"We will soon
set up an integrated e-waste facility within six months in Mumbai and Pune. We
have sought expression of interest from the concerned parties to set up the
units. We have also made some changes in the river regulation zone policy, which
sets distance criteria for setting industries near the river bank," Nair Singh
said.
Appealing to NGOs and citizens for ensuring that
non-formal de-assembling units of electronic items do not come up, Nair Singh
said that the e-waste must go to authorised recycler.
"It is a
shock for our state that only 17 per cent sewage in the entire state is being
treated. Only 24 per cent municipal solid waste is treated, that too partially.
All other waste is either dumped or burnt which is damaging the general health.
Mumbai and Pune together constitute 40 per cent of the country's e-waste," Nair
Singh said.
Article from The Times of India, 6/30/09. Features comments from state environment secretary and chairperson of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) Valsa R Nair Singh on draft environmental policy. Some quotes related to e-waste (see annotations).
The green revolution was a major focus Wednesday morning, as it has been
throughout CES so far. LG announced that its 2009 HDTVs are being designed to
achieve the newest Energy Star 3.0 rating. The company is rolling out the
"Life's Green 2020" initiative, which will cut greenhouse gas emissions by two
points in the product lifecycle -- in the manufacturing process, where the
company aims to cut emissions by 150 kilotons/year by 2020, and with the
products themselves, for an additional decrease of 30 megatons/year by 2020.
One of the few products to get more than a few sentences of introduction may
be coming to your town soon, but it's not likely you're in the market. The LG
Skycharger, a solar- and wind-powered charging station, can handle up to 104
phones (of various makes, not only LG) in its lockable cubbyholes, dispensing up
to 1.8 kilowatts of power among them. Drop a gadget off and it'll be charged in
about an hour; unused power goes into the station's battery bank in case it gets
both calm and dark.
Who's buying? Think large outdoor venues...or disaster-recovery agencies. The
Skycharger will, according to the company, be making a US tour in 2009. It's the
first of its kind in the nation.
E-waste: search through any basement, attic or garage in America and you'll likely find some.
Old computers and cell phones, your ancient TV that shows only a scratchy black-and-white picture, that broken printer.
These are all examples of electronic waste, also known as e-waste - a booming facet of America's waste stream.
Americans generate between 5 and 7 million tons of e-waste each year - and the amount is growing three times faster than other types of municipal waste, according to the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association.
The association is a nonprofit interstate group of New England states - including New Hampshire - that coordinates waste and pollution prevention programs.
Though e-waste itself isn't a new phenomenon, only within about the last eight years have states tried to grapple with how to properly dispose of electronics that contain chemicals harmful to the environment when simply tossed in a landfill or burned in an incinerator.
New Hampshire is one of 18 states in the country to have a law regulating e-waste, and the law may soon get a little stricter.