Uttarakhand govt to open 51 e-waste management centres

The city of Dehradun is focusing on e-waste management and plans to open 51 specialised e-waste centres. It aims to make the city and state free from e-wastes.

Mayor of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC), Sunil Uniyal Gama, has inaugurated an e-waste management system and minimisation campaign, along with a joint effort by the Society of Pollution and the Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS), Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology and National Missions on Himalayan Studies.

Currently, the city generates less than two tonnes of e-waste yearly but aims to increase the number in the coming years. The chief health officer of DMC, Kailash Joshi, said that the city has 24 e-waste bins and two NGO vehicles focused on e-waste collection from the city. The new centres will collect and repair e-wastes.

Secretary of SPECS, Dr Brijmohan Sharma, said that the seven centres would begin operations soon. Other locations will be identified and soon begin the work.

Officials hope for more employment opportunities with the new centres. The staff will also receive special training and technical support.

Besides the door-to-door collection of e-wastes, it will have drop off centres in Jakhan and Harrawala. Since 2018, Waste Warriors, an environmental NGO, has been working with DMC for an efficient e-waste collection campaign.

Currently, e-wastes from Dehradun go to Haridwar for processing. The discarded wastes can be repaired and reused sometimes. They are also requesting the citizens to discard e-wastes properly.

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