DC campaign against e-waste: High time we all woke up

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Alarm bells rang out at the launch of the month-long DC campaign on e-waste management in the city on Sunday.

Before anybody pushes the panic button on the issue, speakers at the inaugural,—US consul general Jennifer McIntyre, TCS(Head), Accreditation, South India, A.K. Pattabiraman, Madras University VC G. Thiruvasagam, MARG CMD G.R.K. Reddy came up with possible solutions.

The Green Chronicle team’s campaign is aimed at spreading awareness about e-waste management among the people as the use of electronic goods, from mobiles to laptops to game machines, has been growing hugely in recent years.

While the union environment ministry is enforcing ‘E-waste management rules 2011’ on May 1, 2012, DC presents the problems and solutions of the present scenario of e-waste in India.

The Green Chronicle team will increase the interaction among the public about the importance of e-waste management and involve experts to clarify their doubts through our columns this April.

The first step of the campaign was made with an inaugural at the ‘Thanthai Periyar Hall’ in Madras University. The packed hall had a large group of students from Sai Ram engineering college, individual environmental activists and many members of science clubs in schools in the city.

Mr Reddy said it was high time a campaign was started for e-waste management. “Electronic gadgets have become part of utility now. Mobile phone has become the sixth finger for many of us. Unless we manage the e-waste disposal now, the problem would be serious in the next decade,” he said. He added that the youth should involve in innovation of e-waste management. “There are great opportunities available for youth in the waste management industry,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board joint chief environment engineer Mr.N.Sundara Gopal said DC’s awareness campaign was first of its kind in the state and, perhaps, in India. “Nearly four lakh tonnes of e-waste are generated in India every year as per recent statistics.

And Tamil Nadu contributes 13 per cent of the total e-waste in the country. There are only 19 authorised e-waste recycling centres in Tamil Nadu. The state government has urged the private electronic goods firms to collect the damaged gadgets back,” he said.

Earlier our resident editor Mr R. Mohan set the tone for the discussion by pointing out that the e-waste hazard was getting intense as the public craze for possessing electronic gadgets grew at alarming pace.

Receiving the green gift from DC—tulsi plant in a bamboo pot — the dignitaries assured they would grow the plant to mark the growth of awareness on environment issues.

If these stalwarts can come forward, so can you

Gadgets? Yes! E-waste? What’s that!

While use of electronic gadgets is growing phenomenally, scant attention is paid to their disposal that is a threat to human beings and the environment, said experts at the launch of the Green Chronicle campaign in the city on Sunday.

US consul general Jennifer McIntyre said laws and regulations are being framed in America – where each household uses at least 24 electronic gadgets - to prevent harmful export of used electronic items. “25 US states have enacted their own e-waste laws and more states have pending legislation. The Environment Protection Agency is spearheading domestic efforts to improve management of discarded used electronic items,” she said. She further said only 5 per cent of e-waste in India is recycled.

“E-waste is burned or broken open to recover the materials inside. These methods put these workers — men, women and even children — and their environment at extraordinary risk. When electronic items are discarded, they either end up in landfills, or are sometimes exported to countries with weaker safeguards,” she added. Congratulating DC’s initiative, Ms McIntyre said a “Green Committee” has been formed on the consulate premises to promote good environmental practices.

Mr A.K. Pattabiraman, TCS Head-Accreditation for Southern India, said unless e-waste is not disposed of, the discarded remnants could leach lead and cause health disorders. “IT has indeed empowered the human race in a manner not foreseen earlier.

But our total neglect of management of e-wastes is now leading us to newer problems of contamination,” he said. He said e-waste management is not the exclusive work of a single individual, agency or organisation. “The government has a role to play...every individual has a role.”

What is e-waste

E-waste comprises electronics/electrical goods that are not fit for their originally intended use or have reached their end of life. This may include items such as computers, monitors, CDs, printers, scanners, copiers, calculators, fax machines, battery cells, mobile phones, TVs and electronic components in refrigerators and air-conditioners.

Hazards of e-waste

Electronics products like computers and cell phones contain toxins. For example, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) of computer monitors contain heavy metals such as lead, barium and cadmium, which can be very harmful to health if they enter the water bodies.

These materials can cause damage to the human nervous and respiratory systems. If unwanted gadgets end up in landfills or are not recycled properly they become hazardous and cause health disorders.

Kill e-waste

Addressing the need of the hour

* The e-waste management chain is in urgent need of awareness and solutions. If remedial steps are not taken now, tomorrow may be too late for GenNext

* The Green Chronicle team will increase the interaction among the public about the importance of e-waste management and clarify their doubts through our columns this April

DC on the path less travelled

The union government will enforce the ‘e-waste management rules 2011’ this May. DC will inform and educate the public about dangers of e-waste, importance of reduce, reuse and recycle electronic gadgets in our columns.

What we do

Experts, government officials and environmental activists will join DC and interact with our readers to reduce, reuse and recycle e-waste at the household level.

How to join us

Readers can send their questions and views about e-waste to ‘greenchronicle2012@gmail.com’
We will answer the emails and also publish the queries.