The Sunday Mail
Authorities are taking for granted the threat posed by the continued influx of electronic waste (e-waste) in the country as it risks an environmental and public health catastrophe in the long run, environmentalists have warned.
E-waste, which comprises discarded electrical gadgets and home appliances such as TVs, radios, computers, cellphone batteries and microwave ovens, is accumulating across Africa due to an influx of cheap imports.
According to the United Nations, second-hand and cheap products are either being imported or donated in huge volumes from and by developed countries.
The European Environment Agency estimates that between 250 000 to 1,3 million tonnes of used electrical products are being shipped out of the EU every year, mostly to Africa and Asia.
In Zimbabwe, while admitting that the situation has not yet reached unmanageable levels, experts agree that electronic waste in Zimbabwe is becoming an emerging environmental crisis that is by and large unheralded.
Scientists say chemical components such as mercury, lead and carcinogens found in e-waste can be harmful to humans if inhaled or ingested.
Some of the e-waste is flammable or radioactive, while other chemicals impair human reproductive and nervous systems.
Shamiso Mtisi, head of research at the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, recently told the media that the country had “no clear and comprehensive position on e-waste”.
“The Environmental Management Act has regulations that provide for the disposal of hazardous waste, but that law does not address the issue of e-waste per say,” she said.
Researchers say it is risky to treat e-waste the same as any other waste when evidence shows that it requires special attention.
Harare Residents Trust director Precious Shumba echoed Mtisi’s position, that without clear policies the country is at risk of being ambushed by e-waste and that recycling companies should take the opportunity to grow their businesses.
“Across the suburbs we have seen that wherever there are piles of garbage there is also a lot of e-waste.
“But we have also realised that in Mbare, Magaba, some people may have found use of the waste,” he said.
“The City of Harare, however, does not seem to have a known policy on e-waste management, something which we hope will be looked into soon.”
Shumba said there was need for systematic research to determine how e-waste is impacting on human health, especially since it is difficult to keep children away from dump-sites.
According to online references, the health effects of e-waste include sensory impairment, dermatitis, memory loss, and muscle weakness.
Environmental effects in animals include death, reduced fertility, and slower growth and development.
Environmental Management Agency spokesperson Steady Kangata said e-waste was not yet a disaster but conceded that the rate at which it was increasing was worrying.
“In the surveys that we have carried out, we have come to realise that the increase of e-waste is an emerging problem that we never had before,” he said. The reasons for the increase vary from the irreparable nature of some products, affordability and the fact that people no longer repair.
“If something gets broken people now simply throw it away and buy a new one.” Investing in e-waste recycling has been touted as the most sustainable way of dealing with the menace.
Research shows that most electronic devices contain a variety of materials, including metals that can be recovered for future use.
By dismantling and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by hazardous disposal is avoided. Additionally, recycling reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the manufacturing of new products and contributes to the betterment of the economy and creation of jobs. In Accra (Ghana) and Lagos (Nigeria), the refurbishing and recycling sectors provide income to more than 30 000 people.
Researchers say sustainable solutions for e-waste management in Africa require measures aimed at imports and exports control, collection and recycling. Policy and legislation that incorporate extended producer responsibility, recognise the important role of the informal sector, promote awareness as well as compliance monitoring and enforcement is also said to have a key role to play.
Sustainable manageable activist and owner of a Zimbabwean plastic recycling company Danai Masenda said the growing dangers of e-waste should always be kept in place.
“I think people at the moment do not see the urgency of the matter because it seems far fetched that e-waste can be disastrous.” he said.
“It is better to act on these things early rather than later because containing situations in later stages is always difficult. Once, only a few people believed that global warming can really happen but today it is giving us trouble.”
