Amid increasing concerns over accumulating e-waste in the form of discarded cellular phones to television sets to computers apart from a horde of other electric and electronic items, the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has decided to compile comprehensive data on the emerging pollution threat.
Under a Union Ministry of Environment and Forests project ‘Capacity Building and Industrial Pollution Management (CBIPMP)' with financial assistance from the World Bank, the initiative is to collate data on e-waste generated in the State and map the spatial distribution of units producing the same.
It will also look at understanding the distribution of dismantlers of electrical/electronic equipment, consumer/bulk consumers of e-waste, collection centres and recyclers of e-waste across the State. The exercise is expected to help in assessing the pollution potential due to the e-waste in different districts.
The data compilation includes equipment related to IT and Telecommunication such as centralised data processing, mainframes, personal computers (CPU with input and output devices), laptops, printers and cartridges, facsimile and telex. A comprehensive data is also sought on telephones, pay telephones, cordless, cellular telephones and answering systems.
Among the consumer electrical and electronics to be covered are television sets including sets based on liquid crystal display and light emitting diode technology, refrigerator, washing machine and air-conditioners.
Apart from information on authorised units available with the APPCB, the exhaustive exercise will collect data from establishments such as IT/ITES companies, various government departments, bulk consumers, sellers and consumers of the waste, collection centres and even ‘kabadiwallas' (scrap-dealers).
The total quantity of e-waste generated and recycled thus collated district-wise will be mapped with geographical coordinates i.e., latitude and longitude.
The year-long assignment for which the APPCB plans to have consultants will also apply forecasting model to estimate future e-waste generation in the State and make recommendations for effective management of the pollution threat in short-term as well as in sustainable long term manner.
