December 13, 2021

The menace of electronic waste in Africa

topic:	Pollution
located:	Rwanda, Kenya
editor:	Bob Koigi

The recent decision by the East African Community (EAC) to ban the importation of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and standalone, used computer monitors from July 2022 has bolstered the organisation to tackle the dumping of electronic waste in the region.

It is also a laudable move at a time when electronic waste in Africa remains an eyesore, despite the numerous conventions, like Basel Convention and the Bamako convention, that detail how electronic waste should be handled. 

Obsolete and dangerous electronics find their way into Africa and other developing countries where they are imported as refurbished and good-to-use; yet, in reality, it is a clever way for developed countries to avoid dealing with them as waste when they become obsolete. These electronics contain toxins, such as lead and mercury, that have devastating and fatal impacts on people’s health and the environment. 

They are, for example, known to cause impaired intellectual abilities, DNA damage, chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular afflictions and can affect the respiratory system. Children and pregnant mothers who are exposed to these toxic chemicals particularly bear the greatest health burden.

The World Health Organisation, in a report dubbed Children and Digital Dumpsites, says that over 12.9 million women work in the informal waste sector, which puts them and their unborn children at risk of electronic waste-related chemical poisoning. At the same time more than 18 million children and adolescents are at risk of coming into contact with e-waste toxins since they are actively engaged in the informal industrial sector. 

Yet, as Africa grapples with unavailable or unsafe recycling practises, certain countries have taken the lead in managing the waste by putting in place policies, legislations or practises that tame the harmful effects of electronic waste. 

Rwanda has a recycling and refurbishing plant that processes 10,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year, which allows the East African country to mitigate more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon.

Kenya, on the other hand, banned the importation of second-hand electronic gadgets in 2020 in an effort to shield its population from the mountain of electronic waste that has been finding its way in the country - some of which were disguised as donations to schools, churches and other institutions. 

The new development by the EAC amplifies how regional blocs can embolden the resolve to tackle electronic waste by collectively putting in place practical measures, like strengthening border checks at a time when cross border trade is more open, while individually bridging policy gaps by having legislation and mechanisms that embrace modern recycling.

Photo by Roberto Sorin

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