Generation of e-waste in public universities: The need for sound environmental management of obsolete computers in Kenya

Odhiambo, Beneah D. O.

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2009.06.029

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Educational institutions are frequently applying shifts in technology and it results in a large number of discarded devices after short periods of lifespan [13]. For this reason Universities are appropriate places to gather disused electronic devices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Campaña de Reciclaje de Residuos Electrónicos en la Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Dalgo

Ochoa‐Herrera

Pérez

et al. 2015

Av. Cienc. Ing. (Quito)

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The increasing consumption of technological products may have serious implications due to the worldwide generation of abundant electronic devices that can become contaminating electronic waste or e-waste after their lifespan. This is due to the hazardous nature of some of their components. In Ecuador, despite the presence of some recycling companies and the governmental policies that attempt to establish an appropriate electronic waste management, much must still be done at public and private level in order to implement e-waste recycling and thus avoid the generation of these hazardous waste. In this study we present the results for the first Electronic Waste Recycling Campaign carried out at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, on which the university community and the civil society cooperated. A total of 1.89 t of e-waste were gathered and more than a half of these materials were intended for recycling or reuse within the country or internationally. The main electronic waste gathered included laptops, CRT monitors, keyboards, tablets, CPU, UPS for PC, mouse, PC speakers, wired for power and ICD monitors. Flow charts were made using VENSIM software, basing the calculation on one unit of each electronic waste. This recycling campaign is the first one organized by an Academic Institution in Ecuador and therefore provides useful information about the role that higher education institutions can play in such sustainable initiatives.Keywords. Electronic waste, recycling campaign, waste management, sustainability, university, Ecuador. ResumenEl aumento del consumo de productos tecnológicos podría tener serias implicaciones debido a la abundante producción de equipos electrónicos a nivel mundial. Estos equipos pueden afectar el medio ambiente ya que pueden convertirse en residuos electrónicos o chatarra electrónica cuando han cumplido su vida útil debido a la naturaleza contaminante de algunos de sus componentes. En Ecuador, a pesar de la presencia de empresas recicladoras y de las políticas gubernamentales que intentan establecer un manejo adecuado de residuos electrónicos, mucho falta por hacer a nivel público y privado para implementar el reciclaje de residuos electrónicos y así eliminar la generación de este tipo de contam-inantes peligrosos. En este estudio se presenta los resultados de la primera Campaña de Residuos Electrónicos llevada a cabo en la Universidad San Francisco de Quito en la que intervinieron tanto la comunidad universitaria como la sociedad. 1.89 t de residuos elec-trónicos fueron recolectados y más de la mitad de estos materiales fueron destinados para reciclaje o reutilización a nivel nacional o internacional. Los principales artículos recolec-tados fueron laptops, monitores CRT, teclados, tablets, CPU, memorias externas para PC, mouse, parlantes para PC, cables de poder y monitores. Diagramas de flujo fueron real-izados utilizando el software VENSIM, asumiendo como base de cálculo una unidad de cada residuo electrónico. Esta campaña de reciclaje es la primera organizada por una ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As long as new technologies are brought to market, the previous obsolete devices are left in disuse and become electronic waste [13]. The concept of electronic waste or e-waste comprises those technological products whose useful life has ended.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Campaña de Reciclaje de Residuos Electrónicos en la Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Dalgo

Ochoa‐Herrera

Pérez

et al. 2015

Av. Cienc. Ing. (Quito)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Regrettably, there is an increasing accumulation of large quantities of e-waste in several households and offices as the devices become archaic and no longer function optimally, thereby creating storage and problems of disposal [28,29]. In urban areas of most African household, there is at least one item of electronic product ranging from cell phone and computer to a relatively large appliance such as televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines.…”

Section: E-waste Management In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

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The generation of electronic waste (e-waste) is increasing at an alarming rate in South Africa. This waste stream is also emanating from household appliances due to beneficial attributes accrued to the use of these electronic devices. At the same time, these devices are a source of concern considering the environmental impacts as well the threat of health hazards they possess to human wellbeing. In appraising household knowledge and perception on e-waste management in Limpopo Province of South Africa, 200 semi-structured, self-administered questionnaires were used in eliciting data from the participants. The results indicated that 76% of the respondents believed that e-waste streams have negatively affected their environment. Additionally, 85% of the survey households are willing to pay for the proper disposal of their e-waste. Furthermore, the results indicated a statistically significance between gender and knowledge on e-waste management (p-value 0.003) while there was no statistically significant difference between gender and perception (p-value 0.318) on e-waste management. Based on the results, the study recommends awareness and educational campaigns as a step in changing the perception of households on e-waste and environmental consciousness.

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“…Other cases discuss European universities such as the University of Lüneburg in Germany (Adomssent et al, 2007) and a dozen o universities in the UK (Stering et al, 2013). There are also cases that examine non-Western universities such as Kenyan Public University (Odhiambo, 2009). Though it is expected that some case-based experiences can be learned and are transferable, researchers agree that there is no uniform model for developing green universities because of the divergence and complexities of institutions, including each university's different social, economic and cultural surroundings (Kopnina and Meijers, 2014;Ryan et al, 2010;Beringer and Adomßent, 2008;Gough and Scott, 2008;Larrán Jorge et al, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation of greenness across China’s universities: motivations and resources

Zhao

Zou

2018

IJSHE

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Purpose This study aims to examine the cross-institutional variation in university greenness and analyze its underlying dynamics. Design/methodology/approach This study constructs a University Greenness Index (UGI) and conducts multivariate regression. Findings This study finds variation within two dimensions; in the vertical dimension, top-tier universities have significantly higher UGIs than tier-2 universities, and in the horizontal dimension, agricultural and forest, engineering and technology and generalist universities have significantly higher UGIs than other specialist universities. The dynamics underlying the greenness variation lies in different universities’ motivations and resources, which are associated with China’s higher education administrative system, especially the mechanism by which funding is allocated. Research limitations/implications The Internet-search-based greenness index has some inherent limitations. First, there exists a gap between green information expression and real green achievement. Second, this research may be difficult to apply to other countries, because of the specific characteristics of China’s higher education system. Practical implications Based on the empirical results, two policy implications can be generated. First, for the problem of the vertical dimension variation, related institutional transformation should be launched to promote university greenness. Second, for the problem of the horizon dimension variation, specialist universities can take advantage of an interdisciplinary approach to promote greenness. Originality/value This research helps scholars and administrators to better understand the progress being made and the achievements realized with regard to green university initiatives in China.

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Generation of e-waste in public universities: The need for sound environmental management of obsolete computers in Kenya

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Campaña de Reciclaje de Residuos Electrónicos en la Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Campaña de Reciclaje de Residuos Electrónicos en la Universidad San Francisco de Quito

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

Variation of greenness across China’s universities: motivations and resources

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