Sample Paper for SBI Clerk Recruitment 2009

Here is a sample paper for SBI Clerk Recruitment 2009 that will give you an idea about type of questions asked in the exam.

1. Which of the following places was known as a centre of learning in ancient India?

(1) Nalanda
(2) Ujjain
(3) Allahabad
(4) None of these

2. The process of transfer of heat by matter but without actual movement of the particles themselves is called.
(1) conduction
(2) convection
(3) radiation
(4) None of these

3. Only zero and one are used for operating
(1) Calculator
(2) Computer
(3) Abacus
(4) Typewriter

4. Transistor is
(1) semi-conductor
(2) inductor
(3) modulator
(4) demodulator

5. Computer cannot
(1) send message
(2) abstract thought
(3) read files
(4) play music

6. Which of the following is not a carbohydrate?
(1) Wax
(2) Starch
(3) Sucrose
(4) Maltose

7. Deficiency of which vitamin causes night blindness?
(1) Vit. B
(2) Vit. C
(3) Vit. A
(4) Vit. E

8. Which of the following is the vaccine for tuberculosis?
(1) OPT
(2) BCG
(3) Salk vaccine
(4) Rubella vaccine

9. Horns, nails and hair are
(1) soluble fats
(2) insoluble carbohydrates
(3) keratin proteins
(4) complex lipids

10. Who conducts the State Assembly Elections?
(1) Chief Justice of the High Court concerned.
(2) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
(3) Chief Election Commissioner
(4) Governor of the State concerned

11. Which is an ore of aluminum?
(1) Chromite
(2) Cuprite
(3) Bauxite
(4) Siderite

12. Kalidas was
(1) a poet during the Gupta period.
(2) a dramatist during Harshvardhana's reign.
(3) an astronomer during Gupta period.
(4) None of these

13. Which mirror is used as a rear view mirror in vehicles?
(1) Plain
(2) Convex
(3) Concave
(4) Spherical

14. The compilation Meri Ekyawan Kavitayen is by
(1) A.N. Vajpayee
(2) Harivanshrai Bachchan
(3) Dharam Vir Bharti
(4) Shiv Mangal Singh Suman

15. 'Equinox' means
(1) days are longer than nights.
(2) days and nights are equal.
(3) days are shorter than nights
(4) None of these

16. Who was known as "Nightingale of India"?
(1) Vijaylaxmi Pandit
(2) Sarojini Naidu
(3) Suraiya
(4) None of these

17. Gaya is associated with Lord Buddha, where he
(1) was born
(2) attained enlightenment
(3) died
(4) delivered his first sermon

18. Chemical change does not take place in
(1) souring of milk into curd
(2) rusting of iron in atmosphere
(3) burning of magnesium ribbon in air
(4) emitting of light by a red hot platinum wire

19. Who is the highest wicket-taker in Indian Cricket team?
(1) Javagal Srinath
(2) Anil Kumble
(3) Maninder Singh
(4) Kapil Dev

20. Which country leads in production of aluminum and aluminum goods?
(1) Austriala
(2) The US
(3) Russia
(4) Japan

21. The Nathu La Pass, which has increased Indian trade with a neighbour, lies between India and which country?
(1) Pakistan
(2) Bhutan
(3) Nepal
(4) China
(5) Tibet

22. The Banking Codes and Standards Boards has been formed to provide fair treatment to:
(1) Employees' Unions
(2) Member Banks
(3) Officers
(4) SBI
(5) Customers

23. In India, the CRR at present is approximately:
(1) less than 5%
(2) 10% to 15%
(3) 5% to 10%
(4) 20%
(5) 35%

24. The present salary of an MP is (Rs per month)
(1) 2,500
(2) 5,000
(3) 7,500
(4) 15,000
(5) 16,000

25. Which river was recently found to be the longest?
(1) Amazon
(2) Nile
(3) Mississippi
(4) Ganga
(5) Yangtze Kiang

26. The highest Indian mountain-peak is:
(1) Mt Everest
(2) Nanga Parbat
(3) Dhaulagiri
(4) Godwin Austin
(5) Annapurna

27. Basel II norms will lead to:
(1) Capital A/c convertibility
(2) Better Stock Exchanges
(3) Better CRR
(4) Increased savings
(5) None of these

