ITU EVENTS IN AFRICA
(KAMPALA, 23 – 27 JUNE 2014 )
Recycling E-Waste for the ICTs
Raw materials Supply, Protection
of the Environment and creation of
Wealth.
WEALTH IN THE WASTE
Derick Simiyu Khamali
Communications Commission of Kenya
Email: khamali@cck.go.ke
Introduction
Electronic waste continues to accumulate
everyday as people embrace technology.
There is an inherent human phenomenon to
keep upgrading equipment in tandem with
economic changes and market innovations
There is need to therefore create a channel of
recycling the obsolete equipment through safer
recycling.
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Introduction … 2
There is need to create a safe channel of
recycling obsolete equipment.
E-waste contains vital minerals that are rare
in nature and can be reused if well extracted.
Increased E-Waste volumes therefore directly
translates to potential for recovery of essential
material for new productions.
There is need to have a structured industrial
process to efficiently recycle the Ewaste.
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Abstract
The ICT sector is rated as one holding potential fo
sustained economic growth in administrations.
This phenomena has created the need for
continuous upgrades and innovations.
The associated ripple effect is daily generation of
Ewaste and increased demand for raw material
that can sustain new productions.
Recycling Ewaste is therefore key to assist in
managing the accumulating levels.
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Abstract … 2
Electronic waste could be quite lucrative for
business. One can make up to 45USD per day.
It is estimated that: nine tons of copper, 24 kg
of gold and 250 kg of silver, All can be found in
every one million phones.
Thousands of tons of e-waste pass through
Kenya every single year.
This therefore makes a business case.
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Abstract … 3
According to the Managing Director at HP East
Africa,
“We need to educate the population that this socalled electronic waste is actually a resource.
It becomes a resource when it is recycled in the
correct way.” But there’s a downside:
If the waste is disposed of in the wrong way,
harmful toxins can be released making it Waste
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Recycling Process:
Recycling means processing E-waste into new
products to prevent waste of potentially useful
materials.
It reduces consumption of virgin raw materials,
energy usage, water and air pollution.
It stops the need for waste disposal and lowers
greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycling is a key component of today’s waste
reduction and is part of the "Reduce, Reuse,
and Recycle" waste hierarchy.
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Recycling Process:
The main phases are summarized below:
Phase 1: Collection & Consolidation of waste
also called take back. This involves logistical
issues like consumer awareness of recycling.
Phase 2: Pre-treatment; done by recycling
companies who separate the different materials
in a product.
Phase 3: Consists of the recovery, packaging
and selling of materials and disposal.
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Recycling Process - challenges:
Every phase has a minor side flow of disposal of
the fractions that cannot be further processed.
In principle, discarded equipment is tested in
order to separate working items from nonworking items.
E-waste should therefore be dispatched
normally to specialized recycling facilities.
However the reality is that it is often diverted
to black-market
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Recycling Process - challenges:
There are two main ways in which old/obsolete
equipment can be discarded:
First, private consumers dispose of used
equipment at municipal waste collection sites
The second is where businesses contract a
specialized waste company to collect and treat
defunct equipment.
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Recycling Process - Challenges:
The motivations preferring the black market
are numerous: First is to avoid the legitimate
recycling costs and secondly to receive quick
payments for the scrap equipment
The location of the recycling plant therefore
need to be close/in-proximity of source of the
waste material to reduce the return path and
costs associated with the same.
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Status in Kenya
Kenya like most of Africa and the rest of the
globe has seen tremendous uptake of ICT
applications, products and services.
The uptake of ICT technology and continuous
innovations has seen several equipment and
parts rendered obsolete and discarded in
preference of the latest high capacity models.
The volumes generated is on a continuous
growth path and must now be managed.
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Status in Kenya
Kenya through the ministry of Environment and
National Environment Management Authority NEMA has embarked on sanitising this process.
Considering that the process of managing
EWaste is a complex venture as outlined above,
Kenya has engaged and licensed an international
independent specialised organisation to assist
The country has also joined the neighbouring
countries in East Africa through EACO to
generate regional proposals & recommendations
on managing Ewaste.
