Since the implementation of its call-based service for the collection of electronic waste in August last year, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has collected a total of 408.75 kg of e-waste till December 31, 2021, according to data provided by the civic body.
During the period, a private agency roped in by the EDMC for the collection of e-waste received a total of 84 pick up requests, of which 49 were executed while 35 were cancelled.
The highest amount of e-waste was collected in December and October, with a total of 132.98 kg and 120.25 kg respectively. The highest number of cancellations were observed in December and August at 17 and 15 respectively.
The civic body’s move to implement the service was aimed at curbing the improper disposal of e-waste and regulate its collection, which is largely dominated by informal players.
Among the e-waste items, telephones were the most commonly disposed items, totalling 57 in number, followed by smartphones of which 51 were disposed.
Responding to the notion of the high cancellation of pick up requests made over the period, a senior EDMC official said that the initiative was still in its initial stages and required more awareness for the public to utilise the service fully.
“I agree that informal players such as ragpickers must also be engaged with the agency to improve the overall operations. However, the response to our e-waste service has been quite positive, and we will look into improving the service according to the observations that come to light,” the senior official added.
The senior official said that the civic body had no record of the quantity of e-waste that was being generated in areas under its jurisdiction prior to the implementation of the ongoing call-based service.
