If you live in Delhi, you may no longer have to depend on a scrap dealer to dispose of your old computer.

Earth Sense Recycle Private Limited, a recycling company, plans to deploy mobile vans to collect e-waste across the city. “We already have mobile vans in Hyderabad, and within the next two months we will launch this service in Delhi,” said John Robert,  CEO, Earth Sense Recycle Private Limited.

Robert cautioned, however, that people will have to gradually come to terms with the idea of accepting e-waste as waste and not an asset. He said scrap dealers often pay good amounts for discarded equipment because they in turn dismantle computers etc and sell parts in the grey market. That's why, instead of paying for disposing of their e-waste, people in India end up selling their e-waste.

“As of now, 90% of e-waste recycling happens in the informal sector. The informal recyclers have link-ups with the grey and black markets and they sell a lot of parts to them. Of course, we won't be able to pay consumers what the scrap dealers pay,” said Robert.

That is why, the company plans to educate people about ethical disposal of e-waste as much as popularise its services. Among other measures, it plans to reach out to schoolchildren by holding interactive sessions in various schools from next month.