Lions Clubs are known for answering the needs of the community. They are known for caring. They believe in kindness and as they say – wherever there is a need there is a Lion. The country is facing a huge challenge – the challenge of the surmounting e-waste which is getting dumped at a frightening speed. Are you aware that India is the 3rd largest country in the world to produce e-Waste? Shocked? More than 3.2 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2020-21. By 2050, the country is expected to produce 161 million tonnes. E-waste is raising concerns and thus is also on the Indian Government’s agenda. In just five years, India recorded a growth of 43% in its e-waste generation. 82% of India’s e-waste consists only of personal devices. Deplorably, only 22.7% of the e-waste was properly destroyed out of the total 10,14,961.21 tonnes generated was collected, dismantled, and recycled or disposed of.
We are technologically upgrading ourselves and in the process are mounting up e-waste. With all the time saving appliances available to us each of our homes are reliant on a large number of gadgets. Gadgets that goes obsolete the day after you buy them. Open any drawer and you will see extra cords, wires, old phones which were once smart, flash drives and what have you. And the pandemic forced touch screens as our primary means to touch & connect with others across the globe. Met averse seems to be another threat limiting human connections.
We don’t discard our old gadgets – because who knows we may need them some day. And then we don’t discard them because we can’t just put it in the trashcan. So our drawers and cabinets have unused electronics. The kitchen almirahs have old toasters, mixers and all those appliances which just lie there We can definitely give it to the unorganized sector – but is that responsible? Not at all! They may get us some 50 or 100 rupees but will cause harm that is million fold.
Lions of India are embarking on a month long awareness and collection campaign of E waste. This e-waste campaign will also address Gen Z and Millennials’ concerns about climate and communities. Lions Clubs will put together a nationwide campaign & tell all of humanity that it’s time for every individual to take responsibility.
E-waste management is the responsibility of every individual. The Lions will roar in multiple cities of India from 13th January to 13th February 2023 to create that awareness. There will also be media amplification to send the message to the nation. Lions will teach people that the best way out is responsibly recycling or refurbishing this e-waste and then donating these devices to underprivileged children. These refurbished mobiles & laptops could be used to promote computer literacy and give almost free access to technology to needy people in society.
In the city of Kolkata they will kick off this campaign with a drive on 13th January at 2.00 pm at 22, Camac Street, Kolkata. Through the month they will organize drives in Schools, Colleges, Residential complexes, Business houses. They hope to make this an annual drive till we all learn to dispose e waste responsibly.
Lions Clubs International District 322B1 & B2