KOCHI: In view of the State Pollution Control Board’s recent instruction, that all local bodies in the State should set up electronic waste collection centres, the city Corporation has proposed to set up collection centres across the city. At present, the city has no system to collect e waste and other hazardous waste materials which creates serious health and environmental hazards. Dealers of scrap materials are carelessly transporting the e waste, including hazardous materials like mercury and other heavy metals, to neighbouring states.
The proposal will be a great relief to the city residents and commercial firms who find it difficult to deal with the growing quantity of e-waste being generated. “It has been planned to set up electronic and hazardous waste collection centres across all health circles in the city, with the support of Clean Kerala Company. City residents and commercial firms can leave the electronic waste materials at the collection centres from where it will be transported to a Hyderabad-based treatment plant. It is the Clean Kerala Company which will be directly coordinating with the recycling agency,” said T K Asharaf, chairman of Corporation health standing committee.
Though the initiative is feasible which does not require much funding, it would be successful only with the support of public, he observed. Though an NGO, Kothamangalam Social Service Society, had earlier submitted a proposal to set up collection centres in association with the civic body, it didn’t materialise. Meanwhile, Mayor Tony Chammany who visited the Swedish City of Kumla in June last as part of the Municipal Partnership Programme discussed programmes for industrial and electronic waste management. He also visited a factory treating electronic, chemical and industrial waste. The factory authorities evinced interest in setting up a similar plant in Kochi.
