Swaliha Shanavas speaks to industry experts to understand the state of the e-scrap recycling sector, legislative aspects, problems faced and the possibilities the sector presents.
South Africa has a robust and growing e-scrap management sector that strives to improve standards and recycling rates, says Keith Anderson, Chairman, e-Waste Association of South Africa (e-WASA). “Estimates indicate a recycling rate of around 12 percent, showing lots of opportunity for more growth,” he notes.
E-scrap recycling has evolved in Rwanda over the past few years. The Rwandan government has also been making efforts to promote waste recycling. “Rwanda now has a state-of-the-art eco-friendly e-scrap dismantling and recycling facility operated by Enviroserve Rwanda Green Park in partnership with the Government,” says Olivier Mbera, Country General Manager at Enviroserve, Rwanda.
“Rwanda is the only country in the EAC region to have such a facility and it is the second of its kind in Africa,” he adds. This facility collected and treated more than 2500 tons of e-scrap in 2018. Policies and regulations on e-scrap management have been approved and published by the government of Rwanda to ensure sustainable collection and recycling of end of life electrical and electronic equipment.
The e-scrap recycling sector is growing in Egypt as well, and reports indicate that the country produces significant amounts of e-scrap. Egypt-based Recyclobekia LLC, a subsidiary of Greest FZCO, provides e-scrap collection and recycling services including secure data destruction. The company is considered the biggest player in the e-scrap recycling sector, holding 60 to 70 percent market share, with a capacity to process 80 - 100 tons per month, says Ahmed Maged, Founder & CEO, Greest FZCO. “The e-scrap recycling sector in Egypt has been growing in recent years due to the efforts of the government and ministry of environment to introduce the right regulations,” he notes.
On the state of the sector, Shaun Mumford, Head of Enviroserve East Africa, says most of the material “is handled informally under less than perfect conditions. There are a couple of formal organisations including ourselves.” But it is difficult to compete with an informal sector that has low overheads, low wages and very few health and safety measures, he comments.
“We are slowly getting corporate clients interested in taking responsibility for the disposal of their end-of-life equipment, but it takes time and effort to change mindsets and processes. Most organisations still want to sell their scrap products to whoever can pay the most, this encourages poor disposal practices,” he emphasises.
Rwanda generates between 10,000 to 15,000 tons of e-scrap per year with a growth rate of 6% per annum as per the detailed inventory conducted in 2015, says Olivier Mbera. In 2018, only 25% of e-scrap generated was recycled by Enviroserve Rwanda Green Park, and it is estimated that the remaining quantities (over 60%) are still being kept in households and in various stores. The study also showed that 20% of the e-waste generated is handled by the informal sector.
With regard to the quantities of e-scrap generated in South Africa, a study ‘Import and e-Waste Data for Some Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Products for the Period 2003-2007’ conducted by Advanced Tropical Environment (ATE) (2012) indicates that 98,800 tonnes of electronics were sold between 2003 and 2007, of which 405,600 tonnes are estimated to be in use with an estimated e-waste generation of 59,650 tonnes. These figures are supported by several other reports, says Keith Anderson (SAWEEEDA 2018):
It is estimated that PC Refurbishers currently import between 20,000 and 100,000 units every year; Upwards of 14 million units of computer equipment were sold in South Africa in 2008; It is estimated that between 1,129,000 and 2,108,000 tons of potential e-waste is stored in South African households, and this figure includes ICT equipment, white goods, and consumer electronics – with an estimated time of entry in the next decade (6-10 years). Certain reports indicate that a tenth of South African households generates as much as 85,000 tons of e-waste (62% white goods; 18% consumer electronics; 20% ICT); The DEA, in 2017 Operation Phakisa Chemicals and Waste Economy submitted that e-waste generated from government sources could account for as much as 45 percent of all SA e-waste that is currently recycled followed by businesses and households; Studies conducted by Bob and Padayachee in 2015 suggest that most of the e-waste (85 percent) is produced by the public sector and government.
