MINISTRY OF TOURISM, ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE

E-WASTE ASSESSMENT KINGDOM OF LESOTHO

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT

The Africa Institute for the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other waste

ASSESSMENT OF E-WASTE REPORT KINGDOM OF LESOTHO

Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture

Africa Institute for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other Waste

PROJECT DETAILS

PROJECT TITLE:

E-WASTE ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF MODEL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR E-WASTE MANAGEMENT RFP NO. MTEC/ENV-O1/11-12

REFERENCE NO.:

CLIENT:

MINISTRY OF TOURISM, ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO

PROJECT AREA:

THIS DOCUMENT:

E-WASTE ASSESSMENT REPORT

REPORT STATUS:

FINAL REPORT

AUTHORS:

ENVIROXLLENCE (PTY) LTD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This document was prepared by Enviroxllence (Pty) Ltd for the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture (MTEC) Lesotho. The project was funded by the Government of Denmark through the Africa Institute for Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and Other Wastes. Many individuals and organizations contributed generously of their time and expertise in the development of this document. Data in this report was mainly collected as secondary data from different producers, importers, exporters, re-furbishers who use it as administrative data and also drawn mostly from households through household-based surveys, different line ministries as well as other private organizations and individuals. The authors wish to confer sincere gratitude to all line ministries and stakeholders for their great contribution in the production of this report. Particular thanks are owed to officials at the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture (MTEC) for their guidance and direction, in particular, Mr. Thabo Tsasanyane and his team. There may be other institutions and organizations not cited above which have been very instrumental to the production of this report; their contribution is very much appreciated and recognized.

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TABLE OF CONTENT
PROJECT DETAILS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DEFINITIONS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Background 1.2.1 Energy Production in Lesotho 1.2.2 Production and Consumption of Electricity and EEE Use 1.2.3 Definition of E-Waste 1.2.4 E-Waste Categories 1.2.5 Problem Statement 1.2.5.1 High Obsolescence Rate of EEE 1.2.5.2 Mobile Phone Upgrades 1.2.5.3 Hardware Failures 1.2.5.4 Digital TV Conversion from Analogue 1.2.5.5 Cheaper Printers 1.3 Study Area 1.3.1 Type of Electricity Consumers 1.3.2 Main Source of Energy for Heating in Districts 1.4 Project Objective 1.5 Project Outcome CHAPTER 2: SCOPE OF WORK 2.1 Scope of Work 2.1.1 The Development of E-Waste Inventory 2.1.2 Establishing Legal Framework for E-Waste Management 2.2 Types of EEE under Investigation 2.4 Expected Deliverables CHAPTER 3: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 3.1 Approach and Methodology 3.2 Task 1: Basic Assessment of EEE 3.2.1 Product Scope: Electrical and Electronic Equipment Targeted 3.2.2 Literature Review and Statistical Data 3.2.3 Collecting Data by Conducting Surveys 3.2.4 The Hierarchy for Handling E-Waste 3.2.5 Sampling Plan

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i ii iii v vi viii ix xiii 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 9 11 12 12 14 14 14 14 15 15 16 16 16 17 18 19 19 19
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3.2.6 3.2.7 3.2.8 3.3 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.4 3.4.1 3.4.2 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.8.1 3.8.2 3.8.3 3.9 3.10 3.11

Sample Size Field Studies Meetings Public Awareness and Participation Stakeholder Consultation Meetings and Workshop Education and Awareness Programmes Mass Flow Assessment Level of repair/refurbishment necessary for reuse or recycling Level of dismantling and recycling Disposal method for residues for dismantling and recycling operation Environmental problems due to reuse/recycling and disposal of used EEE Poverty Reduction through Public Private Partnerships [PPP] Estimate the amount of used and waste EEE generated Amount of brand new EEE domestically produced/shipped and imported/exported Amount of used EEE discarded at present and in the future Generation and management of residues generated from repair/reassembling, dismantling, and processing Identify the status of implementation of measures for ESM of used and WEEE Massflow Assessment Limitations

21 21 21 23 23 24 25 25 25 25 25 26 26 26 27 27 27 27 28 30 30 30 30 31 32 33 36 37 43 45 46 50 50 54 55 56 56 56 60 64 66
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CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS OF SURVEY RESULTS 4.1 E-Waste Components and Management 4.1.1 Sample size 4.1.2 Field studies 4.2 E-Waste Generation 4.2.1 Households 4.2.2 Manufacturers and Produces 4.2.3 Import and Export of EEE 4.2.4 Domestic shipment per year 4.3 E-Waste Collection and Storage 4.4 Repair and Refurbishment of EEE 4.5 E-Waste Dismantling Processes 4.6 Recycling of E-Waste 4.7 E-Waste Disposal 4.8 Environmental Problems and Impacts 4.8.1 Potential Hazard in E-Waste 4.8.2 Environmental problems due to reuse or recycling of used EEE 4.8.3 Identified environmental problems at Lithabeng Scrap Yard (LMSD) 4.8.4 Labour and Health Impacts 4.9 Description of a repair process 4.10 Actions taken by manufacturers CHAPTER 5: MODEL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.4.1 5.4.2 5.4.3 5.4.4 5.4.5 5.4.6 5.5 5.6 5.7

Developing a Model Regulation for E-Waste Management Motivation for the Regulations Goals and Objectives E-Waste Management Considerations E-Waste Generation E-Waste Handling and Dismantling E-Waste Recycling and Recovery Product Repair and Refurbishment Ban Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Landfills Restrict Transboundary Movement of E-Waste and Border Control Compliance and Enforcement Planning and Finance Considerations Recommendations

66 67 69 69 70 71 71 72 72 73 75 75 76 77 77 79 79 79 80 81 81 81 82 84 84 90 92 97

