South Africans encouraged to recycle e-waste

CAPE TOWN, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) on Monday called on all citizens to recycle their e-waste, as the world marked International E-Waste Day.
“Today, Oct. 14, marks International E-Waste Day for South Africa and the rest of the world. The celebration of the day is aimed at raising awareness and highlighting the importance of responsible and sound management of electrical and electronic waste,” the DFFE said in a statement.
This year’s International E-Waste Day was taking place under the theme “Join the E-Waste Hunt — Retrieve, Recycle and Revive,” said the environmental department, which “encourages the public to recycle their e-waste and declutter their homes, hunt down forgotten electronics and take out unused electronics that have gained new life to their nearest e-Waste collection points.”
According to the latest United Nations Global E-Waste Monitor, 62 million tonnes of e-waste was generated globally in 2022. This e-waste stream is growing five times faster than the formal recycling collection rates.
The DFFE also highlighted South Africa’s efforts in managing electrical and electronic waste.
According to the department, the country has been tackling e-waste, including enforcing legislative and regulatory measures to contribute to pollution reduction, resource conservation and energy savings.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations were brought into law in South Africa in 2021, said the DFFE, noting the policy is aimed at improving the producers’ responsibility and accountability for the post-consumer stage of their products’ life cycle.
“To date almost 68,000 tonnes of e-waste has been diverted from landfill and recycled through EPR schemes. The retailers are providing collection points across the country enabling the recycling of e-waste,” it said. “The department is strengthening enforcement action against electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) producers that are not complying, including free riders. Thus far, 37 Pre-Compliance Notices have been issued to EEE producers. All producers of EEE are required to register with the department to ensure that they are compliant.” ■