MUMBAI: Most people dump their e-waste just like their regular waste. This results in e-waste ending up in dump yards and landfills. To discourage people from doing this, Greenscape, India’s leading IT waste disposition company, joined hands with Dentsu Webchutney to launch #TinyBugsTweet campaign on Twitter.
The campaign revolves around quirky tweets by insects found in dump yards across India. For this, the agency created special tweeting beacons and installed them in dump yards across India. When an insect comes in the proximity of the device, it fires a tweet from its pool of tweets.
Dentsu Webchutney co-founder and CCO Sudesh Samaria says, “Tiny Bugs Tweet delivers the message in a fun and new way. We found that apart from waste, it is bugs that are found in plenty in dump yards. We saw a great opportunity and decided to turn bugs into ambassadors of right e-waste disposing practices. It is unexpected and that’s why interesting.”
India is among the top 5 countries in e-waste generation. E-waste continues to mount as technology continues to advance. It currently includes discarded computer parts, mobile phones, batteries, PCB, Plasma TV, LCDs, air conditioners, refrigerators and so on.
Heavy metals and chemicals contained in the e-waste need to be recycled properly. When discarded the wrong way, e-waste causes pollution, water and soil contamination and severe health hazards. 95 per cent of India’s e-waste is discarded the wrong way. This is mostly due to lack of infrastructure and right framework needed to process e-waste properly.
“On an issue like this it is important to engage first and educate later. Tiny Bugs Tweet does just that. We chose bugs because they are among the first ones to face the hazards of e-waste. And we are among the last ones as hazardous chemicals and heavy metals found in e-waste make it to human food chain through soil and water contamination,” adds Greenscape India CEO Jeevesh Kumar.
E-waste is a problem that will only grow if not addressed right now. Tiny Bugs Tweet is spreading awareness and helping people to know more about e-waste in an interesting way. The tweets might be funny but the issue is serious. Tiny Bugs Tweet are live on twitter @tinybugstweet.
