The recyclers, started by Sayeed Hussain in the heart of the City, picks up the e-waste generated mainly from the household as well as industries. It has registered itself with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board with authorisation from the government.
The bins have been placed in front of many apartments in the City. Residents dump their waste in these bins, which are then carried to their office on Thimmaiah Road. e-wastes include a wide range of things from computer equipment refrigerators, emergency lights to other household products.
According to Hussain, a majority of the residents don't even claim money in exchange of their e-waste.
Most of the software companies sell their e-waste at Rs 8 per kg. Around 1,500 kgs of waste is collected every month from several companies and houses. Many of the engineers who are employed there on a part-time basis separate the usable and the parts that cannot be rectified.
It has a well recognised methodology to extract the hazardous chemicals like iron, silicon, lead and nickel that is generated as part of e-waste. After extraction these equipment are stocked at their office in Hosakote till they are sold to the consumers. The end product is then sold at reasonable price to people who cannot afford to buy it at the price of a first hand product.
A majority of the employees working here are women who are poverty ridden. More than 30 trained women deal with the disassembling and packaging of the various elements present in these electronic items.
Ash Recyclers also associates itself with a trust called 'Masha Allah', engaging itself with various activities like donation of computers to schools with an agreement that the computers will be returned back after the end of their life for recycling purposes.
With Bangalore city becoming the Information Technology hub of India e-waste is growing its webs to a large extent in the city.
According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board the City produces around twelve thousand tonnes of e-waste every year.