Revision summary
E-pollution is hazardous discarded electronics; informal recycling poisons workers and water. E-Waste (Management) Rules 2016/2022 put EPR and CPCB-authorised recyclers on producers. Basel Convention frames transboundary hazardous-waste movement. Space pollution is orbital debris; Kessler syndrome is collision-driven cascade risk. UN COPUOS, IADC 25-year rules, and ISRO debris tracking/DFSM are the named orbit tools.
Model answer
Introduction
E-pollution is hazardous waste from discarded electronics; space pollution is defunct satellites, rocket stages, and fragments in orbit. Management must name producer rules on Earth and debris guidelines in orbit.
Body
E-pollution
- E-waste is lead, mercury, cadmium, and plastics from phones, computers, and appliances; informal burning and acid baths poison workers and groundwater.
- The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, as tightened in 2022, impose Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), collection targets, and authorised recyclers under the Central Pollution Control Board.
- Basel Convention controls transboundary movement of hazardous waste; consumer take-back and a ban on informal backyard smelting are the practical last mile.
Space pollution and measures
- Space debris is dead satellites, spent stages, and collision fragments; Kessler syndrome is the risk that collisions create more fragments than can be cleaned.
- UN COPUOS guidelines, Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) 25-year de-orbit rules, and ISRO’s Debris Free Space Missions / NETRA tracking are the named management tools.
- Suggested measures: design for demise, passivation of leftover fuel, active debris removal trials, and fewer mega-constellation collisions through traffic management.
- India is a user and a generator; management is dual — EPR on the ground, debris discipline in orbit.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD E[E-waste gadgets] --> R[EPR E-Waste Rules 2022] E --> I[Informal burn acid] R --> M[Authorised recycler] S[Satellites stages] --> D[Orbital debris] D --> K[Kessler risk] U[UN COPUOS IADC ISRO NETRA] --> D
Conclusion
E-pollution is toxic electronic scrap; space pollution is orbital debris. EPR under the E-Waste Rules and IADC/UN plus ISRO tracking are the suggested frames; both fail if informal recycling and uncontrolled launches continue.
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Can space debris be fully cleaned today?
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