In South Africa, hundreds of thousands of tons of e-waste require safe and traceable destruction and recycling each year. Typically, much of this is done under the radar and often in contravention of environmental legislation - although many corporations are unaware of these practices. Typical toxins and contaminants like mercury, lead , beryllium , cadmium ,arsenic and other heavy metals are released into our environment by e-waste scavengers who buy up auctioned lots of defunct electronic equipment. After stripping what immediate value is obtainable, the bulk of the remaining waste is dumped in landfill and illegal e -waste dump sites.

It is hence important to recover electronic and electrical waste, as these contain both valuable and potentially hazardous material that can be recovered through proper recycling, while hazardous fractions can be treated prior to safe disposal.

Electronic and electrical waste includes ICT equipment, Consumer electronics, Small household appliances and large household appliances.

Here are some pointers on what to do with your e-waste from your home or office:

1. Many reputable waste management companies will collect e-waste and ensure that it is forwarded to the right parties for recycling and safe disposal. Such companies include  WastePlan,  Re-Ethical and  Interwaste;
2. The following companies are directly involved in collecting, recovering and/or recycling e-waste:
   
   1. Just PCs (Cape Town):  http://justpcs.co.za/
   2. E-Cycle (Paarl):  www.ecycle.co.za/
   3. Virgin Earth (Cape Town – Helderberg Basin area):  www.virginearth.co.za
   4. New Earth Waste Solutions (in Johannesburg):  http://www.ewaste.co.za/
3. The website for the E-Waste Association of South Africa (EWASA) includes a thorough list of approved recyclers and drop-off areas in various locations in South Africa:  www.ewasa.org
4. Use your computer manufacturer’s take-back programme, if there is one. Dell, who is working very hard on their green image, claim to lead the industry in their free home pick-up programme (if you're buying a Dell computer) – they’re the only IT company providing free recycling of products for consumers in 57 countries.
5. You could donate your working computer to a charity or use freecycle.org.
   
   
6. Used Cellphones can be dropped off at most Vodacare, Cell C and MTN shops – also ask about Nokia’s cellphone recycling programme.

Happy R-E-cycling!

Put together by Berenice Westmore  berenicew@postwink.co.za
mainly from extracts from the TKAG website  www.Treasurethekaroo.co.za