CHAPTER 6: PLANNING AND MOBILISATION OF FUNDS 6.1 An Assessment of the capacity to deliver a sustainable E-Waste management 6.2 Capacity Building Education and Awareness Plan 6.3 Mobilisation of Funds for E-Waste Management Programmes 6.3.1 Resource Provision, Funding and Performance Management 6.3.2 Defining Potential Partnership CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION 7.1 Conclusion on Survey Results 7.2 Planning and Finance Considerations 7.3 Summary of Major Survey Findings CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS 8.1 Recommendations References Annexure A: Case Study: SchoolNet-Camara Digital Hub Annexure B: Questionnaires TABLES Table Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Table 7 Table 8 Table 9 Description Proposed Geographic Spread- Districts Number of Households by District and Source of Energy for Lighting in 2006 Data Collected, Showing Data Source and Collection Method Number of population in each District in 2006 Five Regions that were sampled for each source of E-Waste Brand New EEE domestically produced Quantities of brand new imported and exported goods per month Companies involved in Import and Export of Used EEE (Distributors) Quantities of new and used EEE domestically produced, imported and

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9 11 17 20 22 34 34 36 38 v

Table 10 Table 11 Table 12 Table 13 Table 14: Table 15 Table 16 Table 17 Table 18 Table 19 Table 20 Table 21 Table 22 Table 23 Table 24 FIGURES

exported per year Domestic quantities of used EEE exported (re-exports) per month Companies involved in collection of used EEE Companies involved in repair or reassembling of used EEE Dismantling process Estimated mass of used EEE discarded at present and in the future in (kg) per year Quantities of used EEE disposed, stored, repossessed and reassembled/dismantled/repaired per district Total mass of used EEE disposed, stored, repossessed and reassembled /dismantled/ Repaired per Year Disposal method for residues from dismantling Average Mass of EEE handled by a Repair Shop Management of residues generated from repairing Types of residues and their way of disposal Hazardous substances, their occurrence and their impacts Basel Convention characterization of E-Waste Repair process necessary for reuse or recycling EE Categories

40 44 45 46 47 49 49 50 52 52 53 58 61 62 65

Figure Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 14 Figure 15

Description Page Map of Lesotho showing district borders 10 Project phases and associated activities. 16 Stages of Engagement for consultation 23 Percentage share of household waste collection and disposal practices in 31 Lesotho Current EEE Market Supply Methods 33 Country map showing E-Waste hotspots 41 Country map showing E-Waste hotspots 42 Country map showing E-Waste distribution 43 Quantities per type of EEE commonly used locally 47 Flow Chart for EEE 51 MTEC Organogram 78

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LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACs BC Bts BOS CPU CRTs EEE EMPA EPR ESM e-WASA E-Waste GDP GNP HDTV ICT kg LCD LEA LEC LED MPs MTEC N/A PCB PCs Rfs SME SOE SPM SWM TVs UNEP UNIDO WEEE Air Conditioners Basel Convention Batteries Bureau of Statistics Central Processing Unit Cathode Ray Tubes Electrical and Electronic Equipment Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research Extended Producer Responsibility Environmental Sound Management e-Waste Association of South Africa Electrical and electronic waste Gross Domestic Product Gross National Product High Density Television Information and Communication Technology kilogram Liquid Crystal Display Environmental Act, 2008 (Act 10 of 2008) Lesotho Electricity Company Light Emitting Diode Mobile Phones Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture Not Available Polychlorinated Biphenyls Personal Computer Refrigerators Small and Medium Enterprises State Owned Enterprise Solid Particulate Matter Solid Waste Management Television Set United Nations Environment Program United Nations Industrial Development Organization Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment or E-Waste

