Haritha Karmasena's e-waste collection deserves praise

E-waste is the most dangerous waste of the new era. No one accepts damaged electronic waste. The environmental damage caused to nature if e-waste is left on the road is very high. Haritha Karmasena, who implemented revolutionary changes in the waste management activities in Kerala, started collecting e-waste as a new mission. People are happy that the e-waste accumulated in their homes for ages has been removed and they have also received money. Haritha Karmasena collected e-waste from corporations and municipalities in the state. So far, 33,945 kg of e-waste has been collected through the project that started a month ago. In return, Haritha Karmasena gave Rs. 2.63 lakh.

Haritha Karmasena collects 44 non-hazardous electronic and electrical items. The price is given per kilogram. The collected equipment will be taken to the Clean Kerala Company and sorted. The recyclable items will be handed over to companies operating in this sector, and those that cannot be recycled will be disposed of based on the standards. The price is paid to homes and institutions from the Haritha Karmasena Consortium Fund or the local body's own fund. When the Clean Kerala Company takes over the e-waste, this amount will be returned to Haritha Karmasena.

Haritha Karmasena collects 44 non-hazardous electronic and electrical items. The price is given per kilogram. The collected equipment will be taken to the Clean Kerala Company and sorted. The recyclable items will be handed over to companies operating in this sector, and those that cannot be recycled will be disposed of based on the standards. The price is paid to homes and institutions from the Haritha Karmasena Consortium Fund or the local body's own fund. This amount will be returned to Haritha Karmasena when the Clean Kerala Company takes over the e-waste.

The project, which was started to ensure scientific treatment of e-waste, is being implemented by the Local Self-Government Department in collaboration with agencies like Clean Kerala Company, Suchitwa Mission and Kudumbashree. The decision to extend the project to all panchayats from September, due to its success, is quite commendable.

Haritha Karmasena's advertisement about e-waste collection was also interesting. The advertisement featured a Haritha Karmasena member telling the officer in charge of the British fighter jet that was stranded at the Thiruvananthapuram airport due to a technical fault that if there is any e-waste, they will take it. Innovative machine-assisted methods have been devised in foreign countries to dispose of e-waste. Steps should be taken by the local government department to visit such places and start similar systems here too, because e-waste will become a problem that affects Kerala the most in the future.

Mobile phones are used even by children in Kerala. The number of students and employees who have their own computers is also very high. Apart from this, the household electrical and electronic items such as TV, refrigerator, washing machine, grinder, fan, computer, monitor, mobile phone, telephone, modem, inverter, induction cooker, water heater, air conditioners, etc. are among the items that Haritha Karmasena collects. The monitors of TVs and computers, and batteries are the most dangerous and abundant e-waste. The hazardous elements such as lead, nickel, and mercury contained in them can cause serious health risks. Haritha Karmasena's e-waste collection deserves praise in this context.