Govt moves to tap economic potential of e-waste

Regional centres to recover precious metals, recycle and produce goods for export

The government has drawn up a comprehensive plan to turn the country’s growing electronic waste into a revenue-generating sector by setting up regional centres to recover precious metals, recycle reusable materials, and produce goods for export.

Under the initiative, the centres will initially be established at the divisional level before expanding to districts to sort discarded electronics and develop processing capacity, Saimum Parvez, special assistant to the prime minister on environment, forest and climate change, said at a seminar titled “Governance in E-Waste Management in Bangladesh: Challenges and Opportunities” in the capital.

The government is seeking domestic and foreign investors for the initiative, drawing on practices in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and China, he said. The government is also discussing with several foreign firms to manufacture intermediate goods from locally generated e-waste for export.

The plan is part of the government’s 3R -- reduce, reuse and recycle -- policy outlined in its election manifesto, Parvez said.

He said the widespread use of smartphones and other electronic gadgets meant almost everyone now contributed to e-waste generation. Rapid economic growth had also increased e-waste from homes and offices, while discarded batteries from auto-rickshaws and electric vehicles (EVs) were causing pollution and environmental hazards.

Parvez warned that importing EVs without adequate end-of-life disposal policies, charging infrastructure or alternative power solutions could put additional pressure on the national electricity grid.

Brig Gen Iqbal Ahmed, commissioner of the Engineering and Operations Division of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, said rapid technological changes meant telecom equipment quickly became obsolete, raising concerns about health risks and data security.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said waste from solar panels could become a major challenge as the country expanded its use of renewable energy.

He urged the government to determine the lifespan of solar panels and formulate disposal policies accordingly.

Citing electronic voting machines (EVMs) as an example of inadequate planning, he said many machines bought at enormous expense had become a burden and were being stored at central locations in 41 districts.

Presenting the keynote paper, Abdullah Zahid Osmani, research associate in Environment and Climate Finance, said Bangladesh lacked up-to-date data on e-waste generation and recycling.

According to a 2017 Department of Environment survey, Bangladesh generates nearly 13.3 million kilogrammes of e-waste annually, of which only 3 percent is recycled and exported. The data on the remaining 97 percent is sketchy and collected through the informal sector.

The data on current years are not available.

Although the import of used electronic items is prohibited, such products continue to enter the country, Osmani said, adding that no organisation involved in manufacturing, importing, exporting or marketing electronic equipment was registered with the DoE or had established an e-waste collection centre.

Sumon Ahmed Sabir, chairperson of WEEE Society Bangladesh, delivered the introductory speech at the seminar, jointly organised by TIB and WEEE Bangladesh at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.