News & GK Discarding e-waste to clean environment

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Discarding e-waste to clean environment

A group of women in South Mumbai has taken the task of tackling the problem of e-waste in their hands. They are collecting discarded electronic items and handing them over to authorised recyclers.

The initiative has grown slowly but steadily ever since Nipa Ranka and her husband Anil started an e-waste collection drive at their Walkeshwar house. They encouraged their friends to dump any electronic items they wished to discard at their doorstep. They even went to the extent of requesting their close ones to only bring e-waste from their households instead of gifts when they come for their parties.

The initiative has grown slowly but steadily ever since Nipa Ranka and her husband Anil started an e-waste collection drive at their Walkeshwar house.

The initiative has grown slowly but steadily ever since Nipa Ranka and her husband Anil started an e-waste collection drive at their Walkeshwar house.

Nipa Ranka says she started the initiative as it is the responsibility of every citizen to take care of the environment. Apart from collecting and handing over the e-waste to a licensed and authorised recycler, Ranka has also been instrumental in educating and empowering homemakers about environmental hazards.

Despite the pollution board’s repeated warnings, and e-waste regulation norms being in place, an abundance of not just Mumbai’s but the entire country’s e-waste ends up in the informal sector, and illegally sold as scrap.

E-waste generation in India is increasing rapidly. It is expected to grow to 20 million metric tonnes per annum by 2020. At present, it is 3.2 million metric tonnes per annum. To address the issue, the e-waste management and handling rules were notified in 2011 and came into effect in 2012. Still, over 90 per cent of e-waste is handled by the unorganised sector.

Dismantling and processing of e-waste by the informal sector is not done in a scientific manner, posing a health threat.

Gaurav Mardia, CEO of E-Incarnation Recycling, the company Ranka has collaborated with, says, “The aim is to educate members of the society and encourage the campaign in residential, commercial and industrial settings.”

He says citizens are unaware of how to dispose e-waste, due to which it was not even reaching recycling units.

“Currently eight of our bins are installed at various parts of Mumbai. On an average, the e-waste we receive is about 30-40 kg per month per bin,” added Mardia.