E-waste from Kerala schools to net Rs100m

trivandrum — In a first, the state-run IT@School Project will raise Rs100 million by disposing off around 10 million kilogrammes of e-waste and will use the money to buy new computers for schools, said an official.

The e-waste includes old monitors, mouses, keyboards, UPS among other things that have been lying unused at 10,000 state-run schools in the state. K. Anvar Sadath, executive director of the IT@ School project, said arrangements are being made to collect the ewaste and then it will be transported to the Clean Kerala Company’s Hyderabad facility, where it will be scientifically processed.

“For every kilogram of e-waste, we will get Rs10 and the proceeds of this will be used to buy new computers which would be apportioned among all the 10,000 schools,” said Sadath.

This e-waste has been accumulating since 2000 and an expert committee will verify all the equipment that will be declared as ewaste, he said.

The IT@School Project was set up to augment IT education in schools. —