28. Rice is which kind of crop?
(1) Rabi
(2) Evergreen
(3) Kharif
(4) Inter-seasonal
(5) Monsoon

29. 'Jog falls' are in:
(1) Kerala
(2) J & K
(3) U.P.
(4) Uttaranchal
(5) Karnataka

30. The capitals of the new States Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal are:
(1) Raipur, Ranchi, Dehradun
(2) Ranchi, Patna, Nainital
(3) Raniganj, Patna, Dehradun
(4) Patna, Raipur, Nainital
(5) None of the above

ANSWER KEY

1) (1), 2) (1), 3) (2), 4) (1), 5) (2), 6) (1), 7) (3), 8) (2), 9) (3), 10) (3)
11) (3), 12) (1), 13) (2), 14) (1), 15) (2), 16) (2), 17) (2), 18) (4), 19) (2), 20) (2)
21) (4), 22) (5), 23) (2), 24) (5), 25) (1), 26) (2), 27) (1), 28) (5), 29) (5), 30) (1)

[Sarkari-Naukri] Harish Sati, Bank of India general banking officers & Bank PO solved paper

Here is a Sample Question Paper for Bank of India (BoI) Recruitment of General Banking Officers. All the question listed here have been solved for your convenience. This sample paper is equally useful for all candidate preparing for Bank PO, Clerical and SSC Recruitment Exams.

Directions (Q 1–5): In each of the letter series, find the missing letters.

1. a – c c a b c – a b – c – b c c

1. b a c c

2. b c c a

3. c b c a

4. c c b a

5. c a b c

2. b b c – b – c a b b – a – b c a

1. b c a b

2. a c b b

3. a b c b

4. c a b b

5. a d b c

3. x x – y – x x x x y – x x x x y – x

1. y x y y

2. y x x x

3. x y x x

4. x y y y

5. x x x y

4. a a – c – a b c a – b c a a b –

1. c a a b

2. a a c b

3. b a a c

4. b a c a

5. None of these

5. c c b – c – b a c c – a – c b a

1. b c a c

2. a b c c

3. c c b a

4. a c b c

5. None of these

6. A is B's sister, C is B's mother, D is C's father and E is D's mother. What is the relationship of A with E?

1. Daughter

2. Grand daughter

3. Grandson

4. Grandmother

5. Sister

7. If yesterday's tomorrow was Wednesday, then yesterday's day-after-tomorrow will be

1. Wednesday

2. Thursday

3. Friday

4. Saturday

5. Sunday

8. Which of the following groups of letters is different from the other groups of letters?

1. FETE

2. GAME

3. HUGE

4. LOVE

5. SMALL

9. Which of the following series is without any law/pattern?

1. FHKOT

2. CEHLP

3. IKNRW

4. LNQUZ

5. INTKR

10. In a row of the six members sitting, P is sitting to the left of Q but to the right of Y. R is sitting to the right of X but to the left of Q who is to the left of Z. The members sitting in the middle are

1. PR

2. RQ

3. XQ

4. PS

5. None of these

11. Select an item from those given in alternatives that has the same property as the one in question

697, 888, 945

1. 146

2. 934

3. 879

4. 555

5. 584

12. Find the missing term in the series BYAZ, ? , DWCX, EVDW

1. AXBY

2. CXBY

3. AZDW

4. CYBX

5. CDBY

13. Find the missing term in the series CEHLQ, FHKOT, ?, LNQUZ

1. GILPU

2. JLOSX

3. IKMQV

4. IKNRW

5. LKMST

14. A boat is going against the stream in a river and it first turns to exact right and then again a second time exactly to the right to its direction of motion. Assuming that the boat is propelled at constant velocity from the start, how will the speed be effected now?

