BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group, on Friday organised a workshop on Clean e-Bhubaneswar project for discussing solutions to make the Capital e-waste free.
Organised at Patia to launch city-wide collection and awareness campaigns under the Clean e-Bhubaneswar project, issues like hazards of e-waste, proper recycling methods, opportunities in terms of resource extraction, pressing need for appropriate e-waste management and potential options that can be implemented, were discussed.
The project aims at developing a model for e-waste management in the city with a collaboration between BMC, State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), IT Department and private sector to tackle e-waste challenges here.
“The Clean e-Bhubaneswar project is part of the IFC-European Union Eco Cities programme. Eco-Cities India is a multi-year climate change focused programme aligned with Government of India’s Smart Cities initiative to create climate smart infrastructure in five cities - Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune,” a BMC official said.
Implementation of the project is being undertaken by consortium of Sofies Sustainability Leaders private limited and city-based Siddha Development Research and Consultancy, he added.
Joint Director, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, Dr AK Gupta spoke about the consequences of e-waste and how a collective effort can eradicate the problem if a strategy is chalked out properly and scientifically.
Officials of the IFC, SPCB and BMC besides those of private firms attended the workshop.
The city based companies and residents can visit the Clean e-Bhubaneswar initiative website or call on toll-free number 1800-120- 2723 to request a free pickup of e-waste.