Metropolitan-led e-waste collection drive a success

Large crowds arrived at the Hyde Park grounds on Thursday with handing over tons of electronic waste at the full day public electronic waste collection day held by the Metropolitan Group together with the Central Environment Authority and Green Link Pvt Ltd, to raise awareness on the dangers of improper disposal of electronic waste and to encourage the public to handover these items for recycling.

“Electronic waste is a serious problem that is high on the priority of the government and the central environment authority. We are looking at an accelerated campaign in June to address this increasing concern and we are happy that Metropolitan has always lead the way and supported our efforts in this endeavor,” said CEA Chairman Dr. Charitha Herath speaking at the event.

Items ranging from computers, typewriters, calculators, CDs, telephones, electrical wires, printers, cartridges and toners, video decks, radios and many other items were handed in for recycling by the general public and private sector companies.

This marks the second national public awareness electronic waste collection day that was held with many more planned to take the message to the urbanised provinces of Sri Lanka.

 “This year we also hope to take our joint electronic waste campaign to the central and southern provinces as a way of creating awareness and ensuring that the public and rid the obsolete electronic items piling up in their homes and workplaces and hand them over to us for recycling,” said CSR Senior Manager Chamintha Thilakarathna at Metropolitan.

As an authorised national partners of the CEA for collecting electronic waste for recycling and the lead workplace waste collecting company of the Government’s national electronic waste management project, the Metropolitan Group held Sri Lanka’s first electronic waste collection public day in April 2011.

At this event, close to 10 tons of electronic waste was collected and this year, the project is confident they can increase the number.

“Our request is for all private sector friends and general public to support the central environment authority and metropolitan to achieve the common objective of reducing Sri Lanka’s electronic waste,” said Ivor Maharoof of Metropolitan.