1. Will increase or decrease

2. Will remain the same

3. Will increase

4. Will decrease

5. None of these

15. Select an item from those given as alternatives that has the same property as the one in question. 914, 703, 813

1. 611

2. 789

3. 870

4. 120

5. 154

Directions (Q 16–23): Find out the next term in the given series:

16. 9, 12, 21, 48, ?

1. 69

2. 84

3. 102

4. 129

5. 125

17. 95, 115.5, 138, ?

1. 162.5

2. 163.5

3. 164.5

4. 167.5

5. 125.5

18. 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, ?

1. 21

2. 23

3. 25

4. 29

5. 24

19. 563, 647, 479, 815, ?

1. 143

2. 279

3. 386

4. 672

5. 786

20. 79, 68, 57, 46, ?

1. 17

2. 27

3. 35

4. 66

5. 65

21. 5, 1/5, 17, 1/17, 29, 1/29, ?

1. 34

2. 39

3. 41

4. 49

5. 40

22. 18, 27, 6, 9, 2, 3, ?

1. 1

2. 1/3

3. 2/3

4. 1/2

5. 1/4

23. 4, 2, 8, 4, 24, 12, 96, ?

1. 24

2. 36

3. 40

4. 48

5. 50

Directions (Q 24–30): Which one is different from others?

24. Calf, Colt, Puppy, Cat, Cub

1. Calf

2. Colt

3. Puppy

4. Cat

5. Cub

25. Ox, Peacock, Lion, Hen, Tiger

1. Lion

2. Ox

3. Peacock

4. Hen

5. Tiger

26. Copper, Diamond, Silver, Gold, Platinum

1. Diamond

2. Gold

3. Silver

4. Copper

5. Platinum

27. Diet, Died, Tied, Tide, Fried

1. Tide

2. Diet

3. Tied

4. Died

5. Fried

28. 16, 22, 30, 45, 52, 66

1. 30

2. 45

3. 52

4. 66

5. 16

29. 8754, 9786, 7986, 3243, 1245

1. 8754

2. 9786

3. 7986

4. 3243

5. 1245

30. 1622, 2540, 3840, 5786, 5453

1. 5786

2. 3840

3. 2540

4. 1622

5. 5453

Answers

1. 2, 2. 3, 3. 4, 4. 3, 5. 4, 6. 2, 7. 2, 8. 1, 9. 2, 10. 4

11. 2, 12. 2, 13. 4, 14. 3, 15. 1, 16. 4, 17. 1, 18. 2, 19. 1, 20. 3

21. 3, 22. 3, 23. 4, 24. 4, 25. 4, 26. 1, 27. 1, 28. 2, 29. 3, 30. 1

--
with warm regards

Harish Sati
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068

(M) + 91 - 9990646343 | (E-mail) Harish.sati@gmail.com

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[Sarkari-Naukri] Harish Sati, Karnataka Bank Clerk solved paper

Here is a Small Sample Question Paper for Karnataka Bank Clerical Recruitment Exam.

Directions (Q1, 2, 3): Choose the word which most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word given in CAPITALS as used in the passage.

1. SCALE

1. balance

2. proportion

3. quality

4. steep

5. trace

2. ENVIABLE

1. miserable

2. disappointing

3. insurmountable

4. pessimistic

5. admirable

3. SIPID

1. Flavoured

2. Stupid

3. Beautiful

4. Rude

5. None of these

Directions (Q. 4, 5): Choose the word which is most OPPOSITE in meaning of the word given in CAPITALS as used in the passage.

4. DEPENDABLE

1. independent

2. creditable

3. unreliable

4. unapproachable

5. incongruent

5. FRAGILE

1. weak

2. perfect

3. vulnerable

4. robust

5. delicate

Directions (Q. 6-10): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any error in it. The error, if any will be one part of the sentence. The number of that part of the sentence is the answer. If there is no error the answer is (5). (Ignore the error of punctuation, if any.)

