This year alone, three million tonnes of e-waste will be generated in India, reports Assocham. Unfortunately, only 5% of this waste is safely disposed.
Tata Power in association with TATA CLiQ has taken the lead by hosting ‘Earth Week’ – a campaign conducted in the last week of April. In partnership with Karo Sambhav, e-waste producer responsibility organisation, it kicked off a drive to collect and recycle e-waste, as well generate awareness about the need to recycle it.
Executed extensively on social media, the campaign was targeted principally at the ‘reflex generation’ — a group of environmental ‘micro-activists’, choosing and making ecofriendly options and decisions on an everyday basis at home, and at work, as an instinctive or ‘reflex’ action.
Active participants were encouraged to pledge their support by registering at the Tata Power website. From personal computers and smartphones to copiers and printers, they were encouraged to donate all kinds of defunct electronic devices to the campaign. Those who registered then dropped off their e-waste at the nearest collection centres, which included 176 Karo Sambhav Collection Centres, 13 Tata Power Customer Centres in Mumbai, TPDDL Customer Centres and Tata Power’s Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore offices. Karo Sambhav also provided free pick-up service for large consignments of e-waste (above 50 kg, like refrigerators and washing machines) to people in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, after they scheduled a pick up on the website.
To encourage people to donate, Tata CLiq offered complimentary discount vouchers depending upon the type of waste donated; those who donated ACs, refrigerators, laptops, television sets and washing machines stood to gain a Rs500 discount on electronics and fashion products purchased via the Tata Cliq app.
