Recycling The Indian Way |
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Although we are getting better at it, here in the UK we are relative newcomers to the art of recycling. Compared to our European neighbours we still score fairly low in the recycling stakes. But to really get to grips with recycling and to learn how it SHOULD be done, we need to look further afield
India recycles a massive proportion of its waste and has done for many years. In a country where disposable income is traditionally low, innovative solutions to recycling have become the norm. Cars that are beyond repair are routinely stripped for component parts rather than simply scrapped. In schools for example, pupils are encouraged to use old exercise books as rough paper. Compost is made from kitchen leftovers. Cans are crushed and recycled. Computers and electrical goods are similarly dismantled for reuse of their component parts and materials. In Delhi alone, it is estimated that around 900 personal computers and 3,500 TV sets are dismantled every day all for reuse of their parts. Conservative estimates put the annual volume of e-waste (the junk produced by discarded electronic equipment) in Delhi at around 10,000 metric tonnes, but many experts believe the actual figure is even higher. The city receives around 70% of the electronic waste generated in the developed world. The waste recycling industry directly employs about 15,000 people in organised recycling units. As well as conserving natural resources, recycling also reduces the amount of waste that is buried or burnt. But perhaps the most valuable benefit of recycling is the saving in energy and the reduction in greenhouse gases and pollution that result when scrap materials are substituted for new production.
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