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The primary objective of this project is to assess the electrical and electronic equipment ewaste value chain and to develop guidance tools for national and local governments and other stakeholders to ensure that e-waste is managed in a way that protects public health and the environment while conserving valuable resources. The information collected and analysed through completion of this project will serve to inform the MTEC, local government staff, and the general public on how to properly manage e-waste. To date, many electronics dismantlers and scrap metal dealers have principally focused on large sources of electronic scrap and used equipment that can be obtained from manufacturing, government, and commercial sources. Recycling of business electronic waste yields better financial rewards compared to recycling residential e-waste due to amounts and variety of electronic equipment collected. The cost of collection and transport of used PCs from commercial sources is significantly less than for the recovery of similar equipment from the residential sector. While salvage value from computer components and metals recovery may offset some collection and recycling costs, residential e-waste collection programs will probably not result in any net value for the industry program sponsor. E-waste recycling costs cannot be absorbed in current refuse, recycling, and household hazardous waste budgets. Rural areas have an added disadvantage due to lack of economies of scale, long transportation distances, and vulnerability to illegal dumping. Local governments need financial assistance with the costs of e-waste management especially in those areas. The survey to assess the level of e-waste generated, its management and the capacity of MTEC to put in place measures to protect human health and the environment was undertaken for a duration of 3 months. The primary objective of the survey was to determine the various target audience needs concerning management of e-waste. The survey asked respondents to indicate their level of involvement in the e-waste industry
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sector, their concerns about issues including regulations, illegal dumping, collection points, storage, transportation, education, procurement, end markets, environmental safeguards, and finance. Of these issues, the top concerns were finance, end markets; while government was concerned with environmental safeguards. Households top concerns centred around provision of proper e-waste disposal facilities and recyclers and that dumpsites should be within reach to avoid illegal dumping, they also believed public awareness campaigns could be useful as most claim to not know about the environmental and health impacts of e-waste. Education institutions were concerned about the lack of capacity of government to implement and enforce policies, they also recommendrd a special and up to standard landfill that is specially designed for e-waste disposal. Manufacturers, dismantlers, recyclers at most wanted disposal and recycling facilities to be introduced in the country to minimize transportation expenses to other countries, they also recommended incentives from the government to encourage them to manage e-waste in an environmentally sound manner. At the disposal landfill site the operaters take the mandate from the Maseru City Council and are contracted; they believe if they could be given full authority over the site they may improve e-waste management at the site unlike now that they dispose it with the rest of the waste that gets to them. The survey was directed to local government agencies responsible for implementing ewaste management programs and for environmental compliance programs including local enforcement agencies, permitting and inspection, presently the government manages ewaste like the rest of the general solid waste. There is no special attention given to e-waste, all solid waste except chemicals are taken to dumpsites for disposal. In Maseru, there is a dumpsite at Tsosane where all solid waste is taken, throughout the districts there are district dumpsites where all solid waste generated in town is burned; all the dumpsites are far and require transport. The only option left for households and other waste generators is illegal dumping of their waste. Household hazardous waste was not
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sorted at source of generation; therefore this toxic waste stream was disposed with general waste. There were no hazardous household management programs running at local level in Lesotho. Generally, e-waste program implementers wanted technical assistance, while local and national government responsible for compliance agencies more frequently requested training and advisories. Therefore best management practices guidance materials would be required for all stakeholders. All local government groups placed priority on assistance with public education. Many respondents believed that a country-wide education program would be advantageous. Local governments want assistance in development of public education materials and funds to implement education programs. The best available information on proper management of e-waste was collected through research of Basel Convention resources, as well as those of nationally recognized organizations involved in e-waste management. References used in the preparation of the best management practices are included in the bibliography. A step-by-step guide for ewaste management should be designed to assist local government in the considerations and decisions needed for program planning and implementation, with emphasis on environmentally sound management and due diligence to ensure that all materials and ewaste components are properly recycled. The best management practices for e-waste are changing on a continual basis and will evolve over time as information and technology advancement becomes available. Local governments need financial assistance with the costs of e-waste management. Local municipalities may be reluctant to increase fees for waste disposal to residents. At the moment, only suburban (CBD) households are offered waste collection services and pay fees for waste removal. Other areas (a majority of Lesotho households) are not served and they are responsible for their waste removal; the responsible authorities blame lack of town planning for hindering services provision to other areas.

In summary, major finding of this report are the following: there is generally lack of knowledge about e-waste in Lesotho; most respondents do not know about the environmental and health impacts of e-waste; e-waste is disposed together with other waste and there is a lot of illegal dumping of e-waste throughout the country; most handlers e.g. refurbishers and dismantlers do not wear protective clothing when handling e-waste; there is no proper record of e-waste from most stakeholders; there are no EEE recyclers in the country and there are only a few collectors throughout the country; most respondents think they are getting rid of e-waste by burning it or throwing it into dongas with the hope that they also control erosion; most users prefer new EEE to used EEE hence their reluctance to repair them or buy second-hand goods, they claim it is cheaper and easy to buy new equipment than to maintain old ones; and management status of waste electrical and electronic equipment not considered as hazardous waste by e-waste handlers is presently nonexistent . Government and nongovernmental organizations should work together to improve local recycling capabilities in new markets and identify potential vendors, assess whether they meet all standards and policies, and require them to put plans in place to address any gaps in their approach.

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DEFINITIONS In this document, the following definitions apply, unless the content indicates otherwise: collection means the act of collecting e-waste at the point of generation or storage by an approved service provider or the municipality; extended producer responsibility measures means measures that extend a persons financial or physical responsibility for a product to the post-consumer stage of the product, and includes e-waste means electrical and electronic waste generated from used and non-functional electrical and electronic products, in storage, dismantling, recycling and recovery activities hazardous waste means any waste that contains organic or inorganic elements or compounds that may, owing to the inherent physical, chemical or toxicological characteristics of that waste have a detrimental impact on health and the environment. household means a collection of individuals staying on a distinctive property and/or premises regardless of their relationships to one another standard for the purpose of this documents a list of principles, procedures, processes and benchmarks established for ensuring that domestic waste collection services is fit for its intended purpose and performed in a manner it was intended for. The Standards further define quality and establish safety criteria.

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1

Introduction Enviroxllence (Pty) Ltd has been contracted by Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture [MTEC] to carry out consultancy services for assessment of used electronic and electrical equipments [EEE] and develop regulatory regimes and guidelines for used and waste EEE management for Lesotho. The project had organizational support of Enviroxllence, and Redlex Consulting companies. Following the signing of the Contract, MTEC had mandated Enviroxllence with the task to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the extent at which e-waste was generated, collected, imported/exported, repaired, sold, dismantled, recycled and disposed of in Lesotho. Furthermore, the development of regulatory framework in response to the findings was developed. This process precede efforts to ensure that all households, institutions and facilities in Lesotho address electronic waste management in a more uniform, strategic and standardized business approach. It is our understanding as Enviroxllence (Pty) Ltd that our brief was to undertake an assessment of how much e-waste is generated, identify the source of generation, gather all other data relating to mass flow along the value chain, analyse collected data for decisionmaking, including the development of regulatory regime for the management of e-waste.

