With an increasing use of electronic and electrical goods, it is very important for society to properly recycle e-waste, said state Pollution Control Board (PCB) Chairman Kalyan Rudra on Monday.
The PCB chairman was speaking at a special programme organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and PHD chamber on e-Waste Management, Challenges, Prospects and Hazardous Waste Management.
"Huge amount of e-waste has been accumulating in various parts of the county. There are several regulatory bodies that can management e-waste and make a proper use of it; the importance of which in our society is paramount, especially when the use of electronics and electrical goods are increasing day by day," said Rudra.
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) looks after the e-waste management in the state. "Waste electrical and electronic items are termed as e-wastes. Such wastes, when disposed off or recycled carelessly can cause damage to health and the environment and hence, we need to have proper regulations for recycling e-wastes," the WBPCB Chairman added.
The e-Waste Management Rules, 2016 were made by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in March 2016. In Bengal, two e-waste dismantling and recycling units have received authorisation from the WBPCB. One such unit is in Hooghly's Polba and another in South 24 Parganas' Joychandipur.
Apart from these recycling units, there are two e-waste collection centres in Bengal – in Howrah's Shibpur and South 24 Parganas' Sonarpur.
According to pollution control board sources, the city of Kolkata generates approximately 2.5 lakh tonne of e-waste annually. The city also receives e-wastes from neighbouring towns. To address this issue, a private company with the support of WBPCB has launched a drive to set up collection mechanism for e-waste in the city.
Some bins to collect e-wastes were placed in some locations. The aim behind placing these bins was to create awareness among the common public regarding e-waste. Common people can find such bins in front of the WBPCB office in Salt Lake, Indian Museum, University of Calcutta, College Street campus and some other important places.