South Africa as a country is still battling to define and control the specifics around electronic waste (e-waste), particularly how it should be disposed of.
So says Terry du Plessis, Incredible Connection Group salvage manager, who adds: “There are a number of joint projects which we are hoping to launch in the near future, surrounding the promotion and awareness of the importance and responsibilities surrounding e-waste disposal.”
Incredible Connection has teamed up with Desco Electronic Recycling Company to handle the influx of e-waste in the country. “Incredible Connection took great lengths to reserve ourselves for the correct expertise in this field,” says Du Plessis.
“Desco Electronic Recyclers have been in the electronic waste business long before it became popular.” He adds that the recycling company conforms to several national, provisional and local regulations and legislation.
Albi Modise, chief director of communications at the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), says e-waste is generated throughout the country. However, it is assumed consumption patterns are higher in urban areas than in rural areas.
He highlights that several surveys have been done to determine the amount of e-waste generated in SA over the past few years.
He adds that these numbers will become more accurate over the next few years, as the Waste Information System regulations will be released in the near future. Modise says these regulations will require the reporting of hazardous waste generation and the management of e-waste.
Trading tech
According to Du Plessis, Incredible Connection's 'Trade In' marketing programme has focused on the ability of the retailer to create a controlled, environmentally friendly process that ensures a minimum impact on the carbon footprint.
“We get lots of requests throughout the year for donations,” says Du Plessis, adding that the company assesses the donations on a case-by-case basis, matching the requests to a list of available units.
“Through the 2009 Trade In project, most of the 50 donations units were given to schools in the Limpopo region, while 50 cellphones that were checked have already been donated to a church.
“But due to the condition of much of the stock that is donated, many of the units have not been economical to repair, or wouldn't have made suitable donations,” he explains.
Du Plessis highlights that the refurbishment process continues throughout the year, as does the collection process.
Corporate involvement
According to Du Plessis, initiatives for the collection of e-waste have been driven largely by concerned members of the public. He adds that a large number of people have tried to make a quick profit from the disposal of e-waste.
“Within our key demographic - the small to medium-size business - we have seen a lot of support.” He adds that a few of the larger corporations have made contact with them, but due to the size of the Incredible Connection stores and the volumes of technology that large corporations generate, alternate arrangements need to be made.
The DEA was mum on the corporate responsibility debate, stating: “The department is not aware of any large scale corporations participating in safe recycling of e-waste; however, there are bound to be some.”
Disposal strategy
Modise says the National Waste Management Strategy is being discussed with provincial government departments, after which it will be gazetted for public comment. He adds that workshops open to a wide range of stakeholders will also be held through the comment phase.
Du Plessis notes that both Incredible Connection and Desco are aware of the department's National Waste Management strategy, adding that the strategy notes that most of the e-waste initiatives have been raised and dealt with on a voluntary basis by the suppliers and market retailers.
Modise confirms that the National Waste Management Strategy is not yet complete, adding that comments are still being generated by the public and government departments.
“The National Waste Act has guidelines in place for the management of waste in general, and there is a new draft policy being reviewed at this stage which will clarify some of the particular issues of e-waste,” says Du Plessis. “There is still a long way to go before the policy reaches the impact or effectiveness that we believe is intended in the policy.
“The strategy is in our opinion a good foundation and should the draft policy be taken as a starting point, there is much growth and success that can be anticipated.”
He says policies from the strategy need to be carefully reviewed, so as not to pass unreasonable costs onto the consumer. “Doing the ethical and responsible thing does sometimes bring additional costs, but these must be clearly defined.”
Du Plessis adds that the benefit of being able to offer a service and a possible replacement sale far outweighed the disadvantage of consumers would have faced to dispose of the items themselves.
“These mutually beneficial opportunities must be sought out, before paying for e-waste services that are not beneficially balanced,” he concludes.
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