Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group, organised a stakeholder workshop today to mark the completion of one year of the ‘Clean E-Bhubaneshwar’ Program and to showcase the key activities.
Bringing together key representatives from the government, private sector, academia as well as citizens, the event felicitated 100 institutions/organisations to recognise their contributions to make the project a success. Chief Secretary of Odisha Shri Aditya Prasad Padhi, while gracing the event as the Chief Guest, presented the awards and certificates.
In his address, the Chief Secretary said, “Clean E-Bhubaneswar program by BMC has enabled the formal sector to collect and properly dispose of several tons of e-waste in a short span of time. The Housing and Urban Development Department should now include other major cities and urban centres of the State under similar programmes to manage e-waste.”
Ambassador of the European Union to India Tomasz Kozlowski said, “It is impressive to see the way Bhubaneswar has progressed on wide gamut of activities – e-waste, e-vehicles, rooftop solar, etc. and cemented itself as a leading Smart City in India. The European Union’s approach to waste management is being wise with waste. I hope European Union and India can continue to build on shared experiences and best practices to promote innovative mechanisms in tackling e-waste management through promoting public-private partnerships.”
Among others, BMC Commissioner Dr. Krishan Kumar and Senior Scientist Odisha State Pollution Control Board Dr. Dillip Kumar Behera were present along with other senior officials from different government department and organisations.
BMC Deputy Commissioner Srimanta Mishra said “the city-based pilot project has collected nearly 9 tonnes of e-waste from over 60 entities which was channelised to certified formal recyclers through partner Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), hence minimizing the hazardous practices often employed by the informal sector.’’
“The Clean E-Bhubaneswar Program has successfully implemented a sustainable model and long-term solution for e-waste management in the,’’ he added.
The Clean E-Bhubaneswar Initiative, over the past year, has implemented 74 awareness activities across the city including awareness workshops in over 35 schools and 17 colleges, reaching over 10,000 students, and engaging directly with over 175 government and corporate bulk consumers, and resident welfare associations.
The project also conducted a road show, with a door-to-door e-waste awareness and collection campaign reaching 590 households. A dedicated toll-free number and website were made available to support proper disposal and channelization of e-waste across the city, as were several social media channels. A prominent Ravan sculpture made from e-waste was also installed at Jaydev Vihar Square to build broader awareness about the hazards of e-waste.
The E-Bhubaneswar program is being implemented by IFC under the IFC – EU Eco-Cities Program. This unique project establishes a first-of-its-kind collaboration between local government entities, including the BMC, OSPCB, IT Department and the private sector to address Bhubaneswar’s e-waste management challenge by building awareness and developing a sustainable model for e-waste management in the city.
Presently Bhubaneshwar has a large informal network engaged in e-waste collection and processing, which includes door-to-door collection of e-waste along with other scrap material like glass and paper by waste pickers.
Awareness programs and collection activities are expected to continue with the support of government/private partners, Producers and Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). Increased awareness among bulk consumers to fulfil their responsibilities as mandated in the E-Waste Rules, 2016, as well as increased awareness and participation among private citizens are crucial towards helping create a sustainable system for effective management of e-waste in Bhubaneswar.
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