At least 90% of printed circuit boards and 80% of plastic recovered from electronic waste (e-waste) in South Africa is exported for reprocessing, a recent study showed.

The study, which was carried out by Mintek, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), indicated that South Africa loses its access to valuable metals and the opportunity to create jobs.

The research is one of the deliverables of South Africa’s 10-year Waste Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) Roadmap – a DST programme hosted by the CSIR.

Study objectives

“The aim of the study was to assess the technology currently used in the dismantling, pre-processing and processing of e-waste in South Africa,” says Linda Godfrey, manager of the Waste RDI Roadmap Implementation Unit at the CSIR.

“By knowing what technology is currently in use and where the gaps are, we are able to identify new areas for research and innovation, both technological and social innovation,” she adds.

However, Godfrey explains that this study was always going to be about more than just identifying research needs.

“To identify new opportunities for research and innovation, the project team needed to generate a picture of the e-waste recycling landscape in South Africa, the various role players and the flows of e-waste within and beyond the borders of the country,” says Makhapa Makhafola, general manager of research and development at Mintek.

Determining the material flows for various e-waste fractions (such as metal, glass, and plastic) was important in identifying opportunities for South Africa’s e-waste recycling economy.

“The question we face is: How do we retain our secondary resources, such as e-waste, for as long as possible in our local value chain before they move into the global economy?” Godfrey says.

SA’s e-waste challenges and employment

However, a startling finding of the study was that the growth of South Africa’s e-waste recycling sector is not actually determined by technology or skills. The biggest constraint to growing South Africa’s e-waste recycling economy is access to the waste.

The last official statistics for South Africa (2011) showed that only 11% of the e-waste generated in the country was recycled.

“This doesn’t mean that 89% of our end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment ends up in landfills, although there certainly is leakage,” Godfrey says. “Instead, much of our e-waste is locked up in offices, homes, storerooms and so forth.”

She explains that by increasing the collection, sorting and recycling of waste in South Africa, we create more opportunities to recover valuable resources that can feed into downstream manufacturing, and as a result, more opportunities for jobs and enterprise development.

The research showed that currently, the sector generates around 25 jobs per 1,000 tonnes of handled e-waste.

“If we can unlock this uncollected e-waste into the local value chain, we can create opportunities to grow South Africa’s e-waste recycling economy, as well as opportunities to increase investment in appropriate technologies and in innovative new technologies,” Godfrey says.

E-waste currently not profitable on its own

“But, it is not only about recycling,” says Henry Roman, director for Environmental Services and Technologies at the DST.

He says as this research shows, e-waste dismantling is currently not profitable as a standalone activity for small businesses. Up to 60% of the revenue of small e-waste recycling businesses is generated through refurbishment, with more than half of small businesses considering recycling a secondary activity.

“This is encouraging since refurbishment and reuse allows us to keep limited resources in circulation for longer, in line with the principles of a circular economy,” he says. “We also know that refurbishment and reuse typically create more jobs than recycling, and certainly more jobs than disposal.”

In addition to mapping the status quo, the study also provides key findings from the technology assessment, as well as recommendations to address these challenges.

The full report is available from the Waste RD&I Roadmap Website: www.wasteroadmap.co.za