What the digitization of farm equipment means for farmers. How luxury and sport tourism are rising in Rwanda. Why this hotel giant is looking to Africa for expansion. How this auto giant will go all-in with electric cars in South Africa. Blueberries could be the next cash crop in South Africa. He refurbishes broken PCs, laptops, phones and secondhand gadgets classified as electronic waste, or "e-waste" that would otherwise end up as trash in Nduba, Rwanda's only open-air dump in the outskirts of the capital.
Converting those screens to televisions then becomes a cheaper option, he adds, for "citizens who have low incomes and cannot afford buying a brand-new TV. Eric Nshimiyimanain right owns two small electronic repair shops in Kigali, Rwanda.
In this age of scrambling for the newest high-tech phone, tablet or television, refurbishing broken and outdated gadgets might seem impractical. But for many countries, it's an important link in the value chain of e-waste management.
According to the UN-affiliated Global E-Waste Monitor report, nearly 54 million metric tons of e-waste was generated around the world in It includes everything from phones and computer monitors to larger appliances like refrigerators and old fax machines. Together, it weighs " more than all the commercial airliners ever made ," according to the UN.
Read More. Rwanda is one of only 13 countries in Africa that have passed national legislation regarding e-waste regulation, according to the report.
And it has led to the first official recycling and refurbishing facility in the country. Workers sort e-waste using a system of conveyor belts across Enviroserve's recycling facility near Kigali. Operational since early last year, this public-private partnership between the government and Dubai-based Enviroserve became a source of pride for Rwanda.
The state-of-the-art plant near Kigali can process up to 10, metric tons of e-waste per year. Rwanda's focus on local action. According to managing director Olivier Mbera, Enviroserve has already repaired and refurbished more than 5, computers, which were sold to public schools. To date, it has processed more than 4, tons of e-waste and created more than jobs.
That is 2. One of the recent cases occurred on June 29, The Spanish Civil Guard had announced the arrest of 34 people on the islands of Tenerife Spain off the west coast of Africa on suspicion of illegally exporting 2, tons of electronic waste to Nigeria and seven other African countries. Faced with the overflow of electronic waste, the UN recommends in its 3rd report of the Global E-waste Monitor, the adoption of regulations and recycling programmes. This approach is still very insufficient on the continent, because only 13 African countries out of the 43 studied have a national policy of regulation and management of electronic waste in compliance with environmental and health standards.
Environment International, An air control station installed in the Agbogbloshie dumpsite has detected iron, lead and copper. These thresholds are meant for work areas, but Agbogbloshie is actually an entire area of Accra with about 90, inhabitants. Journal of Health and Pollution, Out of soil samples collected in Agbogbloshie, more than half have shown an amount of lead which is over twice as much as the standards allowed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency USEPA.
The detected values range from a minimum of ppm parts-per-million to a maximum of Ghana's authorities have proposed the demolition of Agbogbloshie several times, and early operations in this direction have began in June But the approach taken is raising concerns. The same opinion is expressed by Rafa Font of Recyhub, an organisation which supports the sustainable recycling of e-waste.
Like all coins, Agbogbloshie has two sides. On one side there is the pollution and toxic fumes. On the other, there are those working to reveal the area's hidden potential.
The AMP is not the only organisation with a constructive view that requires a change of narrative. As explained in the latest report from the United Nations University, e-waste is a giant toxic goldmine concealing a hidden treasure.
Reporter: Jacopo Ottaviani Twitter. Zum Inhalt springen. News Ticker Magazin Audio Account. Suche starten.
Link kopieren. Level of pollution. Bereich Blood aufklappen A team of researchers from Ghana and the United States have collected and analysed blood samples from Agbogbloshie workers.
Bereich Urine aufklappen Traces of iron, lead and antimony have been detected in the e-waste boys' urine samples. Bereich Milk aufklappen Disturbing amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls PCB have emerged from the analysis of breast milk in the Agbogbloshie area. Bereich Air aufklappen An air control station installed in the Agbogbloshie dumpsite has detected iron, lead and copper.
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