Electronic waste: a serious threat?

Lazarus Sauti

Waste management, pollution, inadequate access to sanitation services and poor urban conditions are identified as some of the major challenges to development in the Southern Africa Development Community region.

This is because of the rise in the quality of life, high rates of resource consumption and the dumping of electronic waste (discarded electronic devices such as televisions, stoves, cartridges, refrigerators, printers, cellphones, computers, microwaves and other electrical appliances, which would have completed their life cycles and then disposed) in the region.

According to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an agency of the United Nations that co-ordinates its environmental activities and assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices, the penetration rate for electronic devices in developing countries has grown over the years and this caused environmental challenges especially in countries within the SADC region.

The Southern Africa Telecommunication Association (SATA), a forum of telecommunications or information and communication technologies operators in the Southern African Development Community region, believes countries in the region are yet to seriously take necessary steps in introducing interventions that deal with environmental issues and trade associated with electronic waste.

In fact, most countries in the region do not have facilities to destroy and/or dispose electronic waste safely.

Sadly, environmental disasters loom when these devices are improperly handled, transported and disposed of, as they contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, which pollute both the soil and underground water.

“Electronic wastes contain over 1 000 different substances many of which are toxic and potentially hazardous to the environment and human health, if they are not handled in an environmentally sound manner,” notes SATA, adding that “toxins from e-waste cause respiratory illnesses, birth defects, cardiovascular diseases and cancers”.

However, most SADC countries lack policy and regulation for e-waste management. While most governments in the region recognise the challenges caused by e-waste, their level of preparedness in terms of policies and regulations is still low.

Accordingly, legislative framework on e-waste should be put in place.

Also, SADC member states must lobby and advocate for a stand-alone legislative framework on e-waste if the region is to properly handle and dispose electronic waste.

Reuse and recycle initiatives should also be promoted. “There is need to close the material flow by transforming e-waste into resources,” says Achim Steiner, the United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director.

SATA agrees: “There is need to facilitate the recovery and reuse of useful materials from waste generated from a process or from the use of any material thereby reducing the wastes destined for final disposal and to ensure the environmentally sound management of all materials.

“We expect to reduce the generation of e-waste through ‘smart procurement’ and good maintenance; reuse still functioning electronic equipment by donating or selling it to someone who can still use it and recycle those components that cannot be repaired.”

Critical to note is the fact that electrical and electronic equipment contain materials of strategic value such as indium and palladium and precious metals such as gold, copper and silver. These can be recovered and recycled, thereby serving as valuable sources of secondary raw materials, reducing pressure on scarce natural resources, as well as minimising the overall environmental footprint.

As there is lack of environmentally sound recycling infrastructure in most SADC countries, political leaders must join hands with development partners to establish recycling facilities so as to cater for the potential of increased e-waste generation.

Sound e-waste management requires holistic approaches, and the global world must therefore assist countries in the SADC region in handling e-waste. Also, there is the need for global best practices and standards, which should be supported by local as well as regional standards.

Public private partnerships are also critical, especially in helping research institutions with funding for research on how to handle and dispose e-waste in the region. Research institutions (colleges and universities) play an important role in disseminating information on e-waste through research.

Remember writer Robert McKee once said research not only wins the war, it is the key to victory.

Frankly, sustainable solutions for e-waste management in region require measures aimed at imports and exports control, collection and recycling, and policy and legislation that incorporate extended producer responsibility. Consequently, SADC as a region should wake up to the reality that e-waste is a challenge they should start taking action on, and they should develop specific plans, strategies, policies and regulations on e-waste management to govern and handle e-waste processes from collection to final disposal.