Kenya to develop e-waste regulations

Kenya is set to become the first East African nation to develop regulations on the management of electronic waste, following a major conference held at the UN headquarters in Nairobi.

The meeting, held last week, came up with a raft of recommendations that will go a long a way in minimising the impact of unsafe disposal of electronic products on the country’s public health and environment.

The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has been tasked with undertaking a comprehensive national assessment of e-waste in the country within a year to determine the extent of the problem.

The government, on the other hand, has been asked to develop a legal framework for e- waste management by March 31, next year.

“They should take the necessary steps to ensure that they prioritise the legislation of reuse targets and standards to provide appropriate economic incentives to catalyse further investment in recycling and final disposal facilities,” read part of the recommendations.

The meeting was attended by delegates drawn from the Environment Ministry, Nema, software giant Microsoft, United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) among others.

It had been convened to plot the way forward in dealing with e-waste management in line with the Basel Convention and other international frameworks.

E-waste consists of old electronic items such as computers, printers, mobile phones, refrigerators and televisions. Increasing demand for electronic goods in Kenya and in the developing world means that levels of e-waste are growing fast.

As a result, the hazardous substances such as heavy metals contained in most of these discarded products are posing a serious risk to the environment and to human health.

But e-waste also presents an economic opportunity through the recycling and refurbishing of discarded electronic goods and the harvesting of the precious metals they contain.

A recent baseline study conducted by the Kenyan Information Communications and Technology Network, showed that Kenya generates 3,000 tons of electronic waste per year.

The study predicts that the quantity is expected to rise as demand for electronic goods increases.

Internationally, China, India and Pakistan receive much of the world's e-waste. Worldwide, e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year.

Manufacturers, dealers, assemblers, distributors and importers of electronic equipment in the country have been encouraged to establish procedures which include, for instance, collection centres and storage facilities - for the voluntary take back of their equipment.

“Producers of electrical and electronic equipment are encouraged to maximise the reuse potential of their goods through effective product design and consumer education about the environmental benefits of reuse and recycling.”

Entrepreneurs are already considering the establishment of recycling plants in Kenya.