Waste management has witnessed a healthy growth rate in the last few years owing to a greater spread of awareness in high population density and increased industrial activity, which is generating high amount of waste, both hazardous and non-hazardous. Even though the concept of circular economy is new, it has been gaining prominence. The waste management sector in India offers a huge potential, as only 30% of the recyclable waste is being recycled currently.
According to the Global E-Waste Monitor (2017), India generates about 2 million tonnes of electronic waste every year and ranks fifth among e-waste producing countries, after US, China, Japan and Germany. More than 95% of e-waste generated is treated and disposed by the informal sector. Electronic waste consists of metals, plastic, cathode-ray-tubes (CRTs), printed circuit boards and cables. Valuable metals such as copper, silver, gold and platinum could be recovered from e-waste if they are processed in scientific and eco-friendly manner. The presence of toxic substances such as lithium, mercury, nickel, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), cadmium, lead and many more can be hazardous if e-waste is dismantled using traditional crude techniques. These hazardous components can have severe impact on human health and the environment.
With the advent of the E-Waste Management Rules in 2016, it was advocated that the e-waste generated is channelized to authorized recyclers and dismantlers. The main objective behind this was to formalize the e-waste recycling sector and employ proper recycling methods to managing e-waste.
Hulladek Recycling Pvt Ltd is Eastern India’s initiative to do their bit to make the world a greener place through establishing proper, organized e-waste management systems across the country. They have been licensed by the Central Pollution Control Board to provide end-to-end solutions for e-waste disposal. Embedded in the evergreen mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle, Hulladek strives to manage the electronic and electrical waste of the country. They also work towards building a strong community of responsible, aware and driven citizen. Headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal and has also expanded its branches to different cities in East India such as Jamshedpur, Kohima, Dimapur, Agartala, Shillong, Bhubaneshwar and Guwahati.
In their efforts to bring about change, we take upon several roles and responsibilities. The organization provides collection of electronic waste from your doorstep. Since their incorporation in 2015, they have successfully collected and channelized 1300 tonnes of electronic waste from corporates, educational institutions, hospitals, hotels and households. They have well-integrated logistics practice which helps facilitate country-wide pickups. Moreover, they also provide recycling and disposal on behalf of producers’ organization by fulfilling their environmental and social responsibilities.
The major challenge faced by organizations such as these is the lack of awareness. To create awareness among the masses, they organize several campaigns for students, professionals and home-makers about the hazards of electronic waste and the importance of recycling. They have conducted over 300 awareness programs all over East India reaching about 100,000,00 people.
They envision a greener world, where every member of the consumption chain, be it the producer, the middle man, or consumer, are conscientious and motivated enough to extract the maximum value from the resources they use, before choosing effective, efficient and eco-friendly recycling and disposal practices to discard their used items. They strive to establish an error-free, stakeholder-friendly networks, to ensure sustainable collection and channelization of e-waste disposal.
“I didn’t have to be very old to realize that I was born in a country where people thought that streets had the alter egos of dustbins, while garbage bins were essentially looked upon as décor, only to be peered at or vandalized, but never really used. That, paired with the fact that my growing years were accentuated by the mammoth increase and popularity of electronics and the internet – the idea of Hulladek was more of an inspired vision, rather than a business.”- Nandan Mall, Founder & CEO of Hulladek Recycling Pvt Ltd.
