The need to recycle electronic waste is increasing every day as metal and IT waste continues to accumulate in the city.
By Batchu Rushali
Due to the mass mismanagement of electronic waste in the city, the city’s artists are now taking up the initiative to make the citizens aware about the enormous amounts of e- waste generated by the city.
An artist from Mumbai, Haribaabu Naatesan has showcased his art work made out of electronic waste in an art exhibition by Sublime Art Galleria today in UB city, Bengaluru.
Mr. Naatesan believes that the hazardous e-waste and toxic waste eliminated and accumulated by the environment is more than the limited capacity and through his art; he wants to light a spark of thought amidst the crowd.
He said, “I have been communicating through art since 2006 and the idea is to make something new from the waste or scrap materials.”
E-waste is the waste generated or scrap discarded from the electronic equipments which are rejected during the manufacturing or repairing process.
“There are around 16 elements including lead that can be extracted but in India we don’t have that technology. We can only extract four to five of these materials,” said Kumaraswamy, an official of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
A report by United Nations named ‘Global E-Waste monitor, 2017’ states that in Asia, the total e-waste generation was 18.2 metric tonnes in 2016 out of which 2 metric tonnes is produced by India.
Recently, a lot of private industries like E-Parisaraa and start-ups like Hasiru Dala are taking the initiative to recycle the trash for the consumption by the people.
E-Parisaraa Private Limited which is India’s first government authorized waste recycler operating since 2005 said, “We recycle the e-waste and scraps and sell it to street vendors for further production and on an average, and around 200 metric tonnes of waste is recycled by us.”
The curator of Sublime Art gallery said, “Naatesan’s art is basically have to do with the reclamation of waste from the environment specifically technological waste. He feels that a lot of awareness is there for things like plastic but no one really thinks too much when someone throws out their old printer or their old laptop. It can be one of the most hazardous things in the environment.”
“The conceptual stand point is the reason why he uses scrap metal for his art work and waste technological materials is to spread awareness about the damage caused by electronic and technological waste but it is still not focused properly,” he told The Softcopy.
Sandeep Anirudhan, an Environmentalist said, “Converting electronic and metal trash into art can encourage people to think about the waste and it shouldn’t be dumped in open spaces and we have to find alternatives to dispose it.”
“We have taken the environment for granted. We believe that we have to buy mass consumer products and in order to accept it, we are destructing out environment. Industrialization started selling us things which are harmful. Industries cater to the 10 per cent of the population only which is actually destroying the planet for the rest 90 per cent,” Anirudhan added.