6. At present, nearly / all foundries of / the country use coke / as a natural fuel. / No error

7. The Bill ensures that / the chairperson or members / cannot be removed out of office / except by an order of the President / No error

8. The directives in the holy books thus lay / emphasis on the need to / avoid get caught / on the stranglehold of worldly attractions / No error

9. An effective criminal law / is required for / effective implementation of / rules of law / No error

10. Local residents told the Chief Minister / that the building / was unauthorised construction / No error

Directions (Q. 11-15): In each of the following sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each sentence there are five pairs of words denoted by 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Find out which pair of words can be filled up in the blanks in the sentence in the same sequence to make the sentence meaningfully complete.

11. A _______ is known for his _______

1. hypocrite, honesty

2. braggart, modesty

3. altruist, truthfulness

4. mercenary, sincerity

5. philanthropist, benevolence

12. One _______ by which we may estimate the character of a man in public office is his _______

1. hyperbole, intuition

2. criterion, integrity

3. amenity, civility

4. unwary, irritable

5. specious, misanthropic

13. Because of his _______ honesty, employers tolerated his _______ outbursts and did not fire him

1. rapacious, amenable

2. unwavering, irascible

3. amiable, regular

4. unwary, irritable

5. specious, misanthropic

14. The _______ law of increase old age pensions was passed to _______ the hardship of the elderly voters in the state.

1. auspicious, mollify

2. expedient, alleviate

3. equivocal, aggravate

4. exemplary, condone

5. notorious, assuage

15. When I listened to his _______ arguments, all my doubts were _______ and I was forced to agree with his point of view.

1. competent, compelled

2. congruent, confirmed

3. cogent, dispelled

4. forceful, repelled

5. fluent, ignored

Directions (Q. 16-20): Which of the following phrases 1, 2, 3, and 4 given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold type to make the sentence either correct or phrased in different words?

16. No caring for the family, Dhanraj wanted to gather roses only.

1. wanted to paint a rosy picture of the past

2. make safe investment

3. wanted to start the business of roses

4. wanted to seek all enjoyments of life

5. None of these

17. After the successful performance of the great actor was over, there was thunderstruck applause.

1. fearful

2. cheerful

3. decisive

4. thunderous

5. No correction required

18. We might not be able to change the situation quickly, but we should continue our efforts in that direction.

1. could not be

2. had not been

3. would not

4. did not

5. No correction required

19. The monograph, which was published three years ago, would suggest that by 2001 there will be 73 million TV sets in India.

1. has been suggesting

2. would have suggested

3. will suggest

4. had suggested

5. No correction required

20. Some of the African have been enmeshed in an inescapable debt trap.

1. entangled

2. hit

3. struck

4. ensured

5. None of these

Answers:

1. 2, 2. 5, 3. 1, 4. 3, 5. 4, 6. 2, 7. 3, 8. 3, 9. 4, 10. 4

11. 5, 12. 2, 13. 2, 14. 2, 15. 3, 16. 4, 17. 4, 18. 5, 19. 4, 20. 1

--
with warm regards

Harish Sati
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068

(M) + 91 - 9990646343 | (E-mail) Harish.sati@gmail.com

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Re: [Sarkari-Naukri] Harish Sati, SSC Section Officers solved paper

Dear Sir

maine civil Engg. ke liye bhara hai par mujhe nahi malum ki paper kis type ka aayega aur maine Diplopa mechanical se kiya hai.kya aap bata sakte hai ki Genral awareness  ke liye kaun c kitab leni hogi aur mechanical ke bande ko agger civil ka paper dena hoga to paper kis type se hoga uske sampel paper agger provide kara sakte hai to please help me.

