The inauguration ceremony of the National Electronic Waste Collection Programme 2020, in commemoration of the National Electronic Waste Management Week will be held today (05) at the Cinnamon Gardens Post Office premises. The inaugural ceremony will be held under the patronage of Minister of Mass Media Keheliya Rambukwella and State Minister S. Viyalendiran. The National Electronic Waste Management Week - 2020, will be held on October 05 with the theme “Sri Lanka is a Breathtaking Country, Electronic Waste Free Sri Lanka”. This initiative was done in collaboration with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and the Department of Posts of Sri Lanka on the occasion of the World Postal Day which falls on October 09. “Even the management of perishable waste has become a major problem in the existing waste management structure in the country and non-perishable waste management should be considered as another issue identified there,” said the Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority S. Amarasinghe. “Electronic and electronic waste is currently being disposed of only through 14 agencies licensed under the Central Environmental Authority for the proper collection and disposal of electrical and electronic waste. There are factories in Italy, Germany and France that recycled e-waste on a large scale and plans should be made to move towards such projects as a country in the future,” he stated. He further said that SLT and Mobitel will provide financial assistance for this e-waste collection program. In today's technological world, the use of electronic devices is increasing day by day and at the same time the lifespan of electronic devices is decreasing. PB Hemantha Jayasinghe, Director General of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) said, "These electronic devices contain a variety of toxic chemicals, which can have a significant impact on the environment as well as groundwater." He further said that although the collection of non-perishable waste is active to some extent within the urban limits, it does not take place within the rural limits and there is a high risk of this waste being released into the environment on a large scale. “The success of the e-waste collection program, which is planned to cover the entire island within a week, is a great achievement,” he concluded.