New Delhi: The Capital will soon get an e-waste management park for the safe and scientific disposal of electronic products such as appliances and e-vehicle batteries, according officials in the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s office.
“The Delhi chief secretary will head the drawing of the plan for this facility, after consulting the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) and the ministry of electronics and information technology,” a senior government official said on Friday.
The official also said the proposal will also work on a system to incentivise citizens and agencies, to encourage the safe disposal of e-waste.
In the absence of a protocol for the disposal and management of e-waste, the Capital has been struggling to handle waste from old batteries of e-rickshaws, refrigerators, microwave, mobile phones, chargers and laptops, which can be toxic for the soil and water bodies around which it is dumped. A 2019 study conducted by environment NGO Toxics Link found at least 15 e-waste processing hot spots in the city that were operating without any health or environmental safeguards.
Senior government officials said Delhi L-G Anil Baijal, along with K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to government of India, on Thursday chaired a meeting with officials from the Delhi government, the three municipal corporations, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and representatives from the above-mentioned union ministries, to discuss the need to working out a mechanism for the safe disposal of e-waste.
{{/usCountry}}Senior government officials said Delhi L-G Anil Baijal, along with K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to government of India, on Thursday chaired a meeting with officials from the Delhi government, the three municipal corporations, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and representatives from the above-mentioned union ministries, to discuss the need to working out a mechanism for the safe disposal of e-waste.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting stressed on the need to provide a mechanism for the effective implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR is a policy approach of waste management under which companies that produce waste are given a significant responsibility its treatment or disposal.
“Advised chief secretary, Delhi to draw out a proposal in consultation with the MoEFCC, MeitY etc, and industry stakeholders for setting up an e-waste management park in Delhi in a time bound manner,” the official handle of the Delhi L-G tweeted on Thursday.
A senior official of the union environment ministry said, “The plan is still in its initial stage, and the details of how such a facility will function is being worked out with the Delhi government. We will only support them with our expertise.”