This article concentrates on the plight of developing nations of the world, as they totter under an increasing burden of the world’s electronic waste. Dismantled parts of electronic goods are toxic – dangerous to both the health of workers handling them, as well as to the environment. Third world nations are the worst hit, due to poverty, low awareness, and general vulnerability. We have attempted to analyze the causes, effects, and potential solutions to this problem.

This article surveys the problem of electronic waste within the international legal framework, with special emphasis on the domestic setup of India and China, chosen as examples of leading developing countries. We argue that the protection level offered by these countries and by developing countries in general, is inadequate. We propose potential fixes for developing countries.