In case you haven't noticed, waste management is a hot topic in schools these days and plastic is invariably the showstopper in every discussion. Have you ever noticed how e-waste sort of slips under the radar? Realising how serious the burden of e-waste can be, Coimbatore-based Syam Premachandran and Prasanth Omanakuttan started Green Era Recyclers in 2017 and have already collected about 100 tonnes of it. Start-ups are all about innovative USPs and these guys came up with a pretty great one — an e-waste dustbin. The dustbin has a separate division for tubelights, batteries, catridges and so on.
With India being in the list of top five countries contributing to e-waste and Tamil Nadu the second biggest e-waste producer after Maharashtra, the two young men decided to act, "Our mission is to see how far we can tackle this massive problem of e-waste. That's when Prasanth and I teamed up and formed this start-up in Coimbatore," said Syam.
And to make sure people really used it, they knew they had to hit young minds. That's why they placed this bin in the Children's Park on Alagesan Road, Coimbatore. "We collected more than 60kg of e-waste from this bin," he explained proudly. The major sources of e-waste are large household equipment and telecommunication products, explained the young entrepreneur. The problem with e-waste is that only a meagre quantity gets recycled or dismantled. The remaining goes to the informal sector and that is where the issue lies. "Proper surveillance must be there so that everyone disposes of their e-waste responsibly," said the young man who studied Environmental Engineering.
Turns out, collection of this waste is not as simple as we think. There is a considerable difference between dismantlers and recyclers. "We dismantle the e-waste. The recyclable waste will then be sent to an authorised recycler, while the hazardous waste, like batteries, is sent to Gummidipoondi where the waste is incinerated," said the 27-year-old.
To reduce this burgeoning quantity of e-waste, it is necessary to make people aware of the consequences. "The thing is, e-waste should not be taken lightly. It is equally or comparatively more harmful than solid or plastic waste. From childhood, e-waste awareness must be imparted to children. Waste management is being taught, but the awareness of e-waste must be increased," he said. Their eventual plan is to collect e-waste even from households. "We are planning to collect e-waste from households ward-wise with the help of our supporters," concluded Syam.
