On the streets of Mustafabad in east Delhi, 15-year-old Masood calls himself a reverse engineer. He dismantles computers day in and day out, knowing little that the toxins present in the hardware of these dead machines is killing him slowly.

With no protective gear, Masood and his friends burn circuit boards and cables to extract precious metals like gold, lead, copper and platinum in poorly ventilated rooms, inhaling this slow poison. The toxins released in the process of separating these metals can damage kidneys, brain and lungs of those exposed to it. Skin diseases, hormonal imbalances, asthma and even cancer are caused by these toxins. These chemicals are now a part of their soil and water as well due to landfilling of e-waste.

According to the Union ministry of environment and forests’ own report, India will generate a whooping eight lakh tonnes of waste by the end of 2012, marking an eight-fold increase in the last seven years. Despite a ban on importing of e-waste, an additional 50,000 tonnes makes its way in the country through illegal means, thanks to the lax regulation.

More than 70% of e-waste in India comes from 10 states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Out of the cities, Mumbai is the hub of e-waste in India followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.

But the young boys and girls like Masood who are risking their lives for meagre livelihood of this waste are lost in the background of these statistics. They have no social protection or health coverage. In fact, there is so far no information as to how many people are employed in India in this informal sector of e-waste disposal.

There is so far no information as to how many people are employed in India in this informal sector of e-waste disposal.

We generate 8 lakh tonnes of e-waste every year = 110 million laptops! Bangalore alone generates 400,000 batteries as e-waste every month.

And there is definitely a better way to dispose the remains of our digital age, than to thrust it, unsorted, in the hands of people who stake their lives and health to extract useful materials out of it.

What is e-waste?

Note: CFLs is not e-waste.

CDs Chargers Pen drives Headphones Cartridges Cameras Mice Wires Keyboards Calculators PCB boards Remotes CD/DVDs Dry Cell Batteries,Laptop Batteries Phones Small Electronic Toys.

What can you do about it?

Start by not disposing it in the regular dustbins. Dispose it in designated e-waste bins in your residential areas/apartment complexes.