1.2

Background The Kingdom of Lesotho, like many developing African countries has experienced an increase in the use of electronic and electrical equipment and appliances for simple daily use and for special needs, for example, use of computers at the workplace, an electric toothbrush; fridges or toaster in households; x-rays and heart rate monitors as part of lifesaving equipment in hospitals. When such equipment and appliances reach their end-of life, they are often discarded and thrown in rubbish bins destined for disposal at landfill sites. A fraction of these can be

repaired to original functionality and reused while others are stripped of their parts for recovery of precious metals such as gold, and other uses. The use of electrical and electronic equipment is still low in Africa compared to other regions of the world, but it is growing at a staggering pace. The penetration rate of personal computers in Africa, for example, has increased in the last decade, while the number of mobile phone subscribers has increased at an astronomical pace. Of great concern is a general lack of knowledge of what needs to be done with EEE that has reached its end of life. Waste generated from electronic and electrical equipment defined as e-waste is a priority waste stream addressed by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. Energy Production: The Convention entered into force on the 5th of May 1992, Lesotho acceded on the 10th of May 2000. This project was initiated as a result of Lesothos participation as a party to the Convention; being obligated to protect human health and the environment by putting in place measures to reduce harmful and toxic materials and waste. 1.2.1 Energy Production in Lesotho a) Energy Production i. Electricity Generated in Lesotho between 2009 and 2010 was 505,297MWh and 500,580MWh respectively. b) Energy Consumption in 2010: i. ii. iii. iv. Commercial Consumption was 96,538 Megawatt hour (MWh) Industrial consumption was 202,087 Megawatt hour (MWh) Pre-paid Domestic Consumption was 174,237 Megawatt hour (MWh) Pre-Paid General Purpose was 85,662 Megawatt hour (MWh)

c) Electricity sold in the country:

Electricity sold from LHDA to LEC has been increasing, and the highest increase was observed from 2004 to 2005 (369,736MWh to 435,246MWh) with 18 percent. This increase has enabled an environment for increased use of electrical and electronic equipment in the country (Lesotho Electricity Company). 1.2.2 Production and Consumption of Electricity and EEE use

The traditional and conventional energy sources are used in the country. The most prevalent traditional energy source is biomass in all its forms while the prevalent conventional energy sources include gas and paraffin for households, diesel and petrol for transport. Electricity is mainly used in the households for cooking, lighting, and heating, and operating home appliances; while in the industries it is used for space heating and powering heavy machinery in factories and other sectors of the economy. Petroleum products are mainly used in the transport sector and households. Electricity is produced as primary as well as secondary electricity. Primary electricity is obtained from natural sources such as hydro, wind and solar. The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA), the sole producer of electricity in the country, sells to the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) which distributes electricity to the consumers. LHDA also generates revenue by exporting some electricity to RSA when there is excess. There is a direct correlation between increasing energy production and increase in e-waste generation. Electricity generation in Lesotho has created an enabling environment for industry to grow its facilities and processes; while households also acquire electrical and electronic equipment for daily use and specialised purposes. As electrical and electronic equipment reach their end of life, they become e-waste. The amount of e-waste generated, its geographical spread and the potential health risks is unknown because no such data is collected; therefore this assignment will assess amounts of e-waste generated per annum, including the source of generation, and all mass flow data along the value chain including recyclable fraction. Furthermore, such data may be obtained from industry sector which is often reluctant to share such information as it is classified as confidential business information.
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As a developing nation, Lesotho has to establish an integrated e-waste management strategy and a robust legal framework for sound management of e-waste in order to protect its citizens and the environment without stifling economic growth and innovation. 1.2.3 Definition of e-waste Environmental Act, 2008 (Act 10 of 2008) defines waste as any substance that may be prescribed as waste or any matter, emitted or deposited in the environment in such a volume, composition or manner as to cause an alteration of the environment. The definition of e-waste has not been defined in Lesotho; hence a definition for Lesotho could be derived from already existing definitions listed in various statutes and guidelines from areas where the concept of e-waste recycling is already at a more advanced stage, such as the Swiss Ordinance, SWICO, the European Union Directive and the WEEE Tracer definition. This report may assist government and its stakeholders to identify and coin a definition that describes e-waste in the context of the country. As with general waste, with increased population and industrial development, there is concomitant increase in e-waste generation which should be systematically managed in order to conserve resources and protect the environment. However, expanding economies, increased production of goods together with an expanding population are seen as the main drivers for waste generation. Solid waste disposal is a major problem in Lesotho, with indiscriminate dumping roadsides, near markets and other public places [BOS, 2011]. E-waste constitutes less than 1% of general solid waste in African countries. It is generated by a general category of electronic and electrical products including broken or obsolete televisions, computer monitors, central processing units (CPU), cordless and cell phones, cash registers, videocassette recorders, cell phones, copiers and printers, stereos and speakers, microwaves, x-ray machines, microwaves, fridges, air conditioners,

nickel/cadmium batteries and some scientific equipment. These products may contain toxic materials such as lead, barium, mercury, and cadmium that require proper management as well as valuable resources that should be recovered, such as gold.

E-waste is known to contain hazardous components that may have a detrimental effect on waste handlers, for example, mercury, cadmium, and other heavy materials, endocrine disrupting substances such as brominated flame retardants that have a negative impact on health and the environment. Therefore e-waste, once generated, has to be handled with care in order to prevent such effects. Hazardous substances are released during various dismantling and disposal operations and are particularly severe during the burning of cables to liberate copper and of plastics to reduce waste volumes. Open burning of cables is a major source of dioxin emissions, a persistent organic pollutant that travels over long-distances and bio-accumulates in organisms up through the global food chain. 1.2.4 E-Waste Categories Any old, end-of-life electronic appliances, which have been disposed of by their original users such as: Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment, e.g. PCs, servers, accessories and peripheral equipment (monitors, keyboards, printers, scanners, speakers, earphones); Office machines, e.g. fax and copy machines, typewriters, paper shredders, overhead projectors; Equipment used in the graphics industry, e.g. printing systems, lighting, and development machines; Telecommunications equipment, e.g. cellular phones, telephone equipment, telephone exchange systems; 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; and Household equipment, e.g. fridges, microwaves, washing machines, stoves.

