BHUBANESWAR: Residents can now hand over e-waste to BMC on any day against the previous norm of collection every Saturday.
BMC deputy commissioner for sanitation Manoranjan Sahu told TNIE that the civic body has now started attaching a black box to each door-to-door garbage collection vehicle in which hazardous domestic waste such as bulbs and other electronic waste, collected from households, can be kept and transported safely to the wealth centres on a daily basis.
The civic body has set up an e-waste collection facility at Nayapalli under ward no 25 where people can deposit the e-waste for their safe disposal. “This will further streamline e-waste collection in the city,” Sahu said.
Sahu said under the e-waste collection drive, the corporation collected around 10 tonne of electronic waste in the last six months and generated Rs 1.5 lakh from its sale to a certified recycler. The e-waste is sold to certified vendors through auctions to ensure their proper and safe recycling, he said.
BMC sources said most of the e-waste items generated were Led bulbs, cables, damaged TVs, laptops, mobile phones, induction cookers, mosquito repellent bottles and bats, etc. Around 57 self-help groups have been engaged by the civic body for collection and handling of e-waste at 22 wealth centres in the city.
Meanwhile, a senior BMC official said e-waste collection has gradually started declining in the city due to various factors including exchange offers provided by companies to replace old and damaged electronic products.
BMC officials said sensitisation drives with the help of Swachh Sathis and Swachh supervisors will be launched soon to make households aware that they can hand over e-waste to BMC on any day of the week.