Legislation
The Rwandan Government has developed a comprehensive enabling legal framework, with specific policy and legislation on e-scrap, notes Olivier Mbera. “The draft E-waste Ministerial order and accompanying E-waste Regulations are based on the principle of producer responsibility, specifying the role and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved. The regulations have been approved and published by the regulatory authority in April 2018. The enforcement of the regulation is underway on the right path,” he remarks.
There is a proposed draft legislation, but this has not yet been passed, says Shaun Mumford. While South Africa does not have specific legislation for the management and control of WEEE, Keith Anderson says, SAWEEDA has reported in its Industry Waste Management Plan (IndWMP) that there is guidance to be found in several pieces of legislation that could apply to the sector, including: The South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) and particularly the Bill of Rights; The Rotterdam Convention: South Africa has ratified this convention, which monitors and controls the trade of certain hazardous chemicals; The Stockholm Convention: South Africa has ratified this convention, which deals with persistent organic pollutants (POPS); The Basel Convention and subsequent Basel Action Network (BAN) Amendment: South Africa has acceded to the Convention, but has not yet ratified the Basel Convention Amendment which prohibits any export of hazardous waste from developed countries to developing countries; The Bamako Convention: South Africa has not yet ratified this regional convention which deals with the ban and control of hazardous wastes imported into Africa; The National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998) (NEMA); The Consumer Protection Act, Act 68 of 2008 – Section 59 of the act speaks to those who place or sell products to market in any way or form, are obliged to offer responsible recycling solution free of charge to that consumer; Second Hand Goods Act, Act 6 of 2009 – was enacted to regulate the business of dealers in second hand goods and pawnbrokers, to combat trade in stolen goods; to promote ethical standards in the secondhand goods trade, and to provide for matters connected therewith. This has a direct bearing on e-waste recyclers and Refurbishers; Precious Metals Act, Act 37 of 2005 was enacted to provide for the acquisition, possession, smelting, refining, beneficiation, use and disposal of precious metals. Those mentioned above are among many other pieces of legislation noted in the document.
The recent regulations and amendments promulgated show the need for integrated e-scrap management as set out in the IndWMPs. Implementing the plans will ensure that the country not only adheres to its only legislation, but also to its international commitments under the instruments it has signed and ratified (SAWEEDA, 2018).
Key concerns
The awareness levels of the general public on e-scrap management are still low, and more so on the e-scrap challenges and opportunities, particularly with regard to equipment containing hazardous materials, Olivier Mbera remarks.
“The extended producer responsibility (EPR) principles are not yet implemented making the treatment of some problematic fractions very difficult,” he says. One other issue he highlights is that people are still emotionally attached to their electronic equipment and are not ready to dispose of them without incentives or payments.
Reports indicate that one of the major challenges in e-scrap management in Kenya is the lack of awareness. The main challenge is one of cost and scale, says Shaun Mumford. “Getting people willing to responsibly dispose of their waste and understanding that this comes at a cost; whereas they currently see it as an asset or cost neutral as someone will take it away, but then there is no certainty as to how it is handled,” he states.
The key issue in Keith Anderson’s view is Technology. He says, “The system lacks the technology to deal with some of the waste streams such as refrigerants and LEDs, with further weakness in the capacity to process CRTs making export of hazardous waste necessary.” A lack of awareness of the right recycling methods in the private and public sectors continue to be a challenge, he comments.
“Though the EPA in Egypt has formulated a legislation for e-scrap management, it is still under modification,” states Ahmed Maged, adding that one of the key challenges faced by the sector is related to the export of certain components for treatment overseas.
For instance, he says till date, the procedures for exporting the items that cannot be processed locally are unclear, and some of the materials require state-of-the-art refining methods that are only available in some European countries, Japan, Korea, etc. So, the CEO stresses that it is important for the concerned ministry to be more aware of the nature of the business and have consultations with the experts in the private sector in this field.