♻️ Chapter 05 · Topic 06 · Environmental Pollution

E-Waste, Plastic Pollution & Complete Revision

Electronic waste, plastic pollution, microplastics, single-use plastic ban, solid waste management, and complete chapter revision — UPSC & PSC notes.

📱 E-Waste (Electronic Waste)

E-waste = discarded electronic and electrical equipment (computers, phones, TVs, refrigerators, batteries)
India is the 3rd largest e-waste generator globally (after China and USA) — ~3.2 million metric tonnes/year
Top e-waste generating states: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Toxic Materials in E-Waste

Material	Found In	Health Effect
Lead (Pb)	CRT monitors, solder, batteries	Neurological damage, especially in children
Mercury (Hg)	Fluorescent lamps, switches	Neurological damage, kidney damage
Cadmium (Cd)	Rechargeable batteries, semiconductors	Kidney damage, bone disease
Chromium (Cr VI)	Metal coatings, data tapes	Carcinogenic, DNA damage
BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardants)	Circuit boards, plastic casings	Endocrine disruption, cancer
Beryllium	Motherboards, connectors	Lung disease (berylliosis)

E-Waste Management Rules 2016 (amended 2022)

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — producers, importers, and brand owners must collect and recycle e-waste
Producers must set up collection centres or tie up with authorised recyclers
Consumers must deposit e-waste at collection centres (not in regular bins)
Informal recycling sector handles ~95% of India’s e-waste — uses unsafe methods (acid baths, open burning) — serious health hazard
2022 amendment introduced EPR certificates and online portal for tracking

⭐ Informal E-Waste Recycling: Most e-waste in India is processed by informal workers in areas like Seelampur (Delhi), Dharavi (Mumbai), and Moradabad (UP). Workers — including children — are exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals without protection. This is a major occupational health crisis.

🛍️ Plastic Pollution

India generates ~3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually
Only ~30% is recycled; rest ends up in landfills, water bodies, or is openly burned
Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) — used once and discarded; major source of plastic pollution
India banned identified SUPs from July 1, 2022 under Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2021
Banned SUP items: plastic sticks for ear buds/balloons/flags, plastic cutlery (plates, cups, forks, spoons, knives), straws, trays, wrapping films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, PVC banners <100 microns, stirrers
Plastic bags must be at least 120 microns thick

Microplastics

Microplastics = plastic particles <5 mm in size
Primary microplastics — manufactured small (microbeads in cosmetics, nurdles/plastic pellets)
Secondary microplastics — formed by breakdown of larger plastic items by UV radiation and physical weathering
Found in: oceans, rivers, drinking water, food (fish, salt, honey), human blood, breast milk, placenta
Health effects: under study; potential endocrine disruption, inflammation, cancer
Great Pacific Garbage Patch — massive accumulation of plastic (mostly microplastics) in North Pacific Ocean; twice the size of Texas
UN Environment Assembly (2022) — resolution to develop a global plastics treaty by 2024

📌 Microbeads: Tiny plastic beads used in cosmetics (face scrubs, toothpaste) as exfoliants. They pass through water treatment plants and enter water bodies. Many countries have banned microbeads. India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules restrict their use.

🗑️ Solid Waste Management

Type of Waste	Examples	Management
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)	Household waste, market waste	Segregation, composting, landfill, WtE
Biomedical Waste	Hospital waste, syringes, blood	Colour-coded bins; incineration; autoclaving
Hazardous Waste	Industrial chemicals, solvents, batteries	Secure landfill, incineration, treatment
Construction & Demolition Waste	Concrete, bricks, tiles	Recycling, reuse in construction
Agricultural Waste	Crop residue, animal waste	Composting, biogas, mulching

Waste Management Hierarchy

Reduce — use less material; most preferred option
Reuse — use items multiple times before discarding
Recycle — process waste into new materials
Recover — extract energy from waste (Waste-to-Energy)
Dispose — landfill; least preferred option

✅ Complete Chapter 05 Revision Checklist

✅ Primary pollutants = directly emitted; Secondary = formed in atmosphere (ozone, PAN, smog)
✅ PM2.5 = <2.5 microns = most dangerous = enters bloodstream
✅ CO = carboxyhaemoglobin = reduces O₂ carrying capacity
✅ Photochemical smog = NOₓ + VOCs + sunlight = oxidising = PAN
✅ Acid rain = pH <5.6 = H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ = marble cancer (Taj Mahal)
✅ AQI: Good (0–50) → Satisfactory → Moderate → Poor → Very Poor → Severe (401–500)
✅ NCAP 2019 = 40% PM reduction by 2026 = 131 non-attainment cities
✅ BS-VI = April 2020 = 10 ppm sulphur = leapfrogged from BS-IV
✅ BOD = higher = more polluted; clean water <5 mg/L; DO healthy >6 mg/L
✅ Eutrophication = N + P → algal bloom → DO depletion → fish die
✅ Minamata = mercury; Itai-Itai = cadmium; Arsenicosis = arsenic (WB)
✅ Fluorosis = excess fluoride = Rajasthan, AP, Telangana
✅ Blue Baby Syndrome = excess nitrates = methaemoglobinaemia in infants
✅ Biomagnification = toxin increases up food chain; DDT = eggshell thinning
✅ Namami Gange = 2014 = ₹20,000 crore = NMCG
✅ Gangetic Dolphin = National Aquatic Animal = blind = echolocation
✅ Silence zone = 50 dB day / 40 dB night; Noise Rules 2000 = under EPA 1986
✅ Chernobyl (1986) = INES 7; Fukushima (2011) = INES 7; TMI (1979) = INES 5
✅ Bhopal (1984) = MIC gas = not nuclear = led to EPA 1986
✅ BARC = nuclear waste management; AERB = nuclear safety regulator
✅ Silent Spring (1962) = Rachel Carson = DDT dangers = launched environmental movement
✅ India = 3rd largest e-waste generator; E-Waste Rules 2016 = EPR
✅ SUP ban = July 1, 2022; plastic bags = min 120 microns
✅ Microplastics = <5 mm = found in oceans, water, food, human blood
✅ EPA 1986 = umbrella legislation = Article 253 = after Bhopal
✅ NGT = 2010 = India 3rd country = original jurisdiction = 6-month filing
✅ EIA = EIA Notification 2006 = Category A (MoEFCC) + B (SEIAA)
✅ Polluter Pays + Precautionary Principle = Vellore Citizens case 1996
✅ Absolute Liability = M.C. Mehta 1987 = no exceptions for hazardous industries