INTERNATIONAL collaboration to promote environmentally sound management of e-waste was strengthened with the signing of an agreement between the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC), a United Nation system and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) aimed at protecting the environment from the adverse effects of e-waste.
According to the UN on Monday, the rapid spread of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has raised public attention on the negative effects arising from inadequate disposal and waste management.
Besides, the body warned developing countries, including Nigeria, with huge market potential to be wary of mobile phone waste, which according to it are extremely dangerous to the living.
The body stressed that electronic waste, which contains toxic materials used in the manufacturing process, can cause widespread damage to the environment and human health.
Indeed, a data from the United Nations Environmental Programme, informed that, globally 20 - 50 million tons of electronics are discarded each year.
It however said, less than 10 per cent gets recycled and half or more end up mostly in developing countries like Nigeria.
Industry watchers in Nigeria posited that as western technology becomes cheaper and the latest machine comes to be regarded as a disposable fashion statement, dumping would only intensify.
The chaotic management of e-waste arising from the uncontrolled importation of disused computers, mobile phones, and television sets into the country has drawn various resentments of stakeholders in the country.
Speaking to journalists recently, Secretary General, Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), John Oboro, noted that the failure of the Federal Government to take a significant step to manage the waste arising from the importation of disused electronics into the country is indeed unsafe as the nation may have to pay for it in a disgusting way in the near future.
Oboro lamented: “We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder that will one day explode. Developed countries have discovered ways of managing e-waste. It is quite unfortunate that the manufacturers of even the new ones do not have plans of how to take back these things when they become obsolete.”
Another IT expert, Kunle Ogunfowokan said there was need for foreign information technology (IT) firms to take full responsibility for the safe recycling of their products and put an end to the growing e-waste dumps that poison people and the environment across the developing world, Nigeria inclusive. “We need companies to introduce voluntary take-back schemes and remove hazardous substances from their products so they can be recycled safely and easily”, he said.
Ogunfowokan challenged the relevant government agencies in Nigeria to ensure that only electronic products tested and certified fit for uses are allowed into the country.
Indeed, the ITU-SBC collaboration seeks to collect and recycle the hazardous materials by introducing safeguards in the management of the waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), or e-waste.
According to UN, developing countries are expecting a surge in e-waste, with mobile phone waste expected to grow exponentially, adding that sharp increases of e-waste have until now not been matched with policy and regulatory mechanisms nor with infrastructure to cope with the influx in developing countries.
The global body noted that, currently, only 13 per cent of e-waste is reported to be recycled with or without safety procedures.
It noted that, the issue of e-waste as an emerging telecommunications policy and regulatory issue have received recognition at the highest level in ITU.
Already, part of measures adopted by ITU in this area include; the adoption of Recommendation ITU-T L.1000, “Universal power adapter and charger solution for mobile terminals and other ICT devices”, which dramatically reduces production and cuts the waste produced by mobile chargers; the adoption of Recommendation ITU-T L.1100, which details the procedures to be employed when recycling rare metal components included in ICT equipment and the designing e-Waste management strategies for environmental protection; publishing and disseminating best practices; and assisting countries in the drafting, adoption and implementation of policies, laws, and regulations related to e-waste management.
Meanwhile, the UN noted that the level of global environmental policy, the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which came into force in 1992, is the most comprehensive environmental agreement on the management of hazardous and other waste, “but many countries have not yet successfully translated its provisions into their national legislation. Now, with the signing of the ITU-SBC Administrative Agreement, efforts between both UN mechanisms will be leveraged, maximising value at the global level and strengthening collaboration between telecommunication/ICT and environmental policy makers for the global good.”
According to ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Touré, the ICT sector is already making significant progress in improving its environmental performance and reducing e-waste through improved best practices and standards.
“The collaboration with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention will allow the global community to address this ever-increasing problem through a holistic approach, involving the recycling industry as well as environmental policy makers”, stressed Toure.
To the Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, Jim Willis: “The positive impact of ICT on development, particularly in developing countries and countries with economies in transition is well recognised and acknowledged.
“However, ICT equipment has to be dealt with in view of its entire life-cycle, and this includes the time when the equipment comes to its end-of-life and becomes e-waste. Collaboration between ITU and SBC will further our shared objectives in support of sustainable development that essentially includes environmentally sound management of waste.”
Speaking to The Guardian late last year in Kenya on Nokia’s e-waste strategy, the company’s Head of Sales, Africa, Brad Brockhaug said Nokia ran the largest recyling programme than other manufacturer in world. He said Nokia is very active in that area, stressing that they ran such processes across Africa, especially in Ghana and Nigeria.
“Basically, what we do is that we accept devices and accessories not limited to Nokia alone, also from other manufacturers. They can bring theirs to our recyling centres through our customer care.
“We have programmes globally on how we tackle such. Up to 90 per cent of all Nokia devices can be recycled. The metal can be re-used and parts that can be disposed are done rightly. This process goes beyond e-waste. It is about repackaging. We do environmental responsible things in the areas of our business and recyling process.”
Last year also, the Lagos State Government, through its Waste Management Authority, LAWMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with a franchisee and a private sector operator on the recycling of electronic waste in the state.
The recycling initiative, which is in partnership with D Nigeria Limited, was to tackle the increasing menace of e-waste dumping across the country.
According to Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr. Ola Oresanya, when the initiative finally kicks off, all e-waste deposit would be reversed to wealth generation.
