Under the Kerala government, there is only one e-waste collecting centre, which is stationed in Bathery, Wayanad. Will that be enough for disposing several e-waste that Kerala is home to after floods?
Thiruvananthapuram: After the massive disaster in Kerala, tons of electronic waste were found in different part of the State. These damaged electronic devices contain harmful materials and toxic chemicals. If these wastes are not disposed properly, it will be a threat to the environment and as well as to humans.
People don't have a clear idea how to dispose these wastes and what will be the after-effects of these materials. Experts say that they should hand over these wastes to recycling agencies.
Many television sets, refrigerators, washing machines, laptops, mobile phones, etc, are found in many places in the State. For the past one week, all parts of the State, including urban areas, highways and rural areas are dumped with electronic waste.
"I found my television set and the fridge inside the house after the flood, but I don't know what to do with them. I'm worried whether I can use it or should I dump it," said Sathyabhama, a native of Ernakulam district.
Under the Kerala government, there is only one e-waste recycling collection centre, and that is in Bathery, Wayanad.
The voluntary camp set up by the students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) – Calicut, to repair electronic equipment damaged during floods, turned out to be a boon for natives.
'My TV was intact, but my mixer grinder was damaged. I immediately disposed it with the help of those NIT students. I am so happy. Those students turned out to be a blessing for me. They even repaired many electronic devices in the village,' said Chandrika, a native of Calicut district.
The camp was started by the students of Electrical and Electronics Department and Electronics and Communications Department of NIT-C at Malabar Christian College on August 22. They have also set up a camp at Kakkodi. They have repaired 72 out of 83 items at the Kakkodi camp. While at the MCC camp, they revived 29 electrical and electronic items.
E-Parisaraa Pvt Ltd, India’s first government-authorized electronic waste recycler in Bengaluru is also ready to collect e-waste from Kerala. If it's a massive e-waste collection, the group is ready to come to your doorstep to collect it from Kerala.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.