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The State government is planning to establish an e-waste sorting centre at Cacora near Curchorem in south Goa.
Goa State Pollution Control Board Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said the proposed e-waste (electrical, electronic equipment waste) sorting centre will dismantle, separate and segregation different parts and the e-waste generated by the information and communications industry in the State and the same would be dispatched to authorised e-cycle plants in a safe and environment-friendly manner.
According to Noronha, Goa generates about 1000 tonnes of e-waste annually and its scientific disposal was a major concern.
The e-waste centre will help considerably to safeguard the environment and human life in the most scientific way.
E-waste is considered dangerous as some electronics products contain materials that are hazardous in nature, depending on their condition and density. If they are not properly disposed off, they can emanate lead and other harmful substances into soil and groundwater.
Bulb disposalThe Solid Waste Management (SWM) Cell of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Goa, has sought the State government's approval to sign an agreement with a Mumbai-based agency to dispose of non-functioning fluorescent bulbs and tubelights.
Goa State Pollution Control (GSPCB) Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said the disposal of non-functioning fluorescent lamps and tubelights was a big problem in the State, as they contain mercury and even small amount of mercury can be harmful to health and environment.
Noronha cautioned that if a fluorescent lamp or mercury-in-glass medical thermometer breaks, the mercury and other toxic chemical inside can leak and poison water resources. “It can even enter our body through the air we breathe”, he said.
He said that the Mumbai-based agency -- Eco-Rico has agreed to collect the non-functioning fluorescent lamps and tubelights and dispose them in a scientific manner. The agency will use a mobile vehicle fitted with an equipment to remove mercury from each fluorescent lamps and tubelights and dispose the glass.
The agency will charge ₹15 to dispose each fluorescent lamp and tubelight.
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