Environmental News 9.9.13 Part III: E-waste Clutters India Next time you discard your phone or computer, ponder upon where it might be going and how this ex-best friend might be polluting somewhere else with its trashy bits. Experts say that the increasing use and reach of electronic gadgets has subsequently led to rising volume of electronic waste, commonly known as E-waste, especially the northeast regions of India. (And, it doesn’t help that countries like China and Myanmar are producing substandard items that get trashed with much more regularity than higher end products.) During a recent meeting with officials of pollution control in the NE states, Toxic Link’s Satish Sinha, said that at the national level in India, 800 000 tonnes of E-waste is generated each year and the presence of toxic materials like lead, mercury and brominated flame retardants pose major health and environmental hazards wherever this trash piles up. He also said that there is an absence of proper management in his country and that this means there are very few laws about where this E-waste is left and in what condition. "In 2011, the Union ministry of environment and forest issued E-waste management and handling rules. Yet, awareness on E-waste hazards in the northeast is still in its nascent stage. The meeting is only a beginning. The officials who participated at the meeting has assured to initiate measures for setting up proper collection centres of e-waste and creating public awareness," said Sinha. He went on to appeal to brands selling electronic gadgets to set up more collection centres for discarded electronic products in the region, and for pollution control to conduct proper and thorough assessments on the generation of E-waste. articles.timesofindia.indiatimes/2013-09-07/guwahati/41854328_1_e-waste-satish-sinha-toxic-link
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 20:45:55 +0000
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