The Hindu 16.08.2010
E-waste management project launched
Amruta Byatnal
| Aims to bridge gap in e-waste management between formal and informal sectors |
Pune: The Mumbai-Pune corridor may be the hot spot for investors. It is also the highest producer of India's electronic waste.
About one third of India's electronic waste is generated in this region. A stakeholders' consultation on e-waste management was conducted in Pune over the weekend to address the issue.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC); Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC); Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA), Janvani; Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP); and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)-Advisory Services in Environmental Management (ASEM) came together to share ideas and solutions on the issue.
Need for legislative framework
Director of GTZ-ASEM Dr. Juergen Bischoff threw light on the current context of e-waste in India as well as internationally, and expressed the need for a dedicated legislative framework for Electronic Waste Management in India.
He also shared how GTZ has been working towards finding solutions to the problem of e-waste through city-level interventions and policy dialogues.
‘Trilemma'
“We live in a ‘trilemma', and not dilemma, between achieving inclusive growth, depleting resources and deteriorating environmental situation. Reusing waste forms a big aspect of the solution to this,” he said.
Executive Director General of MCCIA Anant Sardeshmukh stated the challenges faced by the industry while designing and implementing e-waste management systems. Greenpeace India campaigner Abhishek Pratap explicitly stated the need for the placing of Extended Producer Responsibility on the shoulders of manufacturers of Electronic and Electrical Equipments (EEE). Ms. Lakshmi Narayan of KKPKP spoke about the important role that the informal sector plays in the recycling of electronic waste.
New programme
Dr. H.M. Modak, a consultant for Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), recognised the need to identify stakeholders and ensure their protection as well. He announced PMC's programme for reducing e-waste — the Rochem Concord Blue — which will deal with 700 metric tonnes of waste everyday.
The event also witnessed the launch of a new project on e-waste management by GTZ. Technical Manager of GTZ-ASEM, Dr. Ashish Chaturvedi shared the project objectives which offer a platform for bridging the gap in e-waste management between the formal and informal sector.
The proposed action under this project aims at improving the situation of e-waste management in Pune, Pimpri and Chinchwad by involving informal sector associations, generators, and recyclers in setting up a channelisation mechanism in the waste management system.
