Electronic Waste in Bangladesh: Its Present Statutes, and Negative Impacts on Environment and Human Health

Technology has made the life of Bangladeshi people very flexible with new inventions. In most cases, here the people depend on these technological devices. These devices, along with various facilities, have also invited a series of problems mostly due to the lack of proper management. The Bangladeshi citizens often leave electronic devices that went bad or became unusable, in landfills, rivers, canals, and open spaces. As these devices possess a variety of toxic substances, dumping huge amounts of electronic waste can pollute the environment and threaten human health. Around 2.7 million metric tons of e-waste are generated each year in Bangladesh. Only 20-30% of this waste is recycled while the rest amount is released in landfills, rivers, canals, and open spaces posing a serious threat to the health and environment. Bangladesh has experienced rapid advancement in the technological sectors over the years. Therefore, it is a must to take steps necessary for avoiding the future jeopardized situation because of e-waste. The present e-waste management in Bangladesh experiences a number of drawbacks such as challenges in incentivization, unhygienic conditions of informal recycling, insufficient law and policy, less awareness, and lack of enthusiasm on part of the corporate to address the critical issues. In spite of the alarming levels of e-pollution in the country, the concerned authorities are yet to take any effective step or formulate any legislation to prevent the existing e-pollution. Moreover, the prevailing environmental laws are not adequate to address the issue and its application is still largely absent.