The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) is planning to bridge the gap between the household-level generators and recycling agencies for safe and scientific disposal of the e-waste.
With a phenomenal increase in the purchase of gadgets — from mobile phones to home appliances — the quantum of e-waste generated has also increased.
Lack of awareness and proper channel to dispose of the e-waste have been a hurdle in the implementation of the e-Waste Management Rules, 2016.
To bridge the gap between the consumer and the recycler, the APPCB will soon be setting up a call centre.
“People can dial the centre and raise a request, and the collection agency will collect the e-waste at their doorstep,” Special Chief Secretary to the Government (Environment, Forests, Science and Technology) Neerabh Kumar Prasad has said.
The collection and recycling agencies will be connected to the call centre to be monitored by the PCB.
At present, there are a few e-waste collecting agencies in various parts of the State, but people need to visit the pick-up points to dispose of the e-waste. In the cities such as Hyderabad, doorstep service by the private agencies is available. All the items listed under Schedule I in the Rules are considered as e-waste. They include parts of IT and telecommunication equipment such as PCs, laptops, printers, copiers, typewriters and facsimile; consumer electrical and electronics goods such as TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, ACs; and fluorescent and other mercury-containing lamps.
