The world of recycling has a hidden aspect to it, even if commercial. Besides the commercial returns, scrap dealerships also offer a considerable level of mitigation to environmental degradation, says our Staff Reporter Temshinaro.
Dimapur, June 4 : ‘Join the race to make the world a better place’ is the theme for the year’s World Environment Day, observed across the globe on June 5.
World Environment Day was started on June 5, 1976. It is observed annually to raise global awareness about the importance of a healthy and green environment to humankind.
Annual observances are planned according to themes and slogans, coupled by campaigns to address environmental issues. Wastage and loss of food, deforestation, and Global Warming, among others, are some of the concerns the day hopes to address. Promoting the use of recyclable materials is a component of environmental concern.
Recycling is considered one of the most important mitigation methods against environmental degeneration. Various groups, individuals and scientists from across the world have sought to devise means, techniques and machineries to recycle the myriad forms of modern facilities and utilities.
Although very young, Nagaland has also been involved in the movement to promote recycling, with various nongovernmental groups and individuals focused on working for the environment. The coincidence is that recycling has also become a source of livelihood for some families, while inadvertently contributing to the cause of good environmental health in some way.
A component of the recycling business is scrap dealership, a form of recycling. Individuals who operate scrap metal depotssell various reclaimed metals to metal recycling companies. Some specialize in one particular type of scrap metal collection and recycling. Some solely start scrap business with goals toward a cleaner environment while some do it solely for the monetary returns the business offers. In some way, both lead to identical destinations, one which is in favor of the environment.
During early mornings, especially in a city such as Dimapur, non-local men screaming ‘Loha, tina, plastic, kali bottle, newspaper’ (‘metal, plastic, empty bottles’)make house-to-house rounds in the localities. They collect the scraps.
Being a major business center of Nagaland, scrap business establishments in Dimapur are comparatively high compared to other districts’.Other districts have comparatively fewer individuals running the business.
This reporter visited a number of scrap business establishments in Dimapur and found that after a month or two, scraps are usually sold off to recycling industries in Manipur, Assam and West Bengal as they offer better profits.
A businessman from a local scrap unit said that the unit takes all kinds of scrap such as notebooks, newspapers, metal particularly aluminum and copper, and plastics. Price rates depend on market fluctuations. Typically, a “scrapper” will advertise their services to conveniently remove scrap metal for people who don’t need them.
Suphikol Islam works in one of the major scrap collection depots in the city. He says that the company earns handsomely as the market value for the scrap outside Nagaland are higher and offer better profits. In Dimapur, bigger outlets buy scrap from small units of individuals–the one that goaround from colony to colony, or house-to house buying scrap from citizens. Scraps collected from villages also land in Dimapur.
A housewife from who recently started scrap business says that because of shortage of scrap depots in her village and adjoining regions, she sends workers to collect scrap once or twice in a month. After they are collected, the load is dispatched to Assam from where she earns good income.
The world of recycling depends on scrap businesses to locate, gather and deliver recyclables for further use and consumption. By operating a scrap business, an owner can make an impact on the environment by reducing landfills and in the process, maybe turn a profit.
For some, the excitement of finding hidden treasures fuels them while others enjoy the idea of making profit from garbage-bound materials. That such a business could play a role in fighting environmental degradation; the Naga can also find a place of employment in various corners of Nagaland.
