UNB, Dhaka :
The government has taken a move to manage the growing electronic waste (e-waste) in the country aiming to protect public health from adverse impacts of the emerging threat. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has already formed a sub-committee, headed by the additional director general of the Department of Environment (DoE), to find out ways to deal with e-waste hazards and the committee held a meeting in this regard early his month, according to official sources.
E-waste is defiled as electronic equipment, computers, televisions, cell-phones, products linked with power plug, batteries which have gone obsolete due to advanced technologies, changes in fashion, and style and status or have expired.
Many e-waste elements contain poisonous substances, which cause severe diseases like cancer, birth defects, and neurological and respiratory disorders.
“We’ve already given clearance to some private companies to start management of electronic waste in Dhaka city,” DoE additional director general QSI Hashmi told UNB.
He said the DoE has also started work with a Japanese company – ReTeam – to assess how much e-waste generated in Dhaka city and find out ways to collect and recycle the wastes.
“ReTeam is now conducting a survey in Dhaka city with financial support from JICA, aiming to know how much e-waste generated in the city a day,” Hashmi said.
After the survey, the DoE additional director general said, a land will be given to the Japanese company to collect and recycle the e-waste of the capital.
According to environmentalists, electronic waste will appear as a serious threat due to the increased use of electronic products and unplanned dumping of that.
Although the use of electronic products is increasing in the country day by day generating more e-waste, there is no exact official data on how much electric waste is being generated in the country a day or a year.
Unofficial data in 2010 showed that more than 22.88 million tonnes of electronic waste, including waste from ship breaking yards, is generated in Bangladesh each year.
Also, the government is yet to finalise a policy or rules to manage e-waste in the country. However, DoE additional director general QSI Hashmi said they are working sincerely to prepare a policy in this regard.
Earlier, the DoE formulated a draft of electronic waste management rules. But, the proposed e-waste management rules was stalled in 2013 after the Ministry of Law Affairs suggested incorporating it into a separate act, separate from the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 2010.
The government has taken a move to manage the growing electronic waste (e-waste) in the country aiming to protect public health from adverse impacts of the emerging threat. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has already formed a sub-committee, headed by the additional director general of the Department of Environment (DoE), to find out ways to deal with e-waste hazards and the committee held a meeting in this regard early his month, according to official sources.
E-waste is defiled as electronic equipment, computers, televisions, cell-phones, products linked with power plug, batteries which have gone obsolete due to advanced technologies, changes in fashion, and style and status or have expired.
Many e-waste elements contain poisonous substances, which cause severe diseases like cancer, birth defects, and neurological and respiratory disorders.
“We’ve already given clearance to some private companies to start management of electronic waste in Dhaka city,” DoE additional director general QSI Hashmi told UNB.
He said the DoE has also started work with a Japanese company – ReTeam – to assess how much e-waste generated in Dhaka city and find out ways to collect and recycle the wastes.
“ReTeam is now conducting a survey in Dhaka city with financial support from JICA, aiming to know how much e-waste generated in the city a day,” Hashmi said.
After the survey, the DoE additional director general said, a land will be given to the Japanese company to collect and recycle the e-waste of the capital.
According to environmentalists, electronic waste will appear as a serious threat due to the increased use of electronic products and unplanned dumping of that.
Although the use of electronic products is increasing in the country day by day generating more e-waste, there is no exact official data on how much electric waste is being generated in the country a day or a year.
Unofficial data in 2010 showed that more than 22.88 million tonnes of electronic waste, including waste from ship breaking yards, is generated in Bangladesh each year.
Also, the government is yet to finalise a policy or rules to manage e-waste in the country. However, DoE additional director general QSI Hashmi said they are working sincerely to prepare a policy in this regard.
Earlier, the DoE formulated a draft of electronic waste management rules. But, the proposed e-waste management rules was stalled in 2013 after the Ministry of Law Affairs suggested incorporating it into a separate act, separate from the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 2010.
