With the advent of electric vehicles and their rising popularity among citizens, Environment and Ecology Minister Anand Singh told the Legislative Council on Monday that the state would need a law or policy to tackle e-waste in the days to come.
Replying to a question, raised by JD(S) member K A Thippeswamy, Singh said that the state government has already foreseen the problem of e-waste disposal.
“The state government is aware of its magnitude and its ill impact on the environment as well. We are in the process of formulating a policy to tackle this. Though we have some rules and regulations in place to tackle this impending menace, there is a need to have a stronger policy,” he said.
The minister claimed that the BBMP alone generated 4,04,602 tonnes per annum (TPA) of waste in 2020-21, of which 96.175 TPA was e-waste.
He added that the government had incorporated certain clauses to handle the issue in the Industrial Policy 2020-25. “As per this policy, the state government has announced a subsidy to set up small and medium units to separate plastic and e-waste,” Singh said and noted that as many as 180 such units have secured an operating licence from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
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