The money we throw out in old electronics

NAIROBI, KENYA: Mr Philip Wahome has made a name for himself as Nairobi’s go-to-guy for people looking to make an extra shilling from old electronics.

From his small shop at a building near the Bus Station matatu terminus, he buys old phones, fridges, televisions and so on. What many may not know by looking at the state of his stock or shop is that Mr Wahome is earning a tidy sum from this trade.

Success story

He says he got into the e-waste business in 2011 after stumbling across an article on two Indian brothers who own an e-waste plant.

“I had taken my friend to a cyber café in town so he could draft his CV. As he did so, I kept myself busy by reading random articles on the Internet. I clicked on this pop up that had an interview with two brothers who own what was then a million-dollar e-waste company called Attero Recycling in India.”

Wahome learnt that Attero Recycling was collecting and processing a thousand metric tonnes of e-waste a month from various cities in India and extracting precious metals like gold, platinum and selenium from the “trash”.

He was so inspired that he convinced three of his friends to help him start a similar concept in Kenya. However, unlike the Indian brothers, they sell the waste to local and international recycling plants.

“We cannot recycle e-waste as there are currently only two licensed e-waste recyclers in the country — Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEEC) and East African Compliant Recycling. I know that the number of recyclers as well as collectors is expected to rise in the near future as the goldmine that is e-waste attracts more players; I plan to be among them,” Wahome says.

WEEEC’s CEO, Dr Tom Musili, says the e-waste recycling sector can generate thousands of new jobs and drive economic growth if nurtured well.

And then he reveals the reason this is an investment idea: his recycling centre is not receiving as much e-waste as it requires, forcing them to operate below capacity.

“We can handle about 75 tonnes of e-waste per month, but we are only doing 15 to 20 tonnes due to the supply shortage. Kenyans should stop holding on to electronic equipment that has reached its end and instead release it for recycling.”

Most electronic devices contain a variety of materials that can be recovered for future use. For instance, gold can be harvested from computer mother boards, while copper can be retrieved from cables.

National Environment Management Authority (Nema) Deputy Director for Environmental Awareness Betty Nzioka says that e-waste offers a huge economic opportunity for Kenya if recycling is done in line with international standards.

Urban mining

She terms e-waste recycling “urban mining” since it retrieves valuable metals from discarded electronic equipment.

“As Kenyans focus on looking for minerals under the ground, let them know that in e-waste, there is a lucrative opportunity right before their eyes. This form of mining metals and other valuables from e-waste deserves much more attention than it is receiving.”

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), e-waste is now Kenya’s fastest-growing waste component, with more than 17,000 tonnes of it generated each year. This includes 11,400 tonnes from refrigerators, 2,800 tonnes from TVs, 2,500 tonnes from personal computers, 500 tonnes from printers and 150 tonnes from mobile phones.

In addition, it is estimated that 15,000 tonnes of used computers and mobile phones are shipped to Kenya every year, which degenerate into e-waste after a few years of use.

“Smart public policies, creative financial incentives and technology transfer can turn e-waste from a challenge into an important resource for sustainable development,” says UN Under Secretary General and Unep Executive Director Achim Steiner.

The CEO of the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (Kirdi), Dr Charles Moturi, says that although e-waste presents a serious threat to human and environmental health if not properly handled, it can be a significant economic opportunity if well managed.

Kirdi recently hosted a conference and exhibition on e-waste management in Nairobi where various experts explored the threats and opportunities the industry offers Kenyans.

“Since Kenyans are generating e-waste at a high rate, the industry is bound to grow and prosper provided there is an enabling environment in place. E-waste management is an industry that has a bright future,” Dr Moturi says.

And according to Dr Faridah Were, a senior research scientist at Kirdi, Kenyans are hoarding disused electronic goods in their homes and offices, holding back the development of the e-waste recycling and management sector.

Release stockpiles

She said KIRDI, in collaboration with other stakeholders, would research the exact amounts and types of e-waste being held by Government institutions in the hope that the results of the study would persuade public institutions to benefit from e-waste stockpiles by releasing them for recycling.

Ms Sanda Ojiambo, the head of corporate responsibility at telecoms firm Safaricom, said that in the past year, the company has collected 70 tonnes of e-waste from across the country, which it transferred to licensed recyclers.

She called on the Government to put in place appropriate policies to nurture recycling, including offering tax incentives, and termed e-waste management “the next big thing”.

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