Taming the hazards of e-waste

Today there are 64 authorised recyclers which are using technology to process e-waste in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Pictured here is Attero's recycling plant in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, spread over more than 100,000 sq. ft.

New age garbage: Attero Recycling has tied up with many companies to collect their e-waste

Nearly 90 per cent of India's e-waste is processed by the unorganised sector, mostly comprising small sweatshops in urban slums. These outfits use hazardous methods to extract valuable elements such as iron, gold, silver and copper. Here, workers sort e-waste in a godown in Seelampur, Delhi. Some of the chemicals are a health hazard.