NGOs to start campaign to spread awareness on e-waste

NGOs working for decades to reduce electronic and electrical waste are worried about the state of Bengaluru, where people are yet to understand the hazards of e-waste.

Saahas and Ensyde, two NGOs which have tied up with BBMP to reduce informal recycling of e-waste, will launch ‘bE-Responsible’, an awareness campaign to mark the anniversary of the waste collection programme on Saturday.

“Bengaluru produces an estimated two lakh tonnes of e-waste annually. But 90% of this goes to landfills or scrap dealers who then sell it to illegal recyclers. Despite our efforts to encourage people to drop e-waste at collection points at BangaloreOne centres, we have not seen a good response. There is a need for larger awareness on the issue,” said Divya Tiwari, CEO of Saahas.

Part of the problem, Divya said, was people’s tendency to monetise e-waste.

“If you drop a tubelight at our collection point, you have to pay Rs 10, whereas a scrap dealer actually pays for it. However, people should realise that the e-waste given to scrap dealers ends up polluting the environment,” she said.

Authorised e-waste recyclers remove harmful materials, including mercury, lead, cadmium, phosphorus and beryllium, and dispose them of safely.

“These materials can cause cancer, reproductive issues, abnormalities and other deadly diseases if not processed properly,” Divya said.

Noting that NGOs can’t run this programme on their own, Divya sought people’s participation.

“We should think twice before buying a gadget or even a bulb. Mindless consumerism at a time when we do not have systems in place to recycle e-waste will turn the whole earth toxic,” she warned.