Novel way to dispose of e-waste

Now, you can get rid of old electronic gadgets and gizmos in a safe, scientific way - and get paid for it.

Harshit Patel, a city-based entrepreneur, from Polytela e-Commerce Private Limited, has launched a first nation-wide service to collect e-waste free of cost.

Every year 1.46 lakh tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment waste is generated in India. More than 80% of e-waste is generated from domestic use which is not recycled in an eco-friendly way. The e-waste is being dumped and reused or recycled on the road, harming the environment. “This happens because of lack of awareness on e-waste,” said Harshit.

“We have formed eight collection centres across the country. Anyone can send the electronic waste to these centres,” he said. The company will offer a coupon of Rs125 to those who send in their e-waste at TechShop.in, he added.

The e-waste is passed on to MGA and Associates based at Kandla in Gujarat. MGA plans and carries out the collection, transportation, processing and recovery of all base materials from electronic equipment.