E-waste collection week completed

A week dedicated to collecting electronic waste from households ended on Saturday.

The Postal Department last week joined hands with telephone services providers to collect such waste as a part of a programme to mark World Postal Day on Saturday, October 10.

An appeal went out to Sri Lankans to hand over damaged and discarded electronic items to 653 main post offices. Households were asked to bring in broken and outdated mobile phones, radios, computers, laptops, cassettes, and CDs.

Deputy Post Master General Tusitha Ulangamuwa, said the response from rural areas had been very poor, in that the items collected was less than in urban areas.

There are 14 e-waste collectors registered with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), who under strict guidelines separate the e- waste from the plastic. The plastics are recycled and turned into building construction material, including roof tiles and sheetings.

The e-waste has a re-export value due to some of the metal content such as copper and is sent to countries where electrical and electronics products are manufactured.

The deputy director general J. M. U. Indraratne, said the waste is mostly exported to Japan and South Korea.

The CEA facilitates exports by getting approval from relevant ministries of the importing countries.

The e-waste collection and distribution are monitored.

Every year the CEA declares a week during which e-waste is collected from households.

About 26,000 metric tons of e-waste is collected every year. The volume is attributed to the import of second hand equipment as gifts and donations.

The CEA is planning to request the customs to tighten procedures that allow used goods imports.

It is also planning to introduce the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility ) which would make the manufacturer responsible for the disposal of products. From mid-2021 the importer and the vendor would also included in the network, making them responsible for the disposal of e-waste.