Ishta Vohra New Delhi WHO would think that e-waste can inspire community harmony. Speaking at the IT Intelligence Conclave organised, John Mehrmann, vice president, business development, and Ananth Chaganathy, senior vice president Enterprise Solution, of Zylog Systems were optimistic that combined efforts of manufacturers, government, recyclers, collectors and buyers of downstream materials can tackle the burgeoning piles of e-trash in India. In return, job opportunities expand as demand for workforce increases, it was noted. Already the worldwide revenue for e-waste recycling is set to touch $11 billion in 2009. The increasing use of consumer electronics in India has triggered the need to start managing domestic e-waste, before the problem escalates to mountains of trash. As Mr Chaganathy pointed out, with limited resources in hand, there's no option but to recycle and reclaim the waste. Discarded hardware finds a substantial place in the growing market for second hand products at global auctions and sales. So, even though black and white desktop screens might have lost love with the US market, they are now being revamped for use in the African subcontinent. India, too, needs to strengthen its e-recycling capabilities for ensuring environment sustainability, felt Mr Mehrmann. There is a growing urgency for government to work with the various components of this informal sector to encourage awareness and come up with solutions for e-waste dumping in the country. Mehrmann suggested that by bringing together collectors and manufacturers, government can tighten the procurement channel and facilitate optimal re-use of e-waste. Interactions between these two units can supply requisite data to the manufacturers for efficient refurbishment of e-waste. Government also needs to shoulder the responsibility of educating the consumer on disposal and reuse. On the issue of legislations, Mr Mehrmann suggested that India can take look at similar efforts made by its global counterparts. Just like the RoHS legislation, that restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products, India should eliminate poisonous wastes, and adopt eco-friendly e-waste disposal operations. Such an effort will also ensure positive visibility for the government, he added.