Dispose of e-waste properly, depts told
Category : E - Waste |
Location : Delhi | Posted on 2021-08-02 00:42:01
New Delhi: Most of the state government departments, which are bulk consumers of electronics and electrical equipment, don’t have any specific management plan and records for e-waste. These usually end up in the informal sector.
Delhi government’s environment department has now directed all the government departments, including autonomous bodies and PSUs, to auction the e-waste generated by them through authorised collection centres or dismantlers for proper disposal. Meanwhile, a committee has also been constituted to inventorise e-waste generation in the national capital.
A recent order issued by the environment department stated that all government departments, autonomous bodies, institutions and healthcare facilities of the government, that are bulk consumers of e-waste, are required to auction or channelise the e-waste generated by them through authorised collection centre or dismantlers or refurbishers and comply with the provisions of the said rules for sound management and disposal as per the E-waste Management Rules, 2016.
The latest order has been passed after the approval of the environment minister of Delhi, Imran Hussain.
A senior official of the department said”: “Majority of the e-waste in Delhi is generated through government departments as they use significant quantum of electrical or electronic equipment. However, as most of the departments do not have specific management plans, the e-waste goes to the informal sector. The latest order could be a game changer as bulk consumers will have to dispose the waste in a proper manner.”
The government official added that there is presently no government data on e-waste generation in the national capital. As E-waste Management Rules, 2016, stipulates that inventorisation of e-waste generation is to be done by the concerned state pollution control committee, a panel comprising officials from the Union ministries of electronics, environment and forest and climate change, Central Pollution Control Board and Delhi Pollution Control Committee has been constituted to finalise methodology to inventorise e-waste generation.
Considering the growing e-waste in Delhi, three eco parks for e-waste management are being planned in each of the municipal corporation areas of Delhi. A proposal has been sent to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal for approval.
“A report by ASSOCHAM in 2018 stated that the e-waste generation in the city was around 2 lakh tonne per annum. Considering the growth rate, the present e-waste generated in Delhi would be approximately 2-3 lakh tonne in a year. While another estimate from experts claim that around 95% of the total e-waste generated in the country goes to the informal sector. By developing these parks, we want to provide infrastructure, training and tools to operators in the informal sector for grooming them to become formal recyclers. It will also help in reducing the adverse impact on environment and health due to the polluting technologies used in the unorganised sector for recycling e-waste,” said a government official.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/dispose-of-e-waste-properly-depts-told/articleshowprint/84956085.cms
