Dedicated e-waste recycling hubs in UP by next year

LUCKNOW: The state pollution control board is planning to create dedicated hubs for E-waste recycling in the state by 2021.

Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB)’s chief environmental officer RK Singh said that every kind of e-waste could be recycled at these hubs with the use of modern methods. He said that under the first phase, such facilities had been proposed at minimum two places in west UP.

Singh said, “The hubs will house over 20 facilities, each to recycle e-wastes with various modern methods. These facilities will be operated by private partners while the government is going to provide basic infrastructure, making it public private partnership (PPP) work model.”

The plan was put forward by officials in a meeting, chaired by state environment minister Dara Singh Chauhan.

When contacted, Chauhan said that the plan is to develop such facility by 2021. “Such hubs are need of the hour. It will not only prevent damage to environment but will also provide the job opportunity for many,” the minister stated.

Though locations of these hubs have not yet been finally decided, Moradabad, Ghaziabad and Aligarh are most probable locations, according to senior officials in the board.

“Moradabad and Ghaziabad are already major hubs for e-waste recycling in the state. These places process almost one third of the total e-wastes, generated in the state,” said a board official.

Uttar Pradesh is reportedly the third largest producer of e-waste in the country of which only close to 10% waste is recycled.

Considering this, UPCCB has been making efforts to bring more players in the e-recycling business and also regularise it.

“At present, the e-recycling of waste is very local and scattered process. It is done in a very hazardous manner by unskilled garbage collectors, who pose severe danger to them. The plan is to change this by developing recycling hubs,” said the officer.