It is recognised that this list can never be exhaustive as new gadgets, appliances and accessories are developed because of new innovative technology inputs to make life easier. 1.2.5 Problem Statement The list of electronic products has grown astronomically in the last decade due to technological advancement and scientific innovation; therefore electronic and electrical equipment waste stream will need special management and a robust regulatory framework. Although electronic wastes comprise less than 1 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, this rapidly growing segment of waste is one of substantial concern because of its hazardous and toxic materials content. Rapid technological advances and lower product prices for more powerful machines are contributing to shorter product life spans and frequent replacement. Electronic equipment quickly loses its resale value. Yet, consumers are more likely to store their old electronics, believing that they still has value, by stockpiling products in a garage, closet, warehouses or storage space. As Lesotho grows and diversifies its economy, it is influenced by rapid technological advances and high penetration of electronic and electrical products and depends on its benefits to improve the quality of life of her citizens. Current EEE designs and marketing strategies by manufacturers exacerbate e-waste generation and accumulation at a rapid rate with no concomitant strategy to remove e-waste from the environment. Reasons for high generation rates are discussed below: 1.2.5.1 High Obsolescence Rate of EEE Consumers need electronic and electrical equipment for household use, for growing their business, for ease of communication, for saving lives at hospitals and for other uses; hence the volumes of EEE bought has grown at a rapid rate. New technology is constantly emerging making old equipment and appliances no longer desirable even if they are still working. Furthermore, some electronic products are designed for the dump because they simply do not last as long as they should; they are cheaper to replace than to repair. For those EEE that can be fixed, there are few places where they can be taken in and repaired.

The general trend is to buying new electronics and electrical equipment and tossing out the old ones. 1.2.5.2 Mobile Phone Upgrades Consumers sign contracts with mobile phone service providers that typically allow free or very inexpensive upgrades every two years. Mobile phone companies get consumers to stop using working cell phones simply because there is something newer in the market, possibly with more interesting features. Many households have storage space filled with discarded phones, MP3 players, a tangle of earphones, battery chargers and cords. 1.2.5.3 Hardware Failures Most laptops and desktops sold in the market last for up to three years, after which there is constant hardware malfunction and crashes that leaves consumers frustrated, making them to abandon them and buy new ones. 1.2.5.4 Digital TV Conversion from Analogue The advent of new technology of broadcasters switching from analogue to digital TV has seen many consumers getting rid of good working TV to acquire high density TV (HDTV) technology. Broadcasters and manufacturers alike emphasise the need to change to digital technology for better viewing. .In the period 2010-2011, the Lesotho National Broadcasting Services discarded thousands of EEE when changing from analogue to digital. With energy-saving light emitting diode (LED), there is a gradual shift to replace LCD in TVs to LED. 1.2.5.5 Cheaper Printers Manufactirung companies put in the market cheaper consumer-grade printers with various interesting features such as faxing, photo printing, and scanning. They also have specials that get consumers an additional printer for free when they buy computers or other electronic gadgets. Printer manufacturers also get consumers hooked on these cheap printers while making more money from selling toners and ink cartridges.

These printers often malfunction and do not last long; if broken it is difficult for consumers to find someone who could fix them other than the manufacturer. Besides, it would be cheaper to just buy a new one. There is a lack of reliable data on the generation, collection, import and exports, and management of e-waste, a global trend that has already been identified. Hence Lesotho is in the process of initiating surveys to better define and understand the problem, to further identify toxic constituents in end-of-life electronic and electronic equipment and impacts caused, to develop environmentally sound management strategies and legal instruments for enforcement and compliance. Depending on the baseline data indicating the scale of e-waste problem, pilot projects would be developed which may benefit the country in identifying the sources of e-waste, case studies for successful collections, and building infrastructure and technical expertise for downstream industries, such as refurbishing and recycling. The baseline data should identify, in particular, types of EEE that have the greatest risk of impacting on human health and the environment. Furthermore, equipment with the greatest economic potential for refurbishment and recycling should also be identified as these may be the backbone of a successful refurbishing and recycling industry. Legal instruments have to be developed in order to protect human health and the environment from harmful effects of e-waste dismantling process that leads to exposure to harmful chemicals, occupational health; land-based pollution and emissions, safe and proper treatment and disposal of final residues. In this regard, government should develop standards, guidelines, procedures and regulatory mechanism for the e-waste sector. 1.3 Study Area The Kingdom of Lesotho is a landlocked sovereign state completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa, divided into ten [10] administrative districts as tabled below. The land cover area for the country is 30,355km2. Samples were taken from areas depicted in bold type.

Table 1: Proposed Geographic Spread- Districts NORTH Berea Leribe Butha-Buthe Mokhotlong CENTRAL Maseru* Thaba-Tseka SOUTH Mafeteng Mohales Hoek Quthing Qachas Nek

Although majority of households are still dependent on biomass for energy sources; Lesotho generates its own electricity through the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) making it easier to use electrical and electronic equipment. The population is served by Municipal Waste Management Services which provides with regular municipality waste removal services. In 1999 the population served by municipal waste collection was 270,071 and 382,340 in 2004. It is observed from the figure that the population served by the municipal has been increasing throughout the years with 7.2 percent (Census, 2006). This indicates a positive relationship between number of people and waste collected; as the number of people increases, the total amount of waste collected also increases. 1.3.1 Type of Electricity Consumers There are different sources of energy for lighting in the urban/rural residence. Sources of energy analysed are; grid, generator, solar, battery, candles, gas and paraffin. Paraffin was used in both urban and rural residence as the main source of lighting with 65,939 and 189,557 households respectively. In urban, the least number of households (198) used Generator for lighting whilst in rural the least number of households (388) used Battery for lighting (Census, 2006). Furthermore, most of the households (255,496) used Paraffin as the main source of energy for lighting throughout the country. The least number of households (602) used Generator as the main source of energy for lighting. Paraffin and Candles were mostly used in all the districts.

