Doha - Qatar, 07 July 2011: Qatargas and Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) Directorate have launched a summer awareness campaign at RLIC to educate employees within the city on the need to properly handle electronic waste.
The campaign, which carries the slogan “Trash is not the right place, Understand your e-waste,” urges all users of electronic equipment to stick to the three Rs – “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” – in handling e-waste.
Commenting on the company’s support to the campaign, Toufik Benmosbah, Chief Safety, Environment and Quality Officer, Qatargas said:
“This is the second time in less than two months we are joining hands with the RLIC for a good cause. After the successful awareness campaign on Heat Stress, this initiative is about safe and proper handling of electronic waste, whose volume is growing considerably thanks to the technological advancement, raising grave concerns about our environment. What we are aiming through this campaign, first and foremost, is to help reduce generation of e-waste through smart procurement and good maintenance. We also advise employees and organisations to reuse still functioning electronic equipment by donating or selling them to those who can still use it. As a final option, a proper recycling of all used or expired electronic equipment devices, batteries, mobile phones…etc. will help serve the environment better.”
Leon van der Heyde, Manager Health Safety and Environment at Ras Laffan Industrial City said:
“This campaign again illustrates the commitment of Ras Laffan Industrial City and Qatargas as well as all the operating companies in the city, towards sustainable health safety and environmental programs and in this particular campaign the issue of dealing with waste management, and more specifically e-waste. E-waste is a typical waste steam that we all deal with on a regular basis as we most likely dispose our e-waste in regular waste bins without considering the long term impact when this is treated as domestic waste and not as a “hazardous type waste”. We trust that this campaign will let us all think about the impact that we collectively can have on the environment if we do the right thing by understanding what types of waste we generate and how to dispose of such e-waste in a responsible and accountable manner.”
During the campaign, printed literature in multiple languages listing safe practices for handling of e-waste will be handed over to thousands of employees in Ras Laffan. In addition, banners and billboards have been erected along the streets of RLIC reminding all to act responsibly in understanding e-waste and handling it properly.
The printed materials to be used during the campaign define the term “e-waste” as consumer and business electronic equipment that is near or at the end of its useful life. This includes computers, laptops, televisions, VCRs, stereos, photo copiers and fax machines. Users of such equipment are reminded that certain components of some electronic products contain materials that render them hazardous. For instance, non functioning CRTs (cathode ray tubes) from televisions and monitors are considered hazardous.
The users are also reminded that e-waste contains toxic materials such as heavy metals, lead, cadmium and mercury and carcinogens or cancer causing agents. If e-waste is not properly disposed, it could lead to air, ground water and soil contamination and also be harmful to those who come into contact with it. The benefits of e-waste recycling are listed as: 1) reducing pressure on landfills and avoiding contamination of landfill leachate and run-off; 2) conservation of natural resources and avoiding air and water pollution; 3) recovery of precious and other metals; and 4) donating use electrical and electronic equipment to a charitable organisation, helping in providing technology to those cannot afford it.