SAMBALPUR: The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) has started door-to-door collection of e-waste from residents to ensure segregation at source and disposal through proper channel. The e-waste will be collected on Saturday every week.
The e-waste collection drive started last week but SMC had started awareness campaign and sensitisation of sanitation staffs around 10 days back.
Enforcement officer of SMC Subhankar Mohanty said e-waste became a concern for the civic body after its output from households increased significantly and improper disposal led to the problem of contamination.
Earlier, the e-waste was being collected along with the regular garbage which posed risk to the staff engaged in its segregation. Besides, the heavy metals derived from the waste were not easily disposable.
"Earlier, rag pickers and scrap dealers collected the e-waste. After taking away the useful parts, they disposed of the hazardous components. With doorstep collection, we will not only be able to segregate the e-waste at source but can dispose it as per regulations," he said.
The regular garbage collection van staff have been instructed to ask the households to give away e-waste separately on the designated day. A separate 'E-waste Corner' has been set up at the four Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) at Balibandha, Chaurpur, Durgapali and Burla.
Such corners will be later set up at three others MRFs. Once the amount of e-waste collected is huge, it will be handed over to scrap vendors approved by the State Pollution Control Board.
E-waste includes computer peripherals, discarded home appliances and electronics besides batteries. Mohanty said awareness campaign will be intensified through wall-paintings, public address system, and sensitisation by Swachh Sathis.
"In the upcoming days, we are also planning to collect other segregated domestic hazardous waste at source," he added.