CEA to initiate e-waste management campaign

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

The Central Environment Authority (CEA) will manage e-waste in the country by launching an E-Waste Management campaign. CEA Chairman Charitha Herath told Daily News Business that e-waste in the country has become a serious issue as the result of not managing them properly could be disastrous.

At the same time it will be a foreign exchange earner if properly managed. In 2009, one thousand tonnes of e-waste have been exported including 14,000 mobile phones. But it has come down this year due to the lack of awareness among people. Presently e-waste is exported to India and China as Sri Lanka do not have facilities to re-cycle them, Herath said.

He said that a stakeholder meeting chaired by Environmental Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa where all mobile operators and computer importers participated, decided to launch an islandwide campaign under a common logo to educate the public as well as all stakeholders. A committee chaired by CEA Chairman was appointed to program future plans.

There will be identified collection centres for e-waste where people can come and handover such items without destroying them in ad-hoc ways.