 

I m waiting ur reply

Thanks & regards

Ankit

On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 2:01 PM, Harish Sati <harish.sati@gmail.com> wrote:

S.S.C. SECTION OFFICERS (Audit) solved paper

General Awareness

76. In which of the following groups, animals bear no teeth ?

(A) Peacock, Ostrich, Tortoise

(B) Owl, Loris, Crow

(C) Alligator, Turtle, Tortoise

(D) Turtle, Kiwi, Cow

77. Jaundice is a symptom of disease of—

(A) Kidney

(B) Liver

(C) Pancreas

(D) Thyroid

78. The vaccination against small pox involves the introduction of—

(A) Killed germs

(B) Weakened germs

(C) Live antibodies

(D) Activated germs

79. Deficiency of Vitamin B₆ in man causes—

(A) Rickets

(B) Scurvy

(C) Beri-beri

(D) Anaemia

80. Which is the national flower of India ?

(A) Rose

(B) Lotus

(C) Lily

(D) Sunflower

81. First successful heart transplantation was done by—

(A) D. S. Paintal

(B) C. N. Barnard

(C) D. Shetty

(D) P. K. Sen

82. Yellow Fever is transmitted by—

(A) Aedes

(B) Anopheles

(C) House-fly

(D) Culex

83. Which one of the following is a major green house gas ?

(A) Carbon dioxide

(B) Chloro fluorocarbon

(C) Carbon monoxide

(D) Freon

84. In atmosphere the lowermost layer is—

(A) Troposphere

(B) Exosphere

(C) Ionosphere

(D) Strato sphere

85. Washing of peeled vegetables removes the vitamin—

(A) A

(B) C

(C) D

(D) E

86. Pasteurisation is the process in which milk is heated to—

(A) 60° C for 10 minutes

(B) 63° C for 20 minutes

(C) 63° C for 30 minutes

(D) 72° C for 10 minutes

87. Match List-I with List-II and give the correct answer from the code given below :

List-I (Discoverer)

(a) Jenner

(b) Watson

(c) Landsteiner

(d) Flemming

List-II (Discoveries)

1. Blood grouping

2. Penicillin

3. Vaccination

4. Double helix

Codes :

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(A) 3 1 2 4

(B) 3 4 2 1

(C) 3 4 1 2

(D) 3 2 4 1

88. Which of the following is most elastic ?

(A) Rubber

(B) Wet clay

(C) Steel

(D) Plastic

89. The first ever robot spacecraft to probe planet Venus was named—

(A) Galileo

(B) Magellan

(C) Newton

(D) Challenger

90. A man with colour blindness will see red as—

(A) Yellow

(B) Blue

(C) Green

(D) Violet

91. Comets revolve around the—

(A) Earth

(B) Venus

(C) Sun

(D) Jupiter

92. When a person walking in bright Sunlight enters a dark room, he is not able to see clearly for a little while because—

(A) The eye muscles cannot immediately adjust the focal length of the eye lens

(B) The retina retains the bright images for sometime and becomes momentarily insensitive

(C) The iris is, unable to contract the pupil immediately

(D) The iris is unable to dilate the pupil immediately

93. The swing of a spinning cricket ball in air can be explained on the basis of—

(A) Sudden change in wind direction

(B) Buoyancy of air

(C) Turbulance caused by wind

(D) Bernoulli's theorem

94. The freezer in a refrigerator is fitted near the top—

(A) To keep it away from hot compressor which is nearer to the bottom

(B) Because of convenience

(C) It facilitates convection currents

(D) To minimise power consumption

95. The chemical name of 'Common salt' is—

(A) Sodium chloride

(B) Sodium nitrate

(C) Ammonium chloride

(D) Calcium chloride

96. Denatured spirit is ethanol mixed with—

(A) Petrol

(B) Kerosene

(C) Water

(D) Pyridine

97. The metal, which is a constituent of vitamin B₁₂ is—

(A) Iron

(B) Magnesium

(C) Zinc

(D) Cobalt

98. The most abundant inert gas in the atmosphere is—

(A) Helium

(B) Neon

(C) Argon

(D) Krypton

99. Which metal is extracted from sea water ?

(A) Potassium

(B) Magnesium

(C) Aluminium

(D) Beryllium

100. Precentage of lead in lead pencils is—

(A) 0

(B) 31 – 66

(C) 40

(D) 80

Answers

76. (A) 77. (B) 78. (C) 79. (D)

