After installing e-waste bins in schools and public areas, Delhi Government is planning to approach shopkeepers in major electronic hubs like Nehru Place to persuade them to dump unused gadgets only with authorised recyclers.
“We will soon call a meeting with associations of various markets which are hub of electronic items to deposit unused gadgets with registered recyclers,” Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) Member Secretary A. K. Ambhast said.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had launched e-waste awareness campaign on Monday by distributing special bins in schools and public areas for disposal of obsolete gadgets.
Mr. Ambhast said the government has tied up with the three e-waste recyclers which have been registered with the Central Pollution Control Board for picking electronic waste such as unused mobile phones or CDs from the government offices.
With the city increasingly becoming tech-savvy, various markets such as Nehru Place in South Delhi and Lajpat Rai market in Central Delhi are becoming hazardous e-waste centres.
“Initially the approach will be persuasive in nature and next course of action will depend on the response. We may make it mandatory on them later as is being done with the IT firms and other big e-waste generating units, hospitals and government offices,” he said.
If discarded improperly, electronic waste poses serious health and environment risk and recycling becomes all the more necessary as India’s e-waste generation is growing at the rate of 15 per cent and is expected to cross 8,00,000 tonne mark by 2012.
According to a Greenpeace Report, in 2007 India generated 3,80,000 tonnes of e-waste. Only three per cent of this made it to the authorised recyclers’ facilities.