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Ewaste Recycling plant in Kenya
The plant called East Africa Compliant Recycling
EACR is located along Mombasa Road in Nairobi
It has experts leading local staff providing skills
transfer and employment opportunities.
The plant is training collectors and is engaging
Ewaste collection points in Kenya and beyond.
The plant has capacity to process large volume
of Ewaste per day, its a challenge to the waste
supply chain to be proactive to sustain demand
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Ewaste Recycling plant in Kenya
The sources and types of Ewaste includes non
ICT equipment.
The plant is organized in terms of categories of
Source including; Home Appliances, ICT
Equipment, Power and energy transmission
equipment products etc.
The statistics on supply and delivery of the
waste material is therefore critical for planning.
This is the reason for training and preparation
of the collectors and design of their centers
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Ewaste Recycling plant in Kenya
EACR model is the first of its kind, not just
in Africa but anywhere in the world.
It is about connecting the collector to the global
markets for the materials, and providing them
with a fair and transparent price in actual fact
to ensure they get the maximum value for the
waste.”
The philosophy and rallying call for EACR is that
“One thing’s for sure… electronic waste has no
shortage. It is estimated that by 2017, e-waste
is predicted to reach 65 million tons (worldwide
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Vital minerals in EWaste
The Materials sourced from the used and/or
discarded Electronic Equipment are plenty.
These include;
a. Lead, Tantalum, Cadmium,
b. Gold, Silver, Copper
c. Beryllium and Brominates flame retardants.
d. The list continues depending on the interest of
the market and the recycler capacity.
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Regional supply chain.
The great lakes region has a rich deposit of
mineral ores that provide the highly demanded
raw materials for ICT Productions.
The Exploration of this minerals has however
been unstructured and often caused conflicts
and environmental degradation.
Kenya through its port and infrastructure; acts
both as the transport corridor for both incoming
finished products and outgoing raw materials.
Structured Ewaste recycling is essential input
to reduce pressure on the raw material demand
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Legal Issues:
Management and Resolution of Environmental issues is
an emotive and challenging subject in many ways.
The challenges include:
Lack of policies and enforcement mechanisms on Waste
recycling and separation.
Lack of policies on importation of Equipment leading to
sustained entry of Substandard & counterfeit products.
There is sustained conflicts in source markets while
exploration of the ICT RAW minerals is ongoing.
Under these conditions, there is no consideration on
environmental degradation and conservation efforts.
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Proposed Solutions and Suggestions
Review and enforce developed guidelines for the
management of the Electronic Waste. (Ref:NEMA)
Develop guidelines for Ewaste collection and
separation along the chain/source.
Need for regional coordination of Ewaste
movement and management.
Develop and Enforce importation policies to
ensure that counterfeits and substandard
products are not allowed - Type Approval.
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Advantages from Recycling
There are a number of advantages accrued from
a structured recycling efforts.
This include:
1. A cleaner and safe environment
2. Peace & safety for the source market.
3. Productive, habitable and a regenerated
environment for the ores and source regions.
4. Financial and economic prosperity of the
source markets.
5. Alternative and cost effective supply of ICT
Raw materials and increased supply market.
Nairobi, Kenya, 26 – 27 July 2010
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Recommendations
EACR to be supported by all in the region in all
the identified source market.
There is need to educate the public on release
and separation of Ewaste for collection to
the recycling plan
There is need to study the actual value in the
Ewaste products and to determine the
corresponding price to benefit stakeholders.
E- Waste definitions should continue being
developed to make an all inclusive coverage
yet avoiding products out of this category,
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Conclusion.
There is wealth in the Waste. Direct revenue,
Employment and business enterprises.
Recycling waste may reverse the pressure on the ICT
Supply chain by creating an alternative source.
Recycling as a perfect component of the Reduce, Reuse
and Recycle model should be fully exploited.
Recycling is a direct way of protecting the environment
against harmful effects of Ewaste
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Thank you!
Asante sana
Webale Nyo
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