With the civic
body cornered on dumping plastic waste at the Brahmapuram waste
treatment plant, the accumulating e-waste in the city area had become a
major headache for the local body.

The corporation has now teamed up with an NGO – the Kothamangalam Social Service Society
(KSSS), the official social development wing of the Diocese of
Kothamangalam – to remove e-waste from city limits. The NGO is,
currently, holding talks with various churches in the city to finalize
collection points. The new system will be launched on March 26. Fr Paul
Choorathotty, the director of KSSS, said that the final list of churches
participating in the programme would be finalized this week.

The civic body is hoping the system would help to dispose e-waste
generated at homes and workplaces. This is how it works – citizens must
take e-waste to collection facilities set up by churches located across
22 health circles of the Kochi corporation; special trucks have been
arranged to collect the hazardous waste and transport it to recycling
units or processing centres outside the state.

The initiative
would bring down dumping of plastic and other hazardous substances at
the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant. Health standing committee
chairman T K Asharaf said the initiative was important for Kochi which
was quickly turning into an IT hub. Many electronic equipment used by
the industry contains harmful substances such as mercury, and the
corporation cannot afford to continue dumping such substances along with
other plastic waste. “Special licence is required to handle e-waste and
other such hazardous substances. The corporation with the help of the
NGO has identified private agencies which have these licenses. The waste
will then be taken to other states that have e-waste recycling units,”
he said. Since NGO is funding the whole programme, the corporation will
not have any financial liability or commitments. The waste will be
collected from the people free of cost.

The NGO has already
experimented with a similar programme in association with the Thodupuzha
municipality, and is set to launch the project in Muvattupuzha
municipality on March 23. “In both places, we have the support of local
churches. This is a sustainable programme and it can become successful
with the cooperation of people, institutions and local bodies in the
particular area,” said Fr Choorathotty.

According to a report published by the Kerala Pollution Control Board
(PCB) in 2010, the amount of e-waste generated in Kerala could come to
1,50,000 tonne per year if five kg of e-waste is generated per person
per year. Despite this, the state does not have a e-waste treatment and
disposal facility. The report had stated that to construct an e-waste
treatment and disposal centre in the state would cost about Rs 10 crore.

Better than the rest

* The e-waste disposal system, proposed by the Kochi corporation and
the Kothamangalam Social Service Society (KSSS), an NGO, is said to be
the first time in the state. Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kollam and
Kozhikode corporations have stated that they don’t have a system for the
safe disposal of e-waste

* This is how the system works –
citizens must take e-waste to collection facilities set up by churches
located across 22 health circles of the Kochi corporation; special
trucks have been arranged to collect the hazardous waste and transport
it to recycling units or processing centres outside the state

*
The initiative would bring down dumping of plastic and other hazardous
substances at the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant

*
KSSS has already experimented with a similar programme in association
with the Thodupuzha municipality, and is set to launch the project in
Muvattupuzha municipality on March 23

* According to a report
published by the Kerala Pollution Control Board (PCB) in 2010, the
amount of e-waste generated in Kerala could come to 1,50,000 tonne per
year if five kg of e-waste is generated per person per year.