Other than paraffin and candles, most households (21,520) in Maseru used Grid as the main source of energy for lighting while Mokhotlong had fewer households (386) that used Grid (Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Rural districts with no electricity are less likely to generate large amounts of e-waste than districts with access to electricity networks.

Figure 1: Map of Lesotho showing District Borders

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1.3.2 Main source of Energy for Heating in Districts Many households in Lesotho (217,223) used Wood as the main source of energy for heating. Leribe had more households (36,207) that used Wood as the main source of energy for heating and Qachas Nek had fewer households (9,599) than other districts. Besides Wood, Paraffin was commonly used source of energy with 144,776 households. The least number of households (271) used Solar as the main source of energy for heating whereby Maseru had 95 households and Mokhotlong had fewer households (7) that used Solar as the main source of energy for heating. Table 2 shows the number of households by District and source of energy for lighting. Table 2: Number of Households by District and Source of Energy for Lighting in 2006 District Butha Buthe Leribe Berea Maseru Mafeteng Mohales Hoek Qachas Nek Quthing Mokhotlong Thaba-Tseka Lesotho
Source: Census 2006

Grid 907 3,643 9,356 21,520 2,049 1,391 491 751 386 557 41,051

Generator Solar Battery Gas 23 104 80 172 s41 83 26 46 12 15 602 73 344 148 285 139 183 60 62 52 55 1,401 25 181 82 256 66 58 26 14 22 16 746 87 488 282 898 236 122 77 97 66 55 2,408

Paraffin Candles 12,225 33,864 6,349 63,410 26,516 27,876 17,674 10,190 14,808 22,484 255,496 10,372 28,031 20,243 23,367 13,871 7,774 5,154 2,955 5,062 3,537 120,366

Waste disposal is a growing problem and is directly connected with industrial development and population growth. It refers to collection, processing, managing and monitoring of waste material produced by human activities. Solid waste management is one of the most important functions of the society and local government. Using an integrated approach to waste management and best available technologies plays a huge role in providing a safe and healthy environment and protection against substances that can damage human health.

Generally, majority of households in Lesotho were disposing waste at own refuse dumps. Census (2006) data indicated that 88.0 percent of the households in Lesotho used own refuse dump to dispose solid waste. The least percentage share of households (1.0 percent) received irregular waste collection service. Lesotho is a signatory to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which defines electronic electrical equipment as hazardous waste due to toxic components they contain. The Convention has developed comprehensive guidelines and assessment tools for collecting data on the status of e-waste with respect to amounts generated and geographical spread, assessment of potential risk and the capacity of the country to manage e-waste in an environmentally sound manner which have been adopted and adapted to country conditions. 1.4 Project Objectives The overall objective of this project is to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the amounts of e-waste generated, showing the geographical spread, tracking obsolete electronic and electrical equipment by generating mass flow diagrams along the value chain and analysing all data collected for decision-making. This data will be a baseline of a national database required for planning, addressing the needs, and finding solutions and interventions for the ESM of used and end-of-life electric and electronic equipment. Information on current e-waste management practices will be sourced and used as a basis for implementing sound environmental management practices. Furthermore, based on information gathered on the ground, a regulatory regime for the management of e-waste would be developed. This would involve discussing e-waste management options for framing an e-waste operational plan for the country. 1.5 Project Outcome The goal is to generate baseline data on which strategies to control and or prevent the potential damage of e-waste in Lesotho can be developed.

12

To launch a multi-stakeholder partnership in order to prepare a strategy aimed at achieving the environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment and products in Lesotho in the short-term (hereby proposing a period of four years). Through a partnership approach, government could create enabling conditions for a sustainable system for the environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic wastes. This project could be used to generate interest and enhance awareness raising and implement training needs on the issue of environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic wastes. It is to include sharing of experiences, information, inventory data, proven policies, practices amongst decision-makers from national Ministries in the region and stakeholders. Expected deliverables of the project are the following: Activity 1: Detailed Inventory Activity 2: Model Regulatory Framework for e-waste management Activity 3: Final Project Report

13

CHAPTER 2: SCOPE OF WORK

2.1

Scope of Work The Scope of Work was determined as per Terms of Reference of the RFP NO. MTEC/ENV-O1/11-12. The work was implemented under the general guidance and direct supervision of the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture [MTEC], Lesotho.

2.1.1 The development of E-waste Inventory A comprehensive assessment of how used electrical and electronic equipments (EEE) is generated, collected, imported/exported, repaired, sold, dismantled, recycled and disposed of in the country will be undertaken as an initial step to understand the extent of the e-waste problem. Activities associated with this task are the following: Identify how used EEE are collected, imported/exported, repaired, sold, dismantled, and recycled; Identify the status of implementation of measures for environmentally sound management of used and waste EEE; Estimate amount of used and waste EEE generated;

2.1.2 Establishing Legal Framework for e-Waste Management Develop a Model Regulatory Framework for environmental sound management of e-waste in order to protect its citizens and the environment from harmful effects of e-waste without stifling economic growth and industrial innovation. Activities undertaken include the following: Develop regulatory regimes (with instruction) and guidelines for used and waste EEE management (i.e. Location, transportation, dismantling, recycling, residues management, import/export; Provide regulatory tools for extended producer responsibility;
14

Align import/export of used and e-waste with Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure of the Basel Convention procedure; Establish legal tools for development of standards, guidelines, and procedures for environmentally sound management of e-waste.

