Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner R.V. Karnan ordered officials to ensure a comprehensive e-waste collection drive and achieve 100% collection of both e-waste and bio-medical waste across Greater Hyderabad.
He also issued strict instructions that bio-medical waste must never be mixed with municipal solid waste. Violations of this rule would attract strong action against those responsible.
The commissioner issued the directions during a stakeholder meeting held at the GHMC Head Office. The meeting formed part of the ongoing 99-day action plan aimed at strengthening scientific waste management practices across GHMC, Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation, and CMC jurisdictions.
Representatives of e-waste recycling firms, bio-medical waste treatment facilities, and corporate social responsibility partners attended the meeting.
Karnan stressed that negligence in collecting or disposing of bio-medical waste would not be tolerated. He warned that registered firms failing to lift waste according to prescribed regulations would receive notices and face strict action.
E-waste collection drive to expand across city wards
The commissioner said GHMC would coordinate closely with Assistant Medical Officers of Health to enforce compliance among hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Through this coordination, authorities would ensure that all establishments followed bio-medical waste management rules and paid the required user charges.
Karnan urged all stakeholders to cooperate in implementing the e-waste collection drive and strengthening environmentally responsible waste disposal systems.
During the meeting, officials discussed measures to encourage citizen participation in proper waste disposal. Authorities emphasised the importance of systematic collection to prevent environmental hazards caused by improper disposal of electronic waste.
E-waste collection drive to include weekend ward programmes
Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation Commissioner T. Vinay Krishna Reddy explained the proposed framework for the e-waste collection drive.
He said authorities would establish special collection centres in each municipal circle so that citizens could voluntarily deposit electronic waste.
In addition, officials planned ward-level collection drives every Saturday and Sunday across 300 wards within the CURE limits.
Reddy suggested that participating organisations collaborate with specific circles and wards. They should also deploy representatives at collection points to assist citizens during the drives.
Companies were encouraged to provide incentives such as coupons or direct payments to motivate residents to participate in the e-waste collection drive.
GHMC Additional Commissioner (Sanitation) Ravi Kiran clarified that the corporation would provide infrastructure support for the collection drives. Ward offices and designated collection centres would be made available for the programme.
However, pricing, payments, and incentives would remain entirely the responsibility of participating firms without municipal intervention.
During the discussions, several organisations agreed to make direct payments through UPI or cash for collected electronic waste. Some companies also committed to distributing redeemable coupons under corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Officials additionally proposed that retailers share information about households possessing electronic waste. This step would help authorities organise coordinated doorstep collection as part of the expanding e-waste collection drive.