The Times of India Delhi 07.09.2016
E-waste issue: 90% in Delhi not aware of legal recourse
NEW DELHI: One in every two people is unaware of what e-waste is. A survey 'What India Knows about E-waste' conducted by an environmental NGO Toxics Link that was released on Tuesday revealed that most were unaware about electronic waste and the proper means to dispose it.
The study which was conducted across five metropolitans — Delhi,
Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai — through November-December 2015
studied a sample size of 2,030 people aged between 18-65. Even after
four years of the e-waste rules in force, 66% of the people were unaware
about its existence, the report stated.
According to E-waste rules 2011, electronic waste should only be disposed to authorised agencies. However, Kolkata and Delhi fared the worst there. Around 93% and 90% of the respondents respectively did not know anything about the legal framework. The study further brought out that 61% of the people were ignorant about the impacts of its improper disposal.
"If this is the awareness level in the top five cities, imagine the situation in smaller towns and cities," said Priti Mahesh, chief program coordinator, Clean Industry, Toxics Link. "Lack of knowledge about the repercussions of improper disposal is leading to most consumers selling the waste to kabaadiwalas or illegal collectors," Mahesh added. Around 50% of the respondents directly sell the electronic waste to kabaadiwalas, the report said.