A parent reached out for advice after a neighbor rented out their property to e-waste dismantlers — and the situation was so severe that they planned to reach out to authorities.
What's happening?
In the r/Hyderabad subreddit, the parent explained that their quiet neighborhood in India had turned into "residential hell" after scrap dealers took over their neighbor's land.
"What started as a small setup handling old keyboards and motherboards has now turned into a full-blown electronic waste operation. … This isn't just a nuisance — it's a major safety hazard," they wrote, adding that they also have elderly parents in their home. "Constant noise, abusive language, and unsafe practices are disturbing our peace and putting our health at risk."
Unfortunately, their attempts to peacefully resolve the matter had failed, and they reached out for advice on how to resolve the matter with the authorities.
One Redditor affirmed their decision to reach out to the police and suggested using social media to help raise awareness about the informal e-waste facility.
"OP, do not involve in any altercations with them. … Things might get very bad, very quick. Tag those people and blast them out. If possible, after you tweet it, drop the link here so that we can share it and let the tweet gain some traction, so that action will be taken quicker," they wrote.
"Because when some accident happened in Old City last year, Hyderabad cops got several of such businesses removed which were in residential areas."
Why is this important?
E-waste is among the fastest-growing waste streams, and it is a major concern because it contains toxic substances like lead, which can cause brain damage.
Recycling old electronics can help prevent hazardous environmental contamination and recoup billions of dollars of valuable metals like gold, copper, and silver. However, informal e-waste management operations come with their own dangers.
As the World Health Organization explains, acid baths or acid leaching, opening burning or heating, and manual disassembly of equipment are just some of the unsafe practices that can release pollutants into the air, exposing people and communities to harmful toxins.
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Yes — always 💯 How does India handle e-waste?
One study estimated that informal facilities collect and recycle 95% of e-waste in India, causing more formal facilities to lower their operational capacity.
"Large workforce, cheap labor, inexpensive collection methods, artisanal value recovery operations, and low operating costs are crucial factors that favour informal e-waste collection, supply chains, and value recovery operations in India," said the study, published in Minerals Engineering and made available by ScienceDirect.
However, public efforts to raise awareness about dangerous recycling operations have made a difference in certain cases. For instance, authorities recently launched a multiagency task force in Bahadurgarh to enforce a ban on unauthorized plastic processing facilities.
What can I do about e-waste more broadly?
If you have e-waste in your home, don't throw it in the trash or drop it on the side of the road.
Instead, get rewarded for recycling from companies like Trashie, whose Tech Take Back Box can help you send in up to 10 pounds of unwanted electronics for responsible recycling. Best Buy, Apple, and Amazon are among the brands that let you swap your old electronics for credit.
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