The Hindu            11.10.2014

Solution to e-waste management in 3 city Corporations in sight

The vexed issue of e-waste management is likely to get a solution in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram Corporations towards the end of this month and Kozhikode set to follow shortly.

Clean Kerala Company Limited (CKCL), an initiative under the Local Self-government Department, has identified a Palakkad-based agency through tendering for the collection and processing of e-waste in the private-public-participation model with zero investment to the State.

Giving a fillip to the arrangement was a government order issued on Friday authorising CKCL to collect e-waste from government bodies and public sector enterprises.

Local bodies, in association with CKCL, would identify locations for collecting e-waste from where the agency concerned would collect and transport it to its processing centre in Hyderabad.

“We are in the process of finalising locations in consultation with the two Corporations and will start operations on getting clearance from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board,” Kabeer B. Haroon, managing director, CKCL, told The Hindu .

As per the arrangement, CKCL will buy e-waste from local bodies at Rs.5 a kg and sell it to the collecting agent three to four times that rate.

Mr. Haroon said the collection and processing involving a third party was only an interim arrangement with the ultimate target being setting up a plant of its own to treat e-waste as envisaged in the last budget. “Once that happens, we would be able to double the profit through e-waste processing compared to the new arrangement,” he said.

The collection and processing system will be extended to all interested Corporations and municipalities in due course. Panchayats will also be able to avail themselves of the benefits from the system, provided a block panchayat or district panchayat takes the initiative to coordinate it.

A preliminary survey conducted has put the e-waste generation in the State at 6 to 10 tonnes a month. But that is the figure taking into account the organised sectors alone.

“The volume generated in the three Corporations would be taken as a sample for arriving at a more accurate figure based on which areas in need for collection centres will be identified,” Mr. Haroon said.

Palakkad-based agency to process e-waste

Local bodies to identify spots for collecting e-waste