E-WASTE ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA - e-Waste. This guide

Recently, the changing of municipal boundaries has made it difficult to interpret historical census data,but city authorities have estimated the population at 3.8 million based on a survey made in 1998, with anestimated population growth rate of 3,4%. This will take the population to 5.7 million by the year 2010.Other large metropolitan areas have developed around Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria.4. E-waste CategoriesThere is no generally accepted definition of e-waste, hence a definition for the South African context willbe derived from already existing definitions listed in various statutes and guidelines from areas wherethe concept of e-waste recycling is already at a more advanced stage, such as the Swiss Ordinance,SWICO, SENS, the EU Directive and the WEEE Tracer definition.Electronic waste or e-waste, in this context, will refer to any old, end-of-life electronic appliances, whichhave been disposed of by their original users such as:▪▪▪▪▪▪▪Information technology (IT) equipment, e.g. PCs, servers, peripheral equipment (monitors,keyboards, printers, scanners);Office machines, e.g. fax and copy machines, typewriters, paper shredders, overhead projectors;Equipment used in the graphics industry, e.g. printing systems, lighting, development machines;Telecommunications equipment, e.g. cellular phones, telephone equipment, telephone exchangesystems;Consumer electronics, e.g. recording equipment, television sets, video projectors, cameras, radios,satellite receivers, loudspeakers;Accessories, consumables and packaging, e.g. CDs, disks, toner cartridges, headphones, cables,packaging andHousehold equipment.5. MethodsThe South African investigation was undertaken in the following stages:• A desktop study was undertaken to establish the current waste management framework in SouthAfrica with particular reference to e-waste, and also to establish major role players in the e-wastesystem.▪ Interviews were undertaken with all relevant role players in an attempt to establish the specific ratesof e-waste generation, the extent of recycling, and the disposal methods currently practiced.▪ Site visits to e-waste recycling facilities were undertaken to establish the methods and mechanismsused in the process.▪ Workshops were held in Cape Town and Gauteng to share information with all relevant role playerswhile building awareness through coverage in ReSource (the journal for the South African wastemanagement and recycling industries).Workshop proceedings, presentations, attendance registers and records of interviews undertaken forthese workshops are included as Appendix 2.8/41