Africa undoubtedly is the fastest growing economy than any other continent, and this has resulted in increase in the importation of electronic and electrical goods and in the implementation of information and communication technologies.
However, owing to inadequate infrastructure for e-waste management and non-enforcement of laws, multitudes of hazardous substances are released due to the crude way e-waste is recycled and could pose risks for humans and the environment.
On the other hand, a lot of opportunities abound if it is handled well. These include precious metal recovery for industry, employment opportunities and economic benefits to e-waste collectors, helping to clean the environment, refurbishment for sale of cheap electronic and electrical equipment, benefits of recovered metals over mineral mining, among others.
E-waste management is an issue in Africa because of the increasing global production of electronic and electrical equipment, lack of clear action plans by African governments on the handling of e-waste, and the absence of infrastructure for appropriate e-waste management.
Electronic waste (e-waste) or waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) refers to used and end-of-life electronic and electrical products. They are generated locally from offices and homes when they become obsolete. However, most of the e-waste find their way into developing countries from the developed world and accumulate in open dumpsites in a number of African countries, notably Ghana and Nigeria.
It was estimated that 41.8 million tonnes of e-waste were globally produced in 2014. E-waste contains toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes and in most developing countries is often disposed off by open burning, placing entire communities and environs at risk of exposure to releases of carcinogenic substances such as dioxins and the toxic metals into the environment.
These toxic substances can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if the end-of-life management is not meticulously done. Particularly at Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana, much of this activity is carried out by young men, mostly using rudimentary tools and with no protective equipment.
While they continually burn the cables, the immediate environment is engulfed in thick black smoke, which takes hours to clear. Because it is a continuous act done daily, there is no respite for people living in the environs or those who move in and out of the area.
However, e-waste also provides a source of valuable income to the youth involved in the burning activities and their dependants as some of these substances, as well as the valuable components, are recycled and reused, providing economic opportunities through the development of community-based collection, recovery, and recycling businesses.
For instance, in Ghana, aluminum obtained from the e-waste dismantling is used to produce cooking pots, which are sold in the open market for use by individuals and local restaurants.
The increase in waste generated from EEE has urgently increased the need to formulate strategies and interventions to manage this type of waste. The level of strategies and interventions differs from country to country, with some having progressed more than others. Like the majority of developing countries, South Africa's e-waste management industry is still at its infancy. Until recently, South Africa did not recognize e-waste as a threatening waste stream.
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2015, e-waste made up between 5% and 8% of the municipal solid waste in South Africa and is expected to grow at an alarming rate over the coming years.
This has prompted government and other supporting institutions to develop e-waste management systems with a focus not only on waste disposal but also on waste reduction, waste reuse, recycling, and recovery.
In Ghana, a bill on hazardous waste including e-waste activities that aims to internally align Ghana's policies with the Basel Convention was passed by parliament in 2016. There is hope that the bill will allow further regulations and restrictions on hazardous waste in the country.
A Guest Editorial