Corporation yet to wake up to e-waste threat

THIRUVANANATHAPURAM: India came up with its first e-waste rules in June this year. A pointer to the fact that it has awaken to the potential threat posed by the hazardous waste to a fragile ecosystem. Down South, in our city, the hundreds of women engaged in the collection of waste from households and shops have no idea that the broken parts of a mobile, cast-away batteries, video games or, for that matter, toys which at times find their way to their buckets, are actually e-waste.  But ignorance is not always bliss!Let alone the women, the City Corporation, which is taking its crucial test in waste management these days, has never addressed the growing stock of e-waste in the city. Agreed, it lacks any machinery and has no money to tackle the problem. But absolute lack of concern to a growing menace only helps make matters worse.   ‘’We are not equipped to battle e-waste. It’s up to the state to arrive at a mechanism and maybe we could fill our part by collecting them or transporting them to a point. Moreover, it should come under the extended producer liability, where the manufacturers must ensure the end disposal too,’’ Mayor K Chandrika  makes her point. She is seconded by the Corporation Health Officer too. ‘’E-waste has never grown as a major issue in our city, it’s always the kitchen waste and the plastic waste that the public is concerned about. There are buy-back facilities and exchange offers that helps one to pack off their used electronic goods,’’ says Dr Sreekumar, the Health Officer.We approached one of the members of the only male Cleanwell unit in the city in Sasthamangalam. And asked if he came across e-waste in the waste bundles he collected.  ‘’Sometimes, we get parts of mobile phones or batteries or broken toys. We put them with the plastic waste. We tell the families that we are not supposed to collect items other than kitchen waste or plastic,’’ he says. And asks us to explain what all come under e-waste. A woman Cleanwell  worker who is engaged in plastic collection in Chalai market says that her unit members come across waste that does not fall in the categories prescribed for them. ‘’Sometimes we don’t pick them, or other times, we take them to the scrap dealer,’’ she says. And maybe earn a few bucks which she rather not speak about.  The Suchitwa Mission had sometime back called for Expressions of Interest to choose agencies that could deal with e-waste in the state. However, at exactly the same time, the nation had announced its e-waste policy and drafted rules. Any further thought in that direction ended there. Even when there are apprehensions as to the implementation of the e-waste rules, it has come as a boon to local bodies who have earned the licence to be ‘not concerned’ anymore.  As per the new rules, it is up to the State Pollution Control Board to control the menace of e-waste.