2.2

Types of EEE under Investigation The following electrical and electronic equipments will be under consideration: Television sets; Radios; Computer sets with CRT monitors or LCD Monitors and Notebooks; Washing Machines; Mobile phones; Refrigerators; Air conditioners; Rechargeable batteries (mobile phones); and Electrical tubes and bulbs.

The life-cycle approach was used to understand the flow of electrical and electronic equipments in the value chain until they become obsolete and contributing to the e-waste stream. 2.3 Expected Deliverables The overall project deliverables were the following: An Inception Report which outlines the methodology to be undertaken and timeframes; An Inventory Report based on the Terms of Reference and the initial discussions with the MTEC management team; A Model Regulatory Framework for e-waste management; and A final Inventory Report incorporating comments from all stakeholders and MTEC.

15

CHAPTER 3: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

3.1

Approach and Methodology This section describes the methodology followed by Enviroxllence to ensure the successful implementation of the terms of reference and compilation of the final report. The total of 3 months was allocated for the completion of the project. An additional 14 days were added to refine the project outputs. The following steps were followed:

Figure 2: Project phases and associated activities.

3.2

Task 1: Basic Assessment of EEE A comprehensive assessment of the measures taken to collect, import/export, repair, sell to the markets, dismantle, recycle and dispose of used electrical and electronic equipments (EEE) in the country was undertaken as an initial step to understand the extent of the ewaste problem. The team used the format outlined in the e-Waste Assessment Methodology Manual published by EMPA (13 October 2009, v0.4 Draft) under the Basel Convention. The following methods were used:

16

3.2.1 Product Scope: Electrical and Electronic Equipment Targeted Table 3 shows targeted EEE as per Terms of Reference, showing data sources and methods of data collection. Table 3: Data Collected, Showing Data Source and Collection Method
DATA Waste Quantity Number of collected used EEE: Personal Computers (PC), Offices and Institutions Households EEE Shops Repair Shops Second-hand Shops Number of sold used EEE Number of dismantled used EEE Trade Department (TD) Repair Shops Households Offices and Institutions EEE Shops EEE Shops CD TD Dismantlers Households List of Dismantlers Survey Interview Statistical Report Statistical Report Survey Interview List Shops Survey Interview of Repair Statistical Report Survey Interview DATA SOURCE DATA COLLECTION METHOD

Notebooks, Television Sets (TV), Air Conditioners (AC), Mobile Phones (MP), Refrigerators (RF); Light Bulbs Number of imported used EEE Number of exported used EEE

Customs Department (CD)

Number of repaired used EEE

Process
Collection of used EEE Import of used EEE Used Materials Collectors Export of used EEE CD Importers/Exporters Used Materials Collectors Repair Shops Second-hand Shops EEE Traders Importers/Exporter Survey Interview Survey Interview Survey Interview

17

Repair of used EEE

Repair Shops Households Offices and Institutions EEE Shops Repair Shops Households Offices and Institutions EEE Traders

Survey Interview

Reassembling of used EEE

Survey Interview

Dismantling of used EEE

Used Materials Collectors

Survey Interview

Production
Number of domestically produced EEE Number of imported EEE CD Manufacturers Department Manufacturers CD Statistical Report Division-Trade Survey Interview Statistical Report

3.2.2 Literature Review and Statistical Data To undertake a data search, targeting various sources of information along the value chain, including obtaining databases from manufacturers, importers/exporters, government sector, procurement; using internet sites, special reports and press releases. Some information was obtained from national statistics, census, and academic publications on the subject. Some data was collected from internet sites and other statistical data provided by: World Bank: World Development Indicators Database; Basel Convention; Millennium Development Goals; Environment and Energy Statistics Report (Bureau of Statistics, 2011); Statistical Yearbook published by Bureau of Statistics; Other National Reports.

18

3.2.3 Collecting Data by Conducting Surveys Questionnaires were developed, determining a sample size from 5 districts within the three [3] administrative areas to constitute a representative sample. Interviews were conducted covering industry sector, households that use appliances and equipment and entrepreneurs in the scrap metal business. Surveys were conducted through the following methods: Distribution to households, academic institution, industry sector, scrap yards and refurbishing enterprises, dumping site operator in Maseru, etc., and Through site visits and observation within the country.

3.2.4 The Hierarchy for Handling e-waste E-waste best management practices dictate that the waste should be processed in the most environmentally sound methods to avoid contamination of the environment, its natural resources such as water, land and air. A waste management hierarchy for electronics and processing residuals, in order of preference, is listed below: Reuse of electronics equipment, components, or resultant components or parts; Repair of broken EEE and extending their life span; Recycling equipment or components for material recovery. Management of components for energy recovery. Disposal of components via landfill or incinerator.

3.2.5 Sampling Plan Districts with smaller population generate less waste than those with larger population in particular, when household income levels increase, there is a high disposal income and households acquire EEE that will eventually end up e-waste. Data from five (5) districts out of ten (10) districts was collected. The districts were sampled such that they represented each of the three (3) geographical spread. Sample districts are bolded in table 1.

19

Lesotho is divided into ten [10] administrative districts as per the country map on figure 1. For the purposes of this assignment [i.e. administration of questionnaires], in the three [3] geographic areas shown in the table 1, 5 Districts were identified as representative sample areas including the rural, urban, industrialised and non-industrialised areas. The 5 Districts sampled were the following: Maseru Buthabuthe Leribe Mohales Hoek Qachas Nek

An assumption was made that the bulk of e-waste generation could come from the central area, Maseru district, by virtue of it being the capital city with the large number of households using electricity. Most of the various stakeholders identified and sampled emanated from this area. This was also the only district that had an official dumping site that had a management company operating it.

Table 4: Number of Population in each District in 2006 DISTRICT POPULATION AREA (km2) POPULATION DENSITY (Population/km2) Berea Butha-Buthe Leribe Mafeteng Maseru Mohales Hoek Mokhotlong Qachas Nek Quthing 250 006 110 320 293 369 192 621 431 998 176 928 97 713 69 749 124 048 2 222 1 767 2 828 2 119 4 279 3 530 4 075 2 349 2 916 113 62 104 91 101 50 24 24 43
20

Thaba Tseka

129 881

4 270

30

Source: Population and Housing Census, 2006

3.2.6 Sample Size The survey was conducted according to the Guideline on Development of E-waste Inventory. A total of 400 questionnaires (Appendix B) were developed for distribution and data collection through interviews by the researchers; however, only 379 interview surveys were completed:

218 households; 83 offices (business entities and institutions); 5 Importers and Exporters; 3 Collectors; 4 Manufacturers; 42 Traders; and 24 Repairers.

3.2.7 Field studies Site visits were undertaken to gather as much information as possible to meet the objectives of the project, including taking of photos, identifying exact location and taking coordinates that can be mapped to show spatial distribution within the country (Figure 19). The following sites were visited: Second (2nd) hand markets Dismantling facilities Recycling facilities Disposal sites.

3.2.8 Meetings

21

Meetings with various stakeholders including consumers, government sector, industry and experts were held to gather additional information, verifying collected data, current practices and disposal methods. Data of other products which were not in the specified list were included in the assessment as they were found to be a significant waste stream, in particular, as household e-waste generated by households as listed below: Hair dryers; Heaters; Kettles; Toasters; Calculators; Fans; Irons; Vacuum cleaners; Generators; Geysers.

A workshop was conducted to verify the relevance, accuracy and applicability of data collected.
Table 5: Five Regions that were sampled for each source of e-waste E-Waste sources Maseru ButhaButhe Leribe Mohales hoek Qachas nek Total

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Households

69

50 15 0 0 0

50 15 0 1 1

40 8 0 0 0

9 15 0 0 0

218 83 5 3 4

Offices and 30 Institutions Importers and 5 exporters Collectors Manufacturers 2 3

22

6. 7.

Traders Repairers Total

20 16 145

8 7 80

6 0 73

5 1 54

3 0 27

42 24 379

3.3

Public Awareness and Participation

3.3.1 Stakeholder Consultation Meetings and Workshop

Consultative meetings were arranged with key stakeholders as identified by the Client. The purpose of the meetings including stages of engagement is outlined in the following diagram:

23

Figure 3: Stages of Engagement for consultation Project meetings and workshops have become a platform for education and awareness opportunities, helping stakeholders of all sectors to familiarise themselves with the terms used to describe e-waste, understand the regulatory climate available and required and share knowledge on best practices to be implemented to improve current unsustainable e-waste management practices. Comments and information was offered by stakeholders to enrich the final product. Further actions, such as setting up clean-up campaigns should be planned to encourage ewaste stakeholders and affected communities to be aware of environmental and health risks relating to illegal dumping of e-waste and also allow them to walk the talk. As part of awareness campaigns, pamphlets and fact sheets can be produced to further communicate potential risks posed by e-waste, and identify take-back or EEE deposit centres once they are established. Most industry partners already have educational reading material that they use in those countries where systems are already established, for example, HP and Dell are already running take-back programmes in South Africa and abroad. In this regard, an outreach programme can use these resources and adapt them to the country setting.

3.3.2 Education and Awareness Programmes

An education and public awareness programme should be initiated to include the following: Door to door initiatives to encourage cleaning out of household storage areas filled with obsolete and non-functional electronic gadgets and separation of e-waste at source; Schools awareness campaigns and encouraging them to be eco-friendly schools; Schools competitions on e-waste initiatives;

24

Propose that the Greening of the Nation programme for schools and communities by MTEC in partnership with industry and other funders for e-waste management initiatives such as recycling and reuse of recyclable material;

3.4

Mobilise industry to sponsor the Awareness on Recycling, Minimise, and Reuse and take-back initiatives; Develop educational material on e-waste and illegal dumping. Mass Flow Assessment

A graphic representation of how e-waste flows circulate in the value chain was defined, showing various stakeholders and players in the life of components, firstly as usable items moving from manufacturers, importers, retailers, private and corporate consumers, and upon their deterioration to refurbishment to disposal, and further collected by e-waste scrap dealers. Some components ended up at landfill sites once they are rendered non-functional and useless. 3.4.1 Level of repair/refurbishment necessary for reuse or recycling

The level at which an EEE item is non-functional and can be repaired or refurbished for reuse or recycling was determined, reporting also the percentages of reuse or recycling per item. 3.4.2 Level of dismantling and recycling

The level of dismantling of EEE products which were no longer fit for use and recycling of components were determined. Through data analysis, percentages of such components were obtained. Data on locality of dismantling and recycling workshops, methodologies or technologies used, including compliance with manufacturers recommendations, was collected. 3.5 Disposal method for residues for dismantling and recycling operation At each dismantling and recycling facility, information on the disposal methods of residues was identified, including the extent of dumping waste in communal dumps, along the side of
25

the roads and also placing waste residues in general waste collection bins for disposal at the landfill site. 3.6 Environmental problems due to reuse/recycling and disposal of used EEE Our approach included identification of negative impacts on the environment due to reuse, recycling and disposal of used EEE through emissions to the air, water and land. A quick scan of facilities was undertaken to determine their environmental compliance in terms of environmental policies, ISO accreditation, