Gauteng Leading the way with electrical waste recycling

INTRODUCING E-waste Management

GAUTENG TACKLES THE MOUNTING E-WASTE IN THE PROVINCE

The Gauteng Department of e-Government (e-Gov) is tackling the province’s mounting e-waste, which is on the brink of destroying the environment. e-Waste is the disposal of electrical and electronic gadgets and home appliances such as computers, cellphones, fridges, televisions, office printers, microwaves etc. The disposal of these unwanted or unused items poses a serious threat to the environment and human health especially when disposed of ‘anywhere and anyhow’.

Gauteng is regarded as ‘the economic hub of the South African economy’ due to the various industrial economic activities that take place in the province. This has, however, resulted in the accumulation of e-waste, caused by the high use of technological products, i.e., home appliances, mobile phones, computers etc.

South Africa accumulates about 360 000 tons of e-waste each year and Gauteng accounts for about 55% of this.

Hon.Nkomo-Ralehoko said a lack of proper e-waste management system could result in drastic harmful effects on human lives and the environment.

The e-waste management system has therefore been established to help address the challenges of poorly coordinated e-waste management in the province. Apart from helping in educating Gauteng residents on issues of e-waste, the project will also instil a culture of recycling electronics. It is being implemented as a solution to help improve the collection, recycling, and safe disposal of e-waste in the province.

“Through this project, GPG aims to achieve a sustainable e-waste management solution that will ensure a clean, healthy and safe environment.

The system will also assist in inspiring creativity amongst the youth, to be able to recycle and create something meaningful from discarded gadgets. This will further assist in stimulating the economy through SMME support and job creation,” - Hon. Nkomo-Ralehoko.

The Premier of Gauteng, Honourable David Makhura, launched the e-Waste Management System and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Johannesburg (UJ) who are partnering with Gauteng Government in implementing the system. The Gauteng Provincial Government has placed e-waste management at the top of its agenda because of the socioeconomic benefits that are brought by the programme. These benefits include the opportunity to create employment especially for the youth and cleaning the environment for the safety of Gauteng residents.

Addressing the launch, Premier Makhura said it was a proud moment to witness the launch of e-waste management for the province which responds directly to the ever-increasing volumes of e-waste. "This launch is aimed at addressing both the mounting e-waste and the stubborn unemployment crisis.

The e-waste management strategy and partnership with UJ creates an ecosystem to discard, recycle or donate e-waste products in a manner that creates small businesses and job opportunities for the youth," said Hon. Makhura

The Premier added that this was a paradox. As cities and urban regions were experiencing the benefits of technology, there was however a mounting problem of e-waste management and e-waste disposal. The premier was referring to the idea that as the country embraces technology and the fourth industrial revolution, there has been a lack of a strategy that aims to manage the disposal of these technological products once they reach their life span. “As a result of the rapid pace of technological change, the management of e-waste, that is the disposal and recycling of electronic gadgets and electrical equipment, has become a worldwide environmental concern that requires a coordinated response and productive partnerships," he said.

Professor Saurab Sinha, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Internationalisation at UJ, said that the rapid pace of the fourth industrial revolution has compelled all sectors of society to consider novel solutions to current problems.

Among other issues, South Africa, and Africa as a whole, are confronted with massive mountaintops of unused electronic devices, most notably computers (which are either stored, dumped, or imported), as well as tumultuous electrical and e-waste that is growing at an exponential rate – much faster than Africa's contemporary ICT challenges.

“The collaboration between e-Gov and the University of Johannesburg represents a coming together of minds to implement a system that will create an enabling environment that unlocks the potential of e-waste for South Africa by allowing for an equitable profit distribution across the value chain and allowing for participation in public-private partnerships by SMMEs and the informal sector.

In addition to ensuring a clean, healthy, and safe environment, the system will also stimulate the economy through supporting SMME's and job development, allowing it to be implemented,” - Professor Sinha. •

GAUTENG E-waste Management System

TURNING WASTE INTO VALUE

The Gauteng Province faces many challenges regarding e-waste management. These include the lack of a formal system to manage e-waste; unsound practices and dumping of e-waste into landfills, South Africa’s stringent legislative landscape, lack of specific e-waste legislation; and lack of data and research. As a result, e-waste recycling is not properly coordinated.

Head of Department at the Gauteng Department of e-Government, Mr. Cyril Baloyi, expressed that the uncoordinated dumping of e-waste in the province causes a much bigger problem.

“For example, in downtown Johannesburg at End Street, you find loads of old electronic equipment placed next to the side of the road. These are collected daily from different locations and dumped there. The pickers dismantle them and remove the material they need to sell as scrap. Now the issue is that the pickers leave the rest of the material laying on the roadside and we are still not dealing with the overall problem of e-waste. Hence the launch of the e-Waste Management System which will coordinate this process so that our environment is clean, we provide employment and create a sustainable value chain for e-waste management”, Mr. Baloyi said.

Over and above warranting for effective e-waste management, the system also aims to stimulate the economy through SMME support and job creation. It presents opportunities to various sectors and business enterprises, including green job creation, recovery of valuable materials and environmental protection.

“Our strategy focuses on the minimisation of environmental degradation, stimulation of economic development and job creation. In this manner, we aim to also enhance public participation, public education, establish partnerships as well as improve the governance and regulatory precepts of the environment,” Mr. Baloyi added.

The Global e-Waste Monitor 2020 report found that the world dumped a record 53.6 million tons of e-waste in the previous year. Just 17.4% was recycled. “Even countries with a formal e-waste management system in place are confronted with relatively low collection and recycling rates,” said the report.

China, with 10.1 million tons, was the biggest contributor to e-waste, and the United States was second with 6.9 million tons. India, with 3.2 million tons, was third. Together these three countries accounted for nearly 38% of the world’s e-waste. •

Postal: Private Bag X112, Marshalltown, 2107Physical: Imbumba House, 75 Fox Street,Johannesburg, 2107Tel: 011 689 6000gauteng.gov.za/Departments