E-waste challenges in Cape Town: Opportunity for the green economy?

Abstract

E-waste research on South Africa cities is modest compared to the much larger research output on other African cities (e.g., Accra, Ghana, and Lagos, Nigeria). Synthesizing gray reports, academic literature, and findings from 25 interviews with key Cape Town stakeholders (from informal and formal firms and industry, civil society, and governmental organizations), this paper assesses the current e-waste landscape in Cape Town, bifurcated between numerous informal individuals/firms and a handful of large formal operators. E-waste activities focus on collection (with little value added), dismantling, preprocessing, and refurbishment without final processing, the latter being performed in Johannesburg and overseas. After a decade of e-waste deliberation, government, businesses, industries, consultants, and civil society organizations are coalescing around approaching e-waste as a strategic green economic opportunity, a tilt coinciding with the designation of Africa’s first designated green special economic zone at Atlantis. The green economy tilt, however, is by no means guaranteed: deficiencies in data, e-waste infrastructure, capacity building, and major differences of opinion about the role of informal operators persist.

Appraisal of Households’ Knowledge and Perception towards E-Waste Management in Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…These poor formal collection rates result in economic value not being derived from e-waste, and also potentially have environmental consequences, including informal collection that can result in the illegal processing of e-waste. Although e-waste studies have been conducted in South Africa [47][48][49]51], at the household level, there are still limited studies on e-waste streams, hence there is the need for a more all-inclusiveness to help understand the knowledge and perception of e-waste in the country.…”

Consumer Awareness about E-Waste in Rural and Urban Haryana

“…Researchers have also focused on studying E-Waste management as a potential business sector to serve as new business opportunities. In some countries, government provide strategic support to corporate agencies by giving them relaxations in norms to function in unorganized sector to manage E-Waste (Grant, 2019). Many developing countries like India have taken the initiative to involve corporate sector in this domain to manage E-Waste and to provide employment opportunities (Reddy, 2013).…”

A green transition in South Africa? Sociotechnical experimentation in the Atlantis Special Economic Zone

“…WCISP, in the first three years of operation, reported a success rate of 4 in 70, greatly surpassing the international success norm of 1 in 1000 (O'Carroll et al 2017). However, most secondary metals and e-waste firms are scattered across the CCT metropolitan area (Grant 2019), so a secondary metals facility located in ASEZ is being proposed (SAWEA 2018, Int.). Despite the positives, linking formal firms, many of which are international, with informal economy firms is an awkward zone of engagement given their different modes of operation, scale and conformity to regulations, among other things.…”