80. (B) 81. (B) 82. (A) 83. (A) 84. (A)

85. (B) 86. (C) 87. (C) 88. (C) 89. (B)

90. (C) 91. (C) 92. (B) 93. (D) 94. (C)

95. (A) 96. (C) 97. (D) 98. (C) 99. (B)

100. (A)

--
with warm regards

Harish Sati
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068

(M) + 91 - 9990646343 | (E-mail) Harish.sati@gmail.com

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A.Bisht

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[Sarkari-Naukri] UPSC IES, ISS Exam previuos papers

Hi, please check it out UPSC IES, ISS Exam previous papers attached to this mail, file names with respective subjects .

all the best..

Regards,

Samiullah Maniyar

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[Sarkari-Naukri] PRT Model papers (Paper-3) for KVS

Hi to all,

KVS -PRT-Exam for Paper-III(discriptive) --Model papers.i need urgently Kindly send to my mail.

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With Best Regards
Suseela.B
E-mail:suseela.bs@gmail.com

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[Sarkari-Naukri] Harish Sati, United Nations Report on Toxic Electronic Waste

United Nations Report on Toxic Electronic Waste | Hot Topics

According to a United Nations report released recently Developing countries face increasing environmental and health hazards from electronic waste unless toxic materials are collected and recycled properly.

The report highlights the problem of recycling and salvaging procedures in poorer countries, often in unsafe conditions by unregulated operators. Sales of electronic devices are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, particularly in emerging economies such as China and India, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said.

According to report, titled Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources, the world produces about 40 million tons of waste from electronic devices, known as e-waste, every year.

Main Feature

Experts said exposure to toxic chemicals from e-waste - including lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and polybrominated biphenyls - can damage the brain and nervous system, affect the kidneys and liver, and cause birth defects.

The report was launched in Indonesia's resort island of Bali. It used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation from discarded computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, cameras, music players, refrigerators, toys, televisions and other items.

China produces an estimated 2.3 million tons of e-waste annually, and though the country has banned e-waste imports, it remains a major dumping ground for waste from developed countries, the report said.

The UN research predicts that in South Africa and China, e-waste from old computers may jump by 200 to 400 per cent from 2007 levels and by 500 per cent in India.

E-waste from mobile phones in the same period is forecast to rise seven times in China, and 18 times in India.

According to the report, over 1 billion mobile phones were sold in 2007 worldwide, up from 896 million in 2006.

The report said most e-waste in China was improperly handled, with much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold.
Jim Pucket of the Basel Action Network, a non-governmental organization fighting the international trade in toxic wastes, said massive amounts of discarded devices had been exported to China for years.

But China is not alone in facing the serious e-waste problem. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.

Report urged governments to establish e-waste management centres, building on existing organizations working in the area of recycling and waste management.

What is Electronic Waste

Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) describes loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete, broken, electrical or electronic devices. The processing of electronic waste in developing countries causes serious health and pollution problems because electronic equipment contains some very serious contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium and brominated flame retardants. Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste involves significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaching of material such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes.

Problems

Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. Dave Kruch, CEO of Cash For Laptops, regards electronic waste as a "rapidly expanding" issue. Technical solutions are available, but in most cases a legal framework, a collection system, logistics, and other services need to be implemented before a technical solution can be applied. An estimated 50 million tonnes of E-waste is produced each year. The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones are disposed of in Europe each year.

