An Exploratory Analysis of Awareness of E-waste Management

Abstract

The inventiveness of this article is to assess awareness of different segments of users and handlers of e-waste with respect to four dimensions of e-waste management. These dimensions are government policies (extended producer responsibility (EPR), subsidies of setting up dismantling & recycling units, e-waste rule 2016 and 2018, etc.), government and corporate e-waste management initiatives, impact on health and environment, and awareness among households. To achieve the objective, a survey by structured questionnaire asking users and handlers was conducted. In all, valid data of 89 respondents were analysed. This data was collected using the convenience sampling technique. The collected data was subjected to descriptive analysis, chi-square test, factor analysis and its associated parameters and measures. Findings indicate higher than average level of awareness among users and handlers of different demographic. Gender and education have a significant association with purchase decisions and age and education level with the upgradation of electronic items. The study also suggests there is a need to increase the level of awareness of e-waste management among users and handlers.