It was at a time when e-waste and hazardous waste were posing serious threat to government offices in the district that the Haritha Keralam Mission in association with Clean Kerala Company and Sanitation Mission launched a special drive.
The drive, jointly inaugurated by District Collector A. Geetha and District Police Chief Aravind Sukumar in the first week of April was a huge success, as it could collect nearly 7 tonnes of e-waste.
“When the accumulation of e waste, including computers, and hazardous waste such as cartridges used in printers and mercury bulbs turned a nuisance, as they consumed a lot of space in government offices, we decided to launch the programme,” said E. Suresh Babu, district coordinator, Haritha Keralam Mission, Wayanad.
We informed all district-level officials about the drive and received good response from them. Posters and brochures were also used for the purpose.
E-waste was procured by paying ₹10 a kg to the offices, while hazardous waste was collected free of charge, Mr. Suresh Babu said. As much as 6,890 kg of e waste and 99.5 kg of hazardous waste had been collected from 33 offices during the drive, he added.
The largest quantity of e-waste had been procured from NMSM Government College. As much as 1963.8 kg of e-waste was collected from the college.
The collected non-biodegradable waste is stocked in the godown of Clean Kerala company at Varadoor after segregation. It will be handed over to vendors across the country for recycling.
The drive will continue in the coming days, Mr. Suresh Babu said.
