Dump and donate: e-waste collection drive across 120 cities launched

New Delhi: A month-long campaign for the collection of e-waste from 120 cities across the country was launched here on Tuesday.

The 'Dump and Donate' campaign also involves reaching out to the masses through various schools, institutions and other mediums to create awareness about E-waste and its harmful impact on health and environment. Claimed to be the largest e-waste collection drive, it has been launched by Lions Club International in partnership with Hindustan E-Waste Management Pvt Ltd and National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA).

"Different ministries have cleared their e-waste inventories after noting the importance of e-Waste management. With India taking on the Presidency of G20, it (e-waste collection drive) is all the more an important endeavour taken up at this juncture," Union Education Minister Subhas Sarkar said at the launch.

During the drive, people will be incentivised to donate their e-waste through emotional campaigns and corporate and school tie-ups. The campaign will be activated across various districts of India and create a national impact in the process of e-waste management.

Out of the gadgets collected, the usable and salvageable ones will be refurbished and donated for community education, while the e-waste that cannot be refurbished will be recycled to extract precious metals. "Under this month-long campaign, the members of Lions Club International, will reach out through various schools, institutions and other mediums, and create awareness among the masses about e-waste and its harmful impact on health and environment.

"Keeping social commitment at the forefront, we have designed this campaign in a unique manner," said AP Singh, International Third Vice President of Lions Clubs.

The recycling partner is Hindustan E-Waste (HEW) that focuses on the collection and storage of e-waste, segregation of e-waste as per government norms, functional testing, dismantling, data destruction, disposition of end-of-life electronics, and organizing scrap recovery and recycling.

HEW will also donate the sum amount equivalent to the e-waste collected to Lions Clubs and offer guidance through the collection drive.

"Managing e-waste is a big problem all over the world and this can be mainly attributed to the widespread use of smartphones, gadgets, and other electronic devices, which is causing harm to both health and environment.

"With rapid internet penetration, the use of smartphones and electronic devices is also increasing faster than expected”, said Shekhar, Founder and CEO of Hindustan E-Waste.