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Computer and mobile phone waste in urban India: an analysis from the perspectives of public perception, consumption and disposal behaviour

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  • Anwesha Borthakur
  • Madhav Govind

Abstract

Sustainable management of Electronic waste (E-waste) is a major challenge for contemporary India, an emerging economy burdened with both the domestic generation and illegal import of E-waste. Considering the ever-increasing complexities of E-waste in Indian cities, this paper aims to evaluate the current trends, opportunities and challenges associated with consumption of electronic items (with respect to computers and mobile phones) and disposal of E-waste in urban India. Bangalore, a city popularly known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’, is considered as a case study in order to evaluate public awareness, household consumption and E-waste disposal behaviours. The city profile of Bangalore indicates that it has a rapidly emerging market for electronics and thus, has the potential to act as a ‘model’ for evaluating the issues concerning E-waste in metropolitan India. Questionnaires were distributed originally among 300 households with an effective response rate of 63.3%. The results indicate that the majority of households (59.3%) still retain their obsolete electronics due to lack of knowledge about proper E-waste management. High awareness about E-waste and high willingness to recycle/repair their E-waste (above 80% in both cases) are yet to be translated into responsible disposal/recycling behaviour as 95.8% of households have no knowledge about the presence of any formal recycling centre. Income, education, age and gender dimensions associated with E-waste disposal behaviour and awareness were also evaluated. Although we found no gender differences for most of the parameters, there have been some interesting correlations in age and income-wise segregation of disposal behaviour. We noted that the city of Bangalore still possesses some typical Indian socio-cultural characteristics, such as considering E-waste as ‘valuables’, changing several hands before final disposal, defying ‘brand’ or ‘looks’ consciousness, etc., which could be directed towards responsible E-waste disposal behaviours. We suggest that establishing appropriate and convenient E-waste collection/recycling facilities, ensuring responsible household disposal behaviour, implementing effective laws and legislation, and organizing mass E-waste awareness campaigns would aid in addressing the current E-waste concerns in the city.

Suggested Citation

  • Anwesha Borthakur & Madhav Govind, 2019. "Computer and mobile phone waste in urban India: an analysis from the perspectives of public perception, consumption and disposal behaviour," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(4), pages 717-740, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:62:y:2019:i:4:p:717-740
    DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2018.1429254
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    Cited by:

    1. Kant, Vivek & Tapia, Ridhima & Mondal, Saikat, 2022. "Sustainability of mobile IT sector in industrially developing countries by supporting repairability," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(6).
    2. Jena, Sarat Kumar & Meena, Purushottam, 2022. "Competitive sustainable processes and pricing decisions in omnichannel closed-up supply chains under different channel power structures," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    3. Tuğba Yeğin & Muhammad Ikram, 2022. "Developing a Sustainable Omnichannel Strategic Framework toward Circular Revolution: An Integrated Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-25, September.
    4. Filippo Corsini & Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti & Marco Frey, 2020. "Consumer’s Circular Behaviors in Relation to the Purchase, Extension of Life, and End of Life Management of Electrical and Electronic Products: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Badreya Gharib Khamis Mohammed Alblooshi & Syed Zamberi Ahmad & Matloub Hussain & Sanjay Kumar Singh, 2022. "Sustainable management of electronic waste: Empirical evidences from a stakeholders' perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1856-1874, May.

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