Urban News

The Hindu      20.05.2010

E-waste rules ignore unorganised sector

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: By ignoring the unorganised sector that currently handles 90 per cent of India's electronic waste, the Union Government's new draft regulations may not be effective in controlling illegal trade in e-waste.

A study by the Centre for Science and Environment here notes that the draft rules insist e-waste can be handled only by companies registered with the Central Pollution Control Board. Currently, only 13 companies are registered to segregate e-waste and only one is registered to recycle it.

The vast bulk of the work is carried out by the unorganised sector, using rudimentary methods, in hazardous and polluting conditions, mostly in Seelampur and Moradabad.

An undercover investigation by CSE showed that even that single registered company, Attero, is illegally reselling its e-waste to the unorganised sector, and acting merely as a middleman.

“The Government assumes it will be able to regulate the informal sector through its proposed rules, which allows only registered companies to recycle e-waste. Actually, the unorganised sector will continue to be in the business, but will do it illegally,” said Kushal Yadav, who heads CSE's toxins department.

“The informal sector should be involved in collection, segregation, dismantling and refurbishing of e-waste. Recycling should be done only by approved units with pollution control technologies,” said Chandra Bhushan, the head of CSE's industry team.

The Hindu      17.05.2010

New solid waste management system likely to be delayed

Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE: A proposal of the Mangalore City Corporation to switch over to the three-package solid waste management system from August may be delayed. This is because the civic body has revised its tender document based on a direction from the Government and sent it for approval a week ago.

At present, the city corporation is operating a six-package solid waste management system. The contract terms of the existing six agencies would expire in July.

Under the three-package system, the corporation hopes to strengthen the door-to-door collection of solid waste. The existing system had not achieved cent per cent door-to-door collection of waste because many agencies were involved in the job, Commissioner of the corporation K.N. Vijayaprakash told The Hindu.

Under the three-package system, the civic body is planning to segregate the solid waste at source and collect it, he said.

The tender document was revised by a committee headed by Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj, as the Government had directed civic body to do so. The revised document was sent to the Government a week ago, he said.

Earlier, in mid-January this year, the corporation had invited bids for the three-package solid waste management scheme, after the State Cabinet approved the proposal. According to it, bidders had to submit their proposals by February 20.

He said that a few days after bids were invited, the Government asked the civic body to revise the tender document. Following this the civic body extended the bidding process intimating bidders that the last date for submitting bids would be announced later. Mr. Vijayaprakash said that the Government wanted the civic body to revise 14 points in the original tender document. However, there is no major deviation in the terms and conditions mentioned in the original document.

Dilemma

The Commissioner hopes that the Government will approve the revised document quickly so that the three-package system can be introduced as scheduled from August. Otherwise, the civic body will have take a decision to either extend the contract terms of the existing six agencies or call for fresh bids under six-package system.Under the three-package system the 60 wards in the corporation will be divided into northern and southern zones, with the former having 29 wards in a package, and the latter with 31 wards in another package. Two contractors will handle the solid waste produced in these wards, separately. Their tasks will include door-to-door collection of waste, street sweeping, clearing vegetation, cleaning of road dividers and footpaths, and sanitation works in public buildings and other places. The agencies will have to transport the solid waste to the compost plant and dumping yard at Pachchanady.

The third package covers operation and maintenance (O&M) of the compost plant and sanitary landfill site at Panchchanady. At present, the O&M is being done by the civic body itself.