Recycling electronics to reduce E-Waste in Kenya

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U.N. agencies warn that electrical waste—everything from discarded refrigerators to TVs to e-scooters to mobile phones—is piling up worldwide, and recycling rates are low and likely to fall even further. Some contain hazardous elements like mercury and rare Earth metals that are prized by tech companies. In Kenya, some businesses are finding ways to recycle discarded electronics in a bid to make money and reduce the environmental impact. Every morning, people flock to the dumpsite to sift through the garbage for anything worth selling. Some collect plastics which can be sold on to recycling plants. At Dandora dumpsite, waste stretches in all directions. But Steve Okoth, a resident, is on the lookout for something else... e-waste. However, the job is not without risks. “When the e-waste comes here, it contains some powder which affects my health. It affects my health in that when it is burnt it releases gases, which when they enter the body you can't come to work because of chest problems. But we have no option really. Some people's health is really bad, like mine. But we are now used to the smoke because if you don't go to work, you will not eat,” he says. 62 million tons of e-waste were produced globally in 2022, according to a new report by the U.N. And it could rise to 82 million tons by 2030, says the UN’s fourth Global E-waste Monitor (GEM). This represents a huge amount of precious resources that just end up in dumps. So recycling plants like Nairobi's WEEE Centre are trying to make a dent in that e-waste mountain. “We use the circular economic principles of repair, refurbish, recycle, repurpose to manage electronic waste and make sure it does not end up in the environment because we know electronic waste has hazardous consequences, and right now it is the fastest growing industry in the world,” says Catherine Wasolia, COO of WEEE Centre. The WEEE Centre has collection points across Kenya where people can deposit old electronics. Currently, only 1 percent of the demand for rare earth elements is met through e-waste recycling. But the UN estimates that there were 91 billion US dollars worth of metals embedded in 2022's e-waste. This article was provided by The Associated Press.