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Solid Waste Management

Cell phone waste, the next big threat to environment: Deloitte

Thursday, 05 November 2009 05:40 administrator
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Deccan Herald 05.11.2009

Cell phone waste, the next big threat to environment: Deloitte
New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI)

Sporting a new mobile phone may be fashionable in these well-connected times, but the discarded old handsets could poison the environment, as a whopping 8,000 tonnes of cell phone waste is estimated to burden the earth by 2012.

 

 


 


As per a whitepaper by global consultancy Deloitte, there is a growing need to better manage the rising cell phone waste, as it is posing a threat to the environment.

Replacement sales predict that more cell phones would be retired every year with rapid changes in technology and product designs discouraging mobile repairs and increasing demand for new mobiles and disposal of old ones.

"With the absence of a proper recycle and reuse program, about 8,000 tonnes of toxic cell phone components are estimated to be dumped in landfills by 2012. The resulting contamination will have far reaching consequences for the environment and all living beings," Deloitte Consulting India Regional Managing Director Parag Saigaonkar said.

The problem begins when retired handsets end up in landfill sites or if they are dumped illegally, leading to toxic substances seeping into the groundwater, making disposal of old cells a problem for the world, the report revealed.

"As India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world in terms of mobile phone subscribers, we need to be more aware of the threat, which these gadgets pose to the environment and strict government guidelines should be created to deal with it," Saigaonkar added.

The Deloitte report stated that mobile phone waste globally is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about nine per cent between 2008 and 2012, with more than 80 per cent of the cell phone waste being hazardous.

"Indian policymakers should also provide regulations in terms of curbing pollution of mobile phone waste and mandatory recycling of cell phones should be brought in to manage the burgeoning problem," Saigaonkar said.

The main contributors to cell phone waste are those who upgrade and replace their handsets regularly.
About 65 per cent of subscribers in Asia, Europe and the Americas replace their cell phones at least once in two years. This means every 2 years, about 100 million cell phones reach landfills if they are not recycled or reused, it added.

Elaborating on the ways to minimise the growing cell phone waste, the report stated that recycling and refurbishing of used cell phones is necessary.

Refurbishing extends the lifetime of used phones and recycling reduces the need for the raw materials used to make new products. The inclusion of recycling or refurbishing would change the traditional view of the cell phone life cycle.

"In this new life cycle model, every stakeholder will have to play a role in reducing the environmental footprint of cell phones," it added.

 

Corporation to buy 37 acres more at Brahmapuram

Thursday, 05 November 2009 04:39 administrator
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The Hindu 05.11.2009

Corporation to buy 37 acres more at Brahmapuram

Staff Reporter

Civic body reaches understanding with landowners

 

Government sanctions Rs. 85 crore for

purchase of the land

Idukki cooperative society offers to buy

bio-manure at Rs. 3 per kg

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation will soon buy 37 acres adjoining its holding at Brahmapuram where its solid waste treatment plant is functioning.

The State government has sanctioned Rs.85 crore required for taking possession of the land there. The corporation had earlier sought the support of the government for purchasing the land. With the addition of the 37 acres, the corporation will become the owner of 100 acres there.

Though the funds have been sanctioned, it will be released only after the Ernakulam bypoll, fearing violation of the model code of conduct. A government order releasing the fund will also be issued after the election, officials said.

The corporation had earlier taken possession of 63 acres at Brahmapuram. There are around 30 families residing in the land that is to be purchased. The civic body had reached an understanding with the landowners for the land purchase. The families will sign agreements with the corporation once the decision to purchase the land is communicated to them, civic officials said.

Earlier, the corporation had to spend considerable amount to reclaim the waterlogged area that it had purchased for setting up the plant. Some of the structures erected in the reclaimed land and the floor laid there had developed cracks as the reclaimed land settled. This had led to a dispute between the agency which implemented the work and the civic body. The Brahmapuram plant was the first project completed in Kochi with the financial support of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

There has been good demand for the bio-manure produced at Brahmapuram plant by processing the biodegradable waste generated by the city, according to civic officials. Though FACT had offered to purchase the manure from the civic body, the deal has not materialised so far. Meanwhile, a cooperative society from Idukki has approached the civic body for purchasing the manure at the rate of Rs.3 a kg against the Rs.2 a kg offered by FACT, officials said.

Last Updated on Thursday, 05 November 2009 04:47
 

Laloor trenching ground inspected

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 07:57 administrator
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The New Indian Express 04.11.2009

Laloor trenching ground inspected

Express News Service


Thrissur District and Sessions Judge B Kamal Pasha inspecting the Corporation’s trenching ground at Laloor on Tuesday.

THRISSUR: District and Sessions Judge B Kamal Pasha visited the controversial trenching ground of Thrissur Corporation at Laloor on Tuesday. The visit was to assess the progress made by the corporation in complying with the directive of the High Court.

As per the directive of the High Court, the District and Sessions Judge had visited the trenching ground on August 12, 2009, and submitted the report before the court. In the report, the judge had summed up the situation in the trenching ground then as ‘we could not find even stray dogs in the locality, the presence of which will normally can be expected near dirt. We could not find any birds or even crows. May be because it may not be possible even for such creatures to withstand the stinking in the area. If right to life is even mere animal existence, it remains only as a mirage in the area. If right to life is that of a decent and dignified life, then it is not even a dream for these poor and hapless residents of the area.” Following the submission of the report, the High Court had directed the corporation to take urgent steps to clear the waste from the trenching ground within two weeks.

After the visit, the Judge told newsmen that he would submit the report on inspection on Tuesday before the High Court within four days.

He said that while there was some improvement in the cleanliness of the area where the treatment plant was working, the steps taken by the Corporation had not mitigated the grievances of people residing around the trenching ground.

Officials of the State Pollution Control Board, Secretary of Thrissur Corporation, Health Standing Committee Chairman, and members of Laloor Malineekarna Virudha Samiti, were present at the trenching ground during the inspection.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 November 2009 08:01
 
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