In the United States, an estimated 70% of heavy metals in landfills comes from discarded electronics, while electronic waste represents only 2% of America's trash in landfills. The EPA states that unwanted electronics totaled 2 million tons in 2005. Discarded electronics represented 5 to 6 times as much weight as recycled electronics.
The Consumer Electronics Association says that U.S. households spend an average of $1,400 annually on an average of 24 electronic items, leading to speculations of millions of tons of valuable metals sitting in desk drawers. The U.S. National Safety Council estimates that 75% of all personal computers ever sold are now gathering dust as surplus electronics. While some recycle, 7% of cellphone owners still throw away their old cellphones.
 
Surplus electronics have extremely high cost differentials. A single repairable laptop can be worth hundreds of dollars, while an imploded cathode ray tube (CRT) is extremely difficult and expensive to recycle. This has created a difficult free-market economy. Large quantities of used electronics are typically sold to countries with very high repair capability and high raw material demand, which can result in high accumulations of residue in poor areas without strong environmental laws.
Trade in electronic waste is controlled by the Basel Convention. The Basel Convention Parties have considered the question of whether exports of hazardous used electronic equipment for repair or refurbishment are considered as Basel Convention hazardous wastes, subject to import and export controls under that Convention. In the Guidance document produced on that subject, that question was left up to the Parties, however in the working group all of the Parties present believed that when material is untested, or contains hazardous parts that would need to be replaced as part of the repair process, then the Convention did apply.

Like virgin material mining and extraction, recycling of materials from electronic scrap has raised concerns over toxicity and carcinogenicity of some of its substances and processes. Toxic substances in electronic waste may include lead, mercury, and cadmium. Carcinogenic substances in electronic waste may include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Capacitors, transformers, and wires insulated with or components coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), manufactured before 1977, often contain dangerous amounts of PCBs.

Up to 38 separate chemical elements are incorporated into electronic waste items. Many of the plastics used in electronic equipment contain flame retardants. These are generally halogens added to the plastic resin, making the plastics difficult to recycle. Due to the flame retardants being additives, they easily leach off the material in hot weather, which is a problem because when disposed of, electronic waste is generally left outside. The flame retardants leach into the soil and recorded levels were 93 times higher than soil with no contact with electronic waste.[12] The unsustainability of discarding electronics and computer technology is another reason commending the need to recycle or to reuse electronic waste.

When materials cannot or will not be reused, conventional recycling or disposal via landfill often follow. Standards for both approaches vary widely by jurisdiction, whether in developed or developing countries. The complexity of the various items to be disposed of, the cost of environmentally approved recycling systems, and the need for concerned and concerted action to collect and systematically process equipment are challenges. One study indicates that two thirds of executives are unaware of fines related to environmental regulations.

 

Hotspots

Increased regulation of electronic waste and concern over the environmental harm, which can result from toxic electronic waste, has raised disposal costs. The regulation creates an economic disincentive to remove residues prior to export. In extreme cases, brokers and others calling themselves recyclers export unscreened electronic waste to developing countries, avoiding the expense of removing items like bad cathode ray tubes, the processing of which is expensive and difficult.

Defenders of the trade in used electronics say that extraction of metals from virgin mining has also been shifted to developing countries. Hard-rock mining of copper, silver, gold and other materials extracted from electronics is considered far more environmentally damaging than the recycling of those materials. They also state that repair and reuse of computers and televisions has become a "lost art" in wealthier nations, and that refurbishing has traditionally been a path to development. South Korea, Taiwan, and southern China all excelled in finding "retained value" in used goods, and in some cases have set up billion-dollar industries in refurbishing used ink cartridges, single-use cameras, and working CRTs. Refurbishing has traditionally been a threat to established manufacturing, and simple protectionism explains some criticism of the trade. Works like "The Waste Makers" by Vance Packard explain some of the criticism of exports of working product, for example the ban on import of tested working Pentium 4 laptops to China, or the bans on export of used surplus working electronics by Japan.

Opponents of surplus electronics exports argue that lower environmental and labor standards, cheap labor, and the relatively high value of recovered raw materials leads to a transfer of pollution-generating activities, such as burning of copper wire. In China, Malaysia, India, Kenya, and various African countries, electronic waste is being sent to these countries for processing, sometimes illegally. Many surplus laptops are routed to developing nations as dumping grounds for e-waste.

