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

scrap metal merchants.6.2.6 Recyclers6.2.6.1 Formal Recyclers▪ Universal Recycling Company: Universal Recycling operates from four locations. They process 1800tonnes of electronic scrap per annum, using sophisticated technology including mechanicalshredders, pulverisers, rotary magnets, granulators, shears and balers on “disassembly” lines.Ferrous materials are separated from non-ferrous, and then aluminium is extracted using an eddycurrent separator. Heavy and precious metals are shipped to a European refinery, steel is processedlocally and aluminium is exported to the Far East. Non-metallic fractions are landfilled. A reliablemarket for plastics has not yet been located.The following figures provided by Mr David Loewenthal of Universal Recycling illustrate the recoveryrate that the company is able to report with e-waste:• 40 - 50% ferrous content could be recovered – 60 tonnes per annum• 7 - 10% recoverable aluminium• 6 - 10% recoverable non magnetic stainless steel• 5% recoverable zinc▪Desco Electronic Recyclers: Desco deals exclusively with e-waste. They state that they are thelargest Printed Circuit Board (PC board) recycler in South Africa. Desco purchases PC boards fromscrap dealers and industry throughout South Africa and neighbouring African countries. It processesapproximately:• 400 tonnes of PC boards per annum.• 2000 tonnes of general electronic scrap, including telecommunication equipment, desktopcomputers, mainframes, medical and radio equipment etc per annum.All electronic scrap is manually stripped, a labour-intensive process that yields jobs for local people. PCboards are processed with specialised machinery designed and built by Desco. No incineration orchemicals are used in the process. Desco has been in operation in Gauteng since 1992. There is also abranch in Cape Town, which at present generates 100 tonnes of e-scrap per annum. Mr Costa Airaga ofDesco commented that CRTs (cathode ray tubes) still pose a major problem for e-waste in South Africa.Desco currently has 25 tonnes of CRTs in storage, and nowhere to send them for recycling.▪ Reclam: Managing Director and major shareholder of Reclam, the largest recycling organisation inSouth Africa, Mr David Cassell, was mentioned by several links and sources as an important personto speak to about the scrap industry in South Africa and, especially, Gauteng Province. He was veryreceptive and contributed valuable insights. Reclam only deals in the traditional markets of ferrousand non-ferrous scrap. They are not involved in e-waste processing themselves. However, they willcollect it as a service to their regular clientele, then broker it to Universal Recycling. All other smallerscrap merchants surveyed either do not accept e-waste at all, or, when they accept PC boards, theyresell them to either of the abovementioned companies.24/41