WEEE Management Challenges in India (from indian e-waste guide)

The challenges of managing e-waste in India are very different from those in other countries, developed or developing. While there can be several shared lessons, the complexity of the e-waste issue in India, given its vast geographical and cultural diversity and economic disparities, makes WEEE management challenges in India quite unique. A few of these are:

Rapidly increasing e-waste volumes, both domestically generated as well as through imports. Imports are often disguised as second-hand comptuer donations towards bridging the digital divide or simply as metal scrap.
No accurate estimates of the quantity of e-waste generated and recycled.
Low level of awareness amongst manufacturers and consumers of the hazards of incorrect e-waste disposal.
Widespread e-waste recycling in the informal sector using rudimentary techniques such as acid leaching and open air burning resulting in severe environmental damage
E-waste workers have little or no knowledge of toxins in e-waste and are exposed to serious health hazards.
Inefficient recycling processes result in substantial losses of material value
‘Cherry-picking’ by recyclers who recover precious metals and improperly dispose of the rest.