1. What does the term WEEE mean? Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) or Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap describes discarded electrical or electronic devices that are obsolete or have reached end of life by virtue of not meeting the current users needs. 2. What specific items fall in this category? a. Large Household appliances, such as:- Large cooling appliances, Refrigerators, Freezers, Other large appliances used for refrigeration, conservation and storage of food, Washing machines, Clothes dryers, Dish washing machines, Cooking, Electric stoves, Electric hot plates, Microwaves, Other large appliances used for cooking and other processing of food, Electric heating appliances, Electric radiators, Other large appliances for heating rooms, beds, seating furniture, Electric fans, Air conditioner appliances, Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment. b. Small household appliances, such as:- Vacuum cleaners, Carpet sweepers, Other appliances for cleaning, Appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles, Irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing, Toasters, Fryers, Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, Electric knives, Appliances for hair-cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances, Clocks, watches and equipment for the purpose of measuring, indicating or registering time, Scales. c. IT and telecommunications equipment, such as:- Centralised data processing, Mainframes, Mini computers, Printer units, Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included) Laptop computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), Notebook computers, Notepad computers, Printers, Copying equipment Electrical and electronic typewriters, Pocket and desk calculators, Other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or communication of information by electronic means, User terminals and systems, Facsimile, Telex, Telephones, Pay telephones Cordless telephones, Cellular telephones, Answering systems, Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by telecommunications d. Consumer equipment, such as:- Radio sets, Television sets, Video recorders, Hi-fi recorders, Audio amplifiers, Musical instruments, Other products or equipment for the purpose of recording or reproducing sound or images, including signals or other technologies for the distribution of sound and image than by telecommunications e. Lighting equipment, such as:- Luminaires for fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaires in households, Straight fluorescent lamps, Compact fluorescent lamps, High intensity discharge lamps, including pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps, Low pressure sodium lamps, Other lighting or equipment for the purpose of spreading or controlling light with the exception of filament bulbs f. Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools), such as- Drills, Saws, Sewing machines, Equipment for turning, milling, sanding, grinding, sawing, cutting, shearing, drilling, making holes, punching, folding, bending or similar processing of wood, metal and other materials, Tools for riveting, nailing or screwing or removing rivets, nails, screws or similar uses, Tools for welding, soldering or similar use, Equipment for spraying, spreading, dispersing or other treatment of liquid or gaseous substances by other means, Tools for mowing or other gardening activities g. Toys, leisure and sports equipment, such as:- Electric trains or car racing sets, Hand-held video game consoles, Video games, Computers for biking, diving, running and rowing, Sports equipment with electric or electronic components, Coin slot machines. h. Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products), such as:- Radiotherapy equipment, Cardiology, Dialysis, Pulmonary ventilators, Nuclear medicine, Laboratory equipment for in-vitro diagnosis, Analysers Freezers, Fertilization tests, Other appliances for detecting, preventing, monitoring, treating, alleviating illness, injury or disability, i. Monitoring and control instruments, such as:- Smoke detectors, Heating regulators, Thermostats, Measuring, weighing or adjusting appliances for household or laboratory equipment, Other monitoring and control instruments used in industrial installations (for example, in control panels) j. Automatic dispensers, such as:- Automatic dispensers for hot drinks, Automatic dispensers for hot or cold bottles or cans, Automatic dispensers for solid products, Automatic dispensers for money, all appliances which deliver all kind of products automatically. Top of Page 3. What are beneficial components/materials in e-waste? Some of the materials we get from ewaste include metal, copper, aluminium, plastic, gold, palladium, silver, lead, nickel and tin. 4. Why do you recycle? Dumpsites are filling up. These products tend to have shorter useful life spans than other kinds of equipment, so they are discarded sooner. They also may contain substances which could pollute water supplies (phosphorous in CRTs, lead solder in circuit boards, certain plastics with flame retardants, and other kinds of chemicals). Besides pollutants, many of these products contain useful materials that conserve energy by recycling instead of obtaining them from their raw sources. For example, a ton of electronic circuit boards contain about 1 oz of pure gold! Many plastics can be remoulded into new products, or used as fuel. 5. What are hazardous materials in e-waste? Lead, Mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, pvc, brominated flame retardants, barium and berrylium. 6. What effect on human health and the environment do these hazardous materials have if not disposed correctly? Air pollution by various toxic gases including from incineration Soil pollution by solid waste materials Ground-water pollution from leaching toxins in landfills and garbage dumps Damage to flora and fauna, both wild and domesticated Source of e-waste Constituent Health effects Solder in printed circuit boards, glass panels and gaskets in computer monitors Lead (PB) Damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, circulatory System and renal system. Affects brain/cognitive development t of the young. Chip resistors and semiconductors Cadmium (CD) Irreversible damage to human health. Accumulates in kidney and liver. Neural damage. Has teratogenic effects – foetal deformities and spontaneous miscarriages Relays and switches, printed circuit boards Mercury (Hg) Damage to the brain. Respiratory and skin disorders due to accumulation in food species. Corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel plates, decorator or hardener for Steel housings Hexavalent chromium (Cr) VI Asthmatic bronchitis. DNA damage. Cabling and computer housing Plastics Including PVC Burning produces dioxin. It Causes: reproductive and developmental problems; immune system damage; interference with regulator hormones Plastic housing of electronic equipments and circuit boards. Brominated flame retardants (BFR) Disrupts endocrine system functions Front panel of CRTs Barium (Ba) Short term exposure causes: muscle weakness; damage to heart, liver and spleen. Motherboard Beryllium (Be) Carcinogenic (lung cancer) Inhalation of fumes and dust causes chronic beryllium Disease or beryllicosis. Skin diseases such as warts. 