Need Of The Hour! Delhi Will Soon Have 3 E-Waste Parks To Recycle Discarded Electronic Goods

Electronic waste or e-waste as it is known is one of the biggest problems the world is facing today and is predicted to worsen further in the coming days, due to the number of devices and gadgets that get discarded every day.

India is the third biggest e-waste generator in the world and along with China and the USA contributed 38% of the total 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste, generated worldwide in 2019.

BCCL

Progressive move

A 2018 report had suggested that by 2020 Delhi will be producing 1,50,000 metric tonnes (MT) of e-waste per annum.

The biggest problem with e-waste is that only a small portion of what is being generated is recycled and the rest ends up in garbage dumps or landfills.

But in a positive step, Delhi may soon have three electronic waste parks in each municipal division for dismantling and recycling used products.

BCCL

Last month, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had directed officials to chalk out a proposal for setting up an e-waste management park in Delhi for efficient disposal of electronic waste.

The LG had stressed the need to provide for a mechanism to effectively implement the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) pertaining to the collection of e-waste and its processing.

He also called for a system of incentives and disincentives to encourage the safe disposal of e-waste; an oversight mechanism to ensure compliance with e-waste management rules, and for evolving an appropriate framework for the management of the e-waste park.

BCCL

Unlike in many other states, e-waste processing was not allowed in Delhi and it was legalised only recently.

Despite it being illegal, Seelampur in Delhi is one of the biggest e-waste dismantling centers in the country where many including children are involved in the hazardous job without any protection.