Inventory of e- waste generation in engineering institutes: a case study

‘Use and Throw’ policy adoption by users and manufacturers, lack of awareness and poor intermingled management practices, innovations and industrialisation has led to generation of E- waste which in coming years will be a considerable component Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). One of the major contributors of E- waste is engineering institutes due to mandatory provision of different facilities according to norms after IT and electronics sector. Engineering Institutes are being funded for development under different schemes for which the major purchase is of electronic gadgets. The quantity of E- waste as per AICTE norms is calculated theoretically and practically which comes out to be 0.334 tonnes / year for 7 years life cycle and 0.262 tonnes / year till the obsolescence of 2009 at institutes. If followed the norms of AICTE, the generation rate of E –waste can be kept still to minimum as compared to present rate of generation in future. This paper gives study of quantity calculation of E- waste generated theoretically and practically in WCE, Sangli which will further led to suggestion of optimisation for E – waste generated. This study will further be extended to suitable management of E- waste through a mathematical model for Engineering Institutes.