7. What competencies does the WEEE Centre have in handling e-waste? The WEEE Centre has good treatment capacity for most types of WEEE. We have the largest facility in the East and Central Africa Region that handles all types of ewaste. We have growing capacity for the treatment of TVs and monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Ewaste has four problematic fractions which we comfortably handle, the CRT monitors, cables, circuit boards and the hard plastics. The only fractions that we are not handling currently are fridges, fluorescent and energy saving bulb. We are in the process of sourcing for a recycler who is capable of handling them. Top of Page 8. Are you licensed by the authorities to recycle e-waste? Yes we are licensed by the relevant Government Departments, ie. National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), City Council of Nairobi (CCN) and Department of Occupational Health and Safety in the Ministry of Labour. 9. To whom does the locally recyclable material go to? Locally recyclable materials, ie metals, aluminium, copper and hard and soft plastics go to local smelters who make by - products locally. 10. What happens to the parts of e-waste that cannot be handled locally? For any fraction that cannot be locally handled, we have partnerships with international recyclers in Europe who have the capability to handle the difficult elements and are in compliance with International and the countries regulations and laws governing ewaste disposal. 11. Can members of the public bring their entire e-waste to the centre? Any generator of ewaste can bring in their ewaste to us. 12. Do you provide any incentives for e-waste brought? Ewaste management is a service business such as garbage collection and we have costs to meet in our handling processes hence at this time we do not have incentives mapped out. 13. What are the safety measures that have been undertaken to ensure the safety of staff and the environment? All staff and workers are regularly trained on safety and health and are provided with the necessary and appropriate personal protective equipment. 14. If I wish to become a collection agent or to start my own recycling business can you help me? We work with partners and would welcome anyone who would like to join and partner with us. 15. Where are you situated and how can I reach your centre? Our offices are situated at Silverstone go down, No 4, Airport North Road off Mombasa road opposite City Cabanas, In Embakasi, Nairobi, Kenya. Top of Page 16. Can I visit your facility and if so when? Yes, one can visit our facility, however one needs to contact us in order to fit the visit within the facility schedule. 17. Who are the partners of the WEEE centre? We have both local and international partners. These include but not limited to; Safaricom foundation National Environmental Trust Fund Digital Pipeline Africa Kenya Airways Computers For Schools Kenya Close The Gap – Belgium Computer Aid International Umicore – Belgium National Environmental Management Authority Flection – Netherland United States International University, World PC - Belgium Masinde Muliro university of Science and Technolog Digital Pipeline - UK 18. Are there other organizations who are doing the same work that you are in Kenya? Yes we have other players in the industry however we have expertise having been in the industry from 2006 and in possession of equipment that can handle most fractions of e-waste other than circuit boards. 19. Do you give opportunities at the WEEE centre for internships or industrial attachment? Internship is the capstone experience that provides students with hands-on, real-world experience in a work setting. Ideally, internship will enable interns to: (a) Integrate and use their knowledge and skills from the classroom, (b) Discover where further competence is needed, (c) Take steps to gain that competence under educational supervision, and (d) Become better acquainted with the types of work settings in which such competence can be applied. During the Internship the students are prepared for a professional career related to the course of study, therefore we always ensure that interns get “hands-on” experiences similar to the experiences of paid professionals at the Organization. Interns are expected to exhibit professionalism at all times during the internship experience. This professionalism should be evident in their interactions with clients, co-workers, and supervisors. Interns are expected to apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Top of Page 20. I need to dispose of old electricalor electronic equipment. What can I do with it? If the electrical or electronic equipment are still working you should consider selling or donating them. Equipment that can be repaired or refurbished can be given to us that specialise in refurbishing and reusing. We give to learning institutions through Computers for Schools Kenya, a non for profit organisation. When buying a replacement product it is worth asking the supplier whether they will take away the old equipment when delivering the new equipment. You could also ask the equipment manufacturer if they have any special arrangements for recovering WEEE. Some manufacturers have recovery and recycling information on their websites. For businesses: If disposal is the only option, you must ensure that you comply with existing waste management regulation and e-waste guidelines. E-Waste should only be transferred to a registered waste carrier, recycler or other authorised person. Some types of WEEE are now classified as hazardous waste and should normally be kept separate from non-hazardous waste. 21. How will I be kept informed of changes to or implementation of new environmental legislations, regulations and policies? You are responsible for monitoring and keeping track of changing environment regulations and guidelines that directly affect you. With respect to legislation in Kenya go to klr The WEEE Centre, Nairobi, Kenya will comply with all national and international laws and regulations.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:33:49 +0000
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