Durban, South Africa, 9 July 2013

What are the next steps on E-Waste Resources?

Mr. Hasha Seine Maringe,(CEO/President)

ICT Association of Zimbabweictazhq@gmail.com

ITU Workshop on “Environmentally Sound Management of E-waste”

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E-Waste : A Global Challenge

It is estimated that global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tones a year. (Schluep et al., 2009).

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Pause for a moment and ponder on this…

Worldwide, in the decade between 1994 and 2003, about 500 million personal computers containing approximately 718,000 tones of lead, 1,363 tones of cadmium and 287 tones of mercury, reached their end-of-life (Smith, Sonnenfeld & Naguib Pellow, 2006).

What about in 2020??????

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Main Issues Growing sales, shrinking life-spans Electronic equipment contains many toxic

materials More e-waste is thrown in the trash than

recycled Out with analog, in with digital. Poor design and complexity Lack of regulation Waste management options are highly

technological and require high financial investment

Advancement in Information Technology.

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.

In an effort to bridge the Digital Divide

International Policies and legislation

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Overview of E-Waste Status in Zimbabwe Untamed jungle, no inventory has been made to

assess the extend of e-waste problem in Zimbabwe

Currently formulating a National Strategy and Action Plan 2013-2015 geared towards establishing a recycling plant.

Ratified to the Bamako in 1993 and Basel in 2012 Conventions

All dumping sites and landfills are full of e-waste improperly dumped because there is no systematic management of this waste stream.

Estimated mobile phone active subscribers is approximately 10.9 million.

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Next Steps on E-Waste Resources

There is an echo here of the ancient dream of the medieval alchemists, who sought to transform lowly lead into precious gold, and who also sought to give some meaning to the “philosopher’s stone”.

Mankind must get back to the ancient ideal of closing the material cycle loop by transforming waste into material resources.

We must realize that part of our future depends on this waste.

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Why Next Steps?

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Sustainable transformation of waste into material resources?

Sensitisation & Awareness Raising

National Strategy & Policy Formulation

Implementation & Capacity building

Standards & Best Practices

Partnerships & Collaboration

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Progressive legislation regulating e-waste has been adopted at both regional and international with little done to assist developing countries to come up with their own legislation or strategy on dealing with e-waste.

Most developing countries in Africa like Zimbabwe have ratified the international treaties on ewaste management, without transposing it into national law. In such cases the implementation of international e-waste policies and legislations remains a challenge since there is no local legislation and regulations to support them.

Among the general challenges faced by such countries include the limited capacity and capability of responsible institutions, poor implementation of legal instruments, poor participation among stakeholders, and lack of funding.

Challenges of formulating E-Waste Legislation, Strategy and Policy in Developing Countries

RecommendationsEvery country must come up with their own e-waste management strategy and policy which should feed into Regional ones.

At global level, clearly defined standards and best practices should then be formulated with input from National and Regional Policies.

Global Partnership for Waste Management (GPWM) should assist developing countries with expertise and funding for formulation of National E-Waste Strategies and Policies.

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Recommendations (continued…)Efforts should be made to ensure that Regional and International Conferences and Workshops on e-waste are fairly represented.

The role of Private Public Partnerships (PPP) should be promoted in tackling the e-waste challenge.

International Conventions should set deadlines for submission of National Policies and Strategies on E-Waste Management.

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Recommendations (continued…)Establishment of Regional Strategy and Policy Formulation Expert Consulting Taskforce to assist developing countries in Africa to come up with their own Strategies and Policies.

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Thank you

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