Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to auction 19 tonnes of e-waste, out of which 9 tonnes of used and defunct electric wire is piled up at its godown, as weekly collection of such waste from generating sources continues.“We have 19 tonnes of e-waste that will be auctioned soon to clear the bulk from the stockyard. From the varieties of e-waste, there are many that are identified as hazardous, and they shouldn’t be kept stored for long. The private party selected to take the bulk will process them and extract different kinds of metals from them,” said BMC deputy commissioner (sanitation) N Ganesh Babu.The private party that will participate in the auction is the one empaneled by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to deal with such waste, the BMC officer said.Sources said the disposal of e-waste by scrap dealers helps recover only 30% of metals. But recycling in a scientific way can recover about 90% of metals, which can be reused for various purposes. Electric bulbs and wires are a primary source of e-waste, besides tubelights and old TVs.BMC has been launching a special e-waste collection drive every Saturday since 2023 to curb the hazardous impact on the environment of such stored waste.BMC officials said residents were earlier either reluctant or not aware of disposing of e-waste, but they are now more keen. Mostly, mobile chargers, used mosquito repellents, tubelights and bulbs are being deposited by residents. From institutions, other types of e-waste such as defunct computers and laptops, CPUs, wires, fans, ACs and coolers are being deposited.Since 2021, BMC has been generating awareness to voluntarily deposit e-waste with registered waste collectors so that it can be processed. BMC officials also said the e-waste earlier given to scrap dealers is now being deposited with sanitation teams. “Our drive will continue so that e-waste comes to us for scientific recycling by registered recyclers instead of scrap dealers,” Babu added.
