A proposed model for South Africa to effectively recycle and dispose waste electrical and electronic equipment

Abstract

In South Africa there are daily occurrences of dumping of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), also called e-waste, at municipal refuse sites. WEEE is hazardous and comes from households and businesses and these unhealthy and unsafe practices can lead to permanent damage of the soil and water resources of areas. It can cause humans and animals to acquire different kinds of cancers and illnesses which could ultimately lead to deaths. WEEE contains valuable materials that can be recycled and there is thus loss of potential extraction of these valuable materials. South Africa has a limited WEEE infrastructure to collect, refurbish, recycle, and disposal capabilities to handle e-waste and need a management model to address WEEE effectively