e waste collection day a success

Large crowds arrived at the Hyde Park grounds on Thursday handing over tonnes 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 hand over 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 led the way and supported our efforts in this endeavor," said Chairman of the CEA. 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 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 urbanized 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 hand rid the obsolete electronic items piling up in their homes and workplaces and hand them over to us for recycling," said Senior Manager in charge of this CSR project at Metropolitan Chamintha Thilakarathna.

As an authorized national partner 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 tonnes of electronic waste was collected and this year,and 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.