PCB ready with plan to ensure scientific disposal of waste

Local bodies must take lead in collecting e-waste and hand it over to authorised agents; public urged to test samples of water from cleaned-up wells

Now, a deluge of waste: Heaps of waste from flood-hit houses being collected at a centralised facility near Aluva on Thursday; and (right) damaged furniture abandoned on the roadside at Aluva.

Faced with huge quantities of e-waste, mattresses, furniture, plastic and hazardous items dumped in public spaces and waterbodies or buried in pits in the aftermath of the flood, the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has readied an action plan to end the practice.

Under this, owners must entrust e-waste such as TV sets, refrigerators and washing machines to brand owners, dealerships or recycling agents authorised by the PCB.

Local bodies must take the lead role in collecting e-waste and hand over such consignments to authorised agents. On their part, authorised service centres must deploy more manpower to repair goods that can be reused.

Non-biodegradable materials such as sanitary pads must be incinerated with the help of hospitals. District-level offices of the PCB have been asked to send proposals to the head office on disposing off mattresses, bags, footwear, umbrellas, utensils and clothes. Plastic waste must be segregated and sent for recycling with the help of local bodies, said M.A. Baiju, Chief Environmental Engineer of PCB, quoting the action plan.

Well water

The PCB has exhorted people to test samples of water from cleaned-up wells at its regional labs. Field kits too are available for this. Turbidity, BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), pH, coliform, fluoride and chloride must be tested. The service of people who have retired from the PCB too could be availed for this. Two junior scientific assistants may be enrolled on a daily-wage basis for a month.

Disposal of batteries

PCB officials must ensure the scientific disposal of automobile batteries, used engine oil, gear oil, diesel, petrol, air bag and upholstery. An inventory must be readied and steps taken to ensure that used oil is sent to authorised reprocessing plants or agents.

District-level officers of the PCB must direct sewage treatment plants (STP) to treat septage waste from each locality. They must also inspect STPs of hospitals and apartments affected by flooding. They must inspect effluent treatment plants of industries in such areas.

Biodegradable waste must either be dumped in pits dug locally or handed over to civic agencies. In Ernakulam district, these must be sent to the garbage treatment plant at Brahmapuram.

Mr. Baiju said it was the extended responsibility of manufacturers to take back items such as electronic gadgets, batteries and tyres. “Discarded matresses and cushions must ideally be dried, shredded and incinerated. It is the duty of local bodies to scientifically dispose them off. Using them for land filling or even burning some of these items is harmful to the environment,” he added.