Waste cell phone can cause serious environmental hazards : research

Waste cell phone can cause serious environmental hazards : research
Habibullah Mizan
Staff Reporter
The New Nation
Bangladesh is likely to face a serious environmental disaster due to the electronic wastes(E-waste) arising out of mishandling millions of non-functional cellular phones across the country .
About thirty two million mobile sets would be discarded or would be non-functional causing at least two thousand and five hundred sixty tones e-waste by the end of 2010, a research paper presented yesterday claimed.
It says, the country will have to see more than 4-kilometer long rally of 5 tones trucks of e-waste each year.
Ahmad Wasimul Haque Bari, former assistant professor, Asian University said this while presenting a research findings on ‘Nonfunctional mobile sets and its bad impacts on environment’ at the National Press Club yesterday.
Referring to the dangerous impact of the e-waste coming from the mobile set, he suggested for immediately setting up adequate recycle plants to ease the situation.
Ahmad Wasimul Haque Bari also chief researcher of the project urged to introduce and implement ‘Take Back and Exchange’ offer by the cell phone importers and network providers so that local subscribers are inspired to involve themselves in the recycle process.
He alleged that no mobile companies or local distributors did not cooperate in conducting the research fearing loss in their business.
While speaking as chief guest, former Dhaka University Pro-vice Chancellor Prof Shahid Uddin Ahmed suggested enacting and implement policies to reuse, recycle mobile phone sets and reduce cell phone related pollution.
He also recommended to ensure phone manual in Bengali language and printing environmental caution note in Bangla with logo on the packaging box.
Shamsun Nahar, Executive Director, Center for Research and Studies emphasised on the need for building massive awareness by airing advertisements and others effective publicities in the country to protect the environment.
She also suggested to extend media role in this regard.