Assessment of electronic waste management in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

E-waste entails electronic equipment and or part thereof, which is or considered obsolete resulting in it being discarded with no intention for reuse. The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has seen a rapid increase in electronic waste across the globe. However, while universally, volumes of e-waste are exponentially increasing, the ability of most developing cities to manage such waste has not. In Harare Zimbabwe, e-waste has become an additional waste management challenge as there are few e-waste recycling companies, and more informal “recyclers”. More often than not, these recyclers are ignorantly vulnerable to e-waste related diseases emanating from e-waste related pollution. It is in the light of this, that this study aimed to assess electronic waste management in Harare, Zimbabwe with the primary objective of developing a feasible e-waste management model for the city. To this end, the research was a mixed-methods study of interviews, structured questionnaires, observations and laboratory experiments. Primary data revealed that e-waste is being dumped at both the city’s official dumpsites and also on roadside dumps across residential areas, mostly high and medium density areas. While laboratory analyses exposed the presence of e-waste related heavy metals on selected dumpsites as well as at other non-dumpsite areas in Harare. Conversely, a review of secondary data testified that Zimbabwe’s current environmental legislation is bereft to non-specific about e-waste. With no legislative framework nor e-waste management services available therefore, the recycling of e-waste has largely been left to informal recyclers. Overall, findings disclosed that due to its inept management, electronic waste has become an environmental threat to both Harare’s environs and some of its inhabitants. It is in view of these findings, that the study recommends that there be: (i) specific legislation on the management of e-waste in Zimbabwe, (ii) Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the management of e-waste, (iii) a model for proper e-waste management be developed to guide the management of e-waste, and (iv) that people be educated on the dangers of e-waste and the importance of its proper management.