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Toxics Link's campaigns raise ewaste awareness at the grassroot level.
Link to a safer planet

Divya Dhamija
DECEMBER 2013

WastE Not: EarthSmiles.net had earlier reported about a few ewaste bins placed at locations around Kolkata (Calcutta). Now, the organisation has stepped up its awareness campaigns and hopefully the odinary citizen is learning the benefits of safely disposing of ewaste.

Though more than a year has passed since the Government policy to promote environment friendly e-waste recycling and streamline channels for collection of e-waste emerged in the form of E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011, which came into effect from May 2012, their implementation is still in a growing stage.

In an effort to organise the informal sector and change some of the recycling practices Toxics Link, one of the leading environmental NGOs in India with active support of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) started working in Kolkata since 2011. Last year, on World Environment Day 2012, they started an initiative to set up collection mechanism for E-waste in the city, which has been quite a success and is still running!

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Ewaste being deposited into a bin set up by Toxics Link

This year, during the festive period of Durga Puja, Toxics Link started another mass awareness generation campaign that includes E-waste Collection Drives in academic institutions and residential complexes and awareness generation during the period of Durga Puja in collaboration with different Puja Committees.

On 6th October 2013, the campaign started with few drawing competitions for children on environment and e-waste issues. On 7th, eleven e-waste recycling bins were placed along with some banners containing public awareness messages at few Puja Pandals.

The Puja committees which took part in this initiative are:
1. Shib Mandir Sarbojonin Durgotsab Samiti
2. Singhi Park Sarbojonin
3. Behala Nutan Dal
4. Hindusthan Park Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee
5. Dum Dum Park Tarun Dal
6. Brindaban Matri Mandir
7. Shyamapally Shyama Sangha
8. Santoshpur Avenue South Pally Mangal Samity
9. Pally Mangal Samity
10. Nandibagan Durgoutsab Committee

Drawing competitions for children were organized in collaboration with Shib Mandir Sarbojonin, Durgotsab Samiti & Nandibagan Durgoutsab Committee.

Monalisa Datta, the Project Manager of Toxics Link says, “We did not expect a lot of E-waste collection during the festive period for people would come to see the pandals and would obviously not carry their e-waste. So this initiative was more like a public awareness. By placing the boxes and banners we wanted to spread the message and bring out a positive impact.” Around 250 people came up and asked about the boxes to the puja committees, continued Monalisa.

Apart from the puja committees, four academic institutions and two housing complexes were also approached: Marine Engineering & Research Institute, Taratala, Netaji Nagar Women’s College, Netaji Nagar, Tollygunj, St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College, Armherst Street , Asutosh College, Bhowanipur.

Through the program around 250 people including students, teachers and staff could be reached. Though the quantity of e-waste dropped was not so high, but the positive interest among participants to know about safe disposal & recycling was noticeable.

From a housing complex, Panchwati Building (Chakraberia) and Uttaran Housing Cooperative Society (VIP Road) a good amount of e-waste was collected which was later handed over to an authorized e-waste recycler for safe disposal and recycling.

A total of 90kgs of E-wastes was collected from the housing complexes and the academic institutions. “The future plans of this project would be to approach the hospitals, banks and other academic institutions,” said Monalisa.