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Greenpeace activists staged a protest in front of Wipro corporate office on Sarjapur Road in Bangalore on Monday by dumping electronic waste that included mainly the computer parts. Greenpeace claimed it aims to highlight the hazards of dumping electronic waste through this demonstration. — G.R.N. Somashekar

Bangalore , Sept. 5

GREENPEACE activists delivered 500 kilos of assorted electronic waste, to the corporate headquarters of Wipro in Bangalore on Monday. The move was intended to highlight the growing menace of dangerous chemicals being released to the environment while recycling electronic waste.

The electronic waste was sourced from illegitimate recycling yards in Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Greenpeace chose Wipro as their venue only to highlight the issue, as it was one of the leading hardware companies in the country.

Greenpeace demanded that all electronics manufacturing companies must eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals in their products and substitute them with safe alternatives. It said the companies must also take Extended Producer Responsibility for all their products, from the production cycle to the end of the products' lifecycle.

In a media release, Mr Rampant Kumar, Toxics Campaigner, Greenpeace India, said, "Samsung, Sony and LG are some of the multinational companies that have made commitments to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in their products and substitute them with safer alternatives. Many companies were also exploring mechanisms to `take-back' their end-of life products. This clearly proves that it is possible to make electronic equipment without the use of these hazardous substances and still remain profitable."

When contacted, Mr Vijay Gupta, spokesman for Wipro, said that the issue of E-waste had to be viewed from larger perspectives.

Mr Gupta explained, "There are two issues. First is about disposal. Wipro is on the side of the law and is not violating any law. The second is a much larger issue — that of us maintaining contact with the consumer and making sure he disposes off outdated hardware safely. As of now, we do not agree with this thinking. It is up to computer component manufacturers to use bio-degradable materials — you can't pick on Wipro or HCL."

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