Toward a More Sustainable Trajectory for E-Waste Policy: A Review of a Decade of E-Waste Research in Accra, Ghana

Daum, Kurt; Stoler, Justin; Grant, Richard

doi:10.3390/ijerph14020135

Cited by 111 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…As the topic of e-waste recycling is vast, a series of papers have addressed this problem in different countries contexts such as: Brazil [22], Canada [23], China [24][25][26][27][28], Costa Rica [29], Ghana [30,31], Greece [32], Hong Kong [24], India [33], Italy [34], Japan [26], Mexico [35,36], New Zealand [7], Nigeria [19,37], South Korea [26], Sri Lanka [38], Taiwan [26,39], United Kingdom [40], United States [41], Vietnam [42], etc., by studying various aspects related to the e-waste recycling process in the context of the behavior of the consumers' located in these areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania

et al. 2020

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Due to the increase of the amount of electrical and electronical equipment waste (e-waste), the understanding of individual consumers’ main decision triggers represents a key point in increasing the quantity of recycled e-waste. A series of studies from the literature have shown a positive relationship between the consumers’ attitude, awareness, self-efficacy, social norms, and their e-waste recycling intention, as well as the positive influence between the intention and the manifested behavior. Additional to these determinants, in the present study, the influence of social media was analyzed along with the actions taken by the government and nongovernmental organizations, with the purpose to include and to capture, as much as possible, a high amount of determinants in the e-waste recycling process. Nevertheless, the demographic or socio-economic variables, such as age, gender, income, education, number of family members, etc., have shown over time to have a contribution to predicting the consumers’ pro-recycling behavior. As on one side, in the research literature, the opinions related to which of the demographic or socio-economic factors can have an impact on the recycling behavior have been divided and, on another side, a series of researchers believe that the discrepancies in the findings of different studies can be due to culture in various countries, in this paper we conducted such an analysis with reference to the Romania’s case. The results have shown that the demographic variables, such as age and gender, can have a contribution to predicting residents’ pro-e-waste recycling behavior. Based on these findings, the policymakers can gain a better understanding of the e-waste recycling phenomenon and on its main triggers, with results in creating better policies for sustaining a proper e-waste managing system.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania

et al. 2020

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“…An often cited justification for these environmental trends is that high levels of pollution are a largely inevitable outcome of economic development [12,13] and urbanization [14], with some evidence of this trend also at lower levels of development. In Accra, Ghana, for example, informal electronic waste recycling employs thousands of residents and plays a pivotal role in the local economy, but is also a source of high exposure to heavy metals (i.e., lead, mercury, cadmium), flame retardants, and other pollutants among workers as well as adults and children living near waste sites [15]. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, tanneries are a priority economic growth sector and leather is a major export [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of cities in reducing the cardiovascular impacts of environmental pollution in low- and middle-income countries

Baumgartner

Bräuer

Ezzati

2020

BMC Med

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Background: As low-and middle-income countries urbanize and industrialize, they must also cope with pollution emitted from diverse sources. Main text: Strong and consistent evidence associates exposure to air pollution and lead with increased risk of cardiovascular disease occurrence and death. Further, increasing evidence, mostly from high-income countries, indicates that exposure to noise and to both high and low temperatures may also increase cardiovascular risk. There is considerably less research on the cardiovascular impacts of environmental conditions in low-and middleincome countries (LMICs), where the levels of pollution are often higher and the types and sources of pollution markedly different from those in higher-income settings. However, as such evidence gathers, actions to reduce exposures to pollution in low-and middle-income countries are warranted, not least because such exposures are very high. Cities, where pollution, populations, and other cardiovascular risk factors are most concentrated, may be best suited to reduce the cardiovascular burden in LMICs by applying environmental standards and policies to mitigate pollution and by implementing interventions that target the most vulnerable. The physical environment of cities can be improved though municipal processes, including infrastructure development, energy and transportation planning, and public health actions. Local regulations can incentivize or inhibit the polluting behaviors of industries and individuals. Environmental monitoring can be combined with public health warning systems and publicly available exposure maps to inform residents of environmental hazards and encourage the adoption of pollution-avoiding behaviors. Targeted individual or neighborhood interventions that identify and treat high-risk populations (e.g., lead mitigation, portable air cleaners, and preventative medications) can also be leveraged in the very near term. Research will play a key role in evaluating whether these approaches achieve their intended benefits, and whether these benefits reach the most vulnerable. Conclusion: Cities in LMICs can play a defining role in global health and cardiovascular disease prevention in the next several decades, as they are well poised to develop innovative, multisectoral approaches to pollution mitigation, while also protecting the most vulnerable.

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“…E-waste presently is a US$52 billion global industry of recycling and processing of electronic devices and of re-exporting retrievable metals (Baldé et al, 2015: 17). The growth of the global electronics market with its industry norm of planned obsolescence has spearheaded the expansion of e-waste (Daum et al, 2017). E-waste in Africa is further compounded by an uptake in second-hand and refurbished electronics (Grant, 2015;Grant & Oteng-Ababio, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, South Africa's second-hand goods market is also affected by the inflow of international donations to South African organizations and institutions; such contributions regularly encompass a mix of working/nonworking devices. E-waste research on South Africa is modest compared to the much larger research output in African cities such as Accra, Ghana (Amankwaa, 2013;Grant & Oteng-Ababio, 2013, 2019, Daum et al, 2017 and Lagos, Nigeria (Osibinjo & Nnorom, 2007;Nnorom & Osininjo, 2008;Sullivan, 2014). Research on South Africa focuses on the policy terrain and the transition toward a formal system of e-waste management (Lawhon, 2012(Lawhon, , 2013, on possibilities for developing a green channel (Anahide, 2007), on green economy possibilities for the informal economy (Smit & Musango, 2015a, 2015b, and on the potential for applying technological solutions to valuable e-waste fractions (Ledwaba & Sosibo, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Grant

2019

Urbani Izziv

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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.

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Toward a More Sustainable Trajectory for E-Waste Policy: A Review of a Decade of E-Waste Research in Accra, Ghana

Cited by 111 publications

References 42 publications

Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania

Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania

The role of cities in reducing the cardiovascular impacts of environmental pollution in low- and middle-income countries

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

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