The civic body came across the idea of recycling e-waste during a two-day seminar on waste management which was held in the city last week.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is working on a proposal to recycle e-waste for the poor and needy children. By making children a part of the process, the proposal aims to teach kids about refurbishing old computer parts as well as assembling them. Once assembled, the civic body plans to distribute it to the BMC schools for use.
The civic body came across the idea of recycling e-waste during a two-day seminar on waste management which was held in the city last week. During the seminar, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta said that such initiatives can bring a change in the lives of underprivileged kids.
Smart Riverside, a California- based non-profit organisation has already been carrying out the e-waste drive which has benefitted thousands of children in the US. "The initiative has garnered positive response and the NGO has provided 5,000 computers to underprivileged kids in California," said a civic official, adding that the same plan can be replicated by the BMC.
Every year, the civic body discards thousand of computers from its various offices. "Since there is no provision to manage e-waste, these discarded computers are lying idle in the office premises and it becomes completely unusable," said the official. Smart Riverside collects electronic waste and reuses it for hands-on education, where low-income students learn how to refurbish the discarded computers.
"The members participating in the programme receive eight hours of training where instructions on reassembling the discarded materials of old computers is provided. Around 960 million tonnes of e-waste is generated in India every year. With this programme, e-waste can be used to a great extent," said an official.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "BMC")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}