbon, silicon.

It was in 1991 in Switzerland that the first initiative towards recycling electronic waste was taken up with the collection of refrigerators. Now, it is also possible to return a lot of electronic waste back to the selling point. Still, handling electronic waste is a growing problem around the world due to the rapidly changing technology and change in fashion. What people ignore is the fact that many of these items can be reused or their raw materials can be re – conceptualized if handled well else they can be a major source of toxins if not handled properly.

Apart from deriving technical solutions, logistics and legal framework need to be implemented so that the technical solution can be applied. A general tendency of the developed world has been to dump their electronic waste in countries like China, India, Mexico etc. where lower environment standards and working conditions prevail and it is cheaper to dispose their e-waste. It is of huge concern as due to the improper processing, incineration, dismantling and disposal of the e-waste; environmental and health problems have been aggravated in these countries.

Many industrialized countries have become conscious of this issue and have set up electronic waste recycling plant in their own countries where cost-effective methods are followed. Some countries have come up with legislations for encouraging companies to recycle the electronics manufactured by them.