Because the United States has not ratified the Basel Convention or its Ban Amendment, and has no domestic laws forbidding the export of toxic waste, the Basel Action Network estimates that about 80% of the electronic waste directed to recycling in the U.S. does not get recycled there at all, but is put on container ships and sent to countries such as China. This figure is disputed as an exaggeration by the EPA, the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries, and the World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association.

Guiyu in the Shantou region of China, Delhi and Bangalore in India as well as the Agbogbloshie site near Accra, Ghana have electronic waste processing areas. Uncontrolled burning, disassembly, and disposal can cause a variety of environmental problems such as groundwater contamination, atmospheric pollution, or even water pollution either by immediate discharge or due to surface runoff (especially near coastal areas), as well as health problems including occupational safety and health effects among those directly involved, due to the methods of processing the waste. Thousands of men, women, and children are employed in highly polluting, primitive recycling technologies, extracting the metals, toners, and plastics from computers and other electronic waste.

Proponents of the trade say growth of internet access is a stronger correlation to trade than poverty. Haiti is poor and closer to the port of New York than southeast Asia, but far more electronic waste is exported from New York to Asia than to Haiti. Thousands of men, women, and children are employed in reuse, refurbishing, repair, and remanufacturing, sustainable industries in decline in developed countries. It is held that denying developing nations access to used electronics denies them affordable products and internet access.

Opponents of the trade argue that developing countries utilize methods that are more harmful and more wasteful. An expedient and prevalent method is simply to toss equipment onto an open fire, in order to melt plastics and to burn away unvaluable metals. This releases carcinogens and neurotoxins into the air, contributing to an acrid, lingering smog. These noxious fumes include dioxins and furans. Bonfire refuse can be disposed of quickly into drainage ditches or waterways feeding the ocean or local water supplies.

In June 2008, a container of electronic waste, destined from the Port of Oakland in the U.S. to Sanshui District in mainland China, was intercepted in Hong Kong by Greenpeace. Concern over exports of electronic waste were raised in press reports in India, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.

Recycling

Today the electronic waste recycling business is in all areas of the developed world a large and rapidly consolidating business. Electronic waste processing systems have matured in recent years, following increased regulatory, public, and commercial scrutiny, and a commensurate increase in entrepreneurial interest. Part of this evolution has involved greater diversion of electronic waste from energy-intensive down cycling processes (e.g., conventional recycling), where equipment is reverted to a raw material form.

This diversion is achieved through reuse and refurbishing. The environmental and social benefits of reuse include diminished demand for new products and virgin raw materials (with their own environmental issues); larger quantities of pure water and electricity for associated manufacturing; less packaging per unit; availability of technology to wider swaths of society due to greater affordability of products; and diminished use of landfills.

Audiovisual components, televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, mobile phones, other handheld devices, and computer components contain valuable elements and substances suitable for reclamation, including lead, copper, and gold.

Electronic Waste Substances

Some computer components can be reused in assembling new computer products, while others are reduced to metals that can be reused in applications as varied as construction, flatware, and jewelry.

Substances found in large quantities include epoxy resins, fiberglass, PCBs, PVC, thermosetting plastics, lead, tin, copper, silicon, beryllium, carbon, iron and aluminium.

Elements found in small amounts include cadmium, mercury, and thallium.

Elements found in trace amounts include americium, antimony, arsenic, barium, bismuth, boron, cobalt, europium, gallium, germanium, gold, indium, lithium, manganese, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, selenium, silver, tantalum, terbium, thorium, titanium, vanadium, and yttrium.

Almost all electronics contain lead and tin (as solder) and copper (as wire and printed circuit board tracks), though the use of lead-free solder is now spreading rapidly.

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with warm regards

Harish Sati
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068

(M) + 91 - 9990646343 | (E-mail) Harish.sati@gmail.com

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