D Nigeria Limited is to recover, evacuate, store, recycle and export e-waste in the state while LAWMA is saddled with provision of legal and infrastructural support.
According to the UN on Monday, the rapid spread of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has raised public attention on the negative effects arising from inadequate disposal and waste management.
Besides, the body warned developing countries, including Nigeria, with huge market potential to be wary of mobile phone waste, which according to it are extremely dangerous to the living.
The body stressed that electronic waste, which contains toxic materials used in the manufacturing process, can cause widespread damage to the environment and human health.
Indeed, a data from the United Nations Environmental Programme, informed that, globally 20 - 50 million tons of electronics are discarded each year.
It however said, less than 10 per cent gets recycled and half or more end up mostly in developing countries like Nigeria.
Industry watchers in Nigeria posited that as western technology becomes cheaper and the latest machine comes to be regarded as a disposable fashion statement, dumping would only intensify.
The chaotic management of e-waste arising from the uncontrolled importation of disused computers, mobile phones, and television sets into the country has drawn various resentments of stakeholders in the country.
Speaking to journalists recently, Secretary General, Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), John Oboro, noted that the failure of the Federal Government to take a significant step to manage the waste arising from the importation of disused electronics into the country is indeed unsafe as the nation may have to pay for it in a disgusting way in the near future.
Oboro lamented: “We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder that will one day explode. Developed countries have discovered ways of managing e-waste. It is quite unfortunate that the manufacturers of even the new ones do not have plans of how to take back these things when they become obsolete.”
Another IT expert, Kunle Ogunfowokan said there was need for foreign information technology (IT) firms to take full responsibility for the safe recycling of their products and put an end to the growing e-waste dumps that poison people and the environment across the developing world, Nigeria inclusive. “We need companies to introduce voluntary take-back schemes and remove hazardous substances from their products so they can be recycled safely and easily”, he said.
Ogunfowokan challenged the relevant government agencies in Nigeria to ensure that only electronic products tested and certified fit for uses are allowed into the country.
Indeed, the ITU-SBC collaboration seeks to collect and recycle the hazardous materials by introducing safeguards in the management of the waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), or e-waste.
According to UN, developing countries are expecting a surge in e-waste, with mobile phone waste expected to grow exponentially, adding that sharp increases of e-waste have until now not been matched with policy and regulatory mechanisms nor with infrastructure to cope with the influx in developing countries.
The global body noted that, currently, only 13 per cent of e-waste is reported to be recycled with or without safety procedures.
It noted that, the issue of e-waste as an emerging telecommunications policy and regulatory issue have received recognition at the highest level in ITU.
Already, part of measures adopted by ITU in this area include; the adoption of Recommendation ITU-T L.1000, “Universal power adapter and charger solution for mobile terminals and other ICT devices”, which dramatically reduces production and cuts the waste produced by mobile chargers; the adoption of Recommendation ITU-T L.1100, which details the procedures to be employed when recycling rare metal components included in ICT equipment and the designing e-Waste management strategies for environmental protection; publishing and disseminating best practices; and assisting countries in the drafting, adoption and implementation of policies, laws, and regulations related to e-waste management.
Meanwhile, the UN noted that the level of global environmental policy, the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which came into force in 1992, is the most comprehensive environmental agreement on the management of hazardous and other waste, “but many countries have not yet successfully translated its provisions into their national legislation. Now, with the signing of the ITU-SBC Administrative Agreement, efforts between both UN mechanisms will be leveraged, maximising value at the global level and strengthening collaboration between telecommunication/ICT and environmental policy makers for the global good.”
According to ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Touré, the ICT sector is already making significant progress in improving its environmental performance and reducing e-waste through improved best practices and standards.
“The collaboration with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention will allow the global community to address this ever-increasing problem through a holistic approach, involving the recycling industry as well as environmental policy makers”, stressed Toure.
To the Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, Jim Willis: “The positive impact of ICT on development, particularly in developing countries and countries with economies in transition is well recognised and acknowledged.
“However, ICT equipment has to be dealt with in view of its entire life-cycle, and this includes the time when the equipment comes to its end-of-life and becomes e-waste. Collaboration between ITU and SBC will further our shared objectives in support of sustainable development that essentially includes environmentally sound management of waste.”
Speaking to The Guardian late last year in Kenya on Nokia’s e-waste strategy, the company’s Head of Sales, Africa, Brad Brockhaug said Nokia ran the largest recyling programme than other manufacturer in world. He said Nokia is very active in that area, stressing that they ran such processes across Africa, especially in Ghana and Nigeria.
“Basically, what we do is that we accept devices and accessories not limited to Nokia alone, also from other manufacturers. They can bring theirs to our recyling centres through our customer care.
“We have programmes globally on how we tackle such. Up to 90 per cent of all Nokia devices can be recycled. The metal can be re-used and parts that can be disposed are done rightly. This process goes beyond e-waste. It is about repackaging. We do environmental responsible things in the areas of our business and recyling process.”
Last year also, the Lagos State Government, through its Waste Management Authority, LAWMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with a franchisee and a private sector operator on the recycling of electronic waste in the state.
The recycling initiative, which is in partnership with D Nigeria Limited, was to tackle the increasing menace of e-waste dumping across the country.
According to Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr. Ola Oresanya, when the initiative finally kicks off, all e-waste deposit would be reversed to wealth generation.
D Nigeria Limited is to recover, evacuate, store, recycle and export e-waste in the state while LAWMA is saddled with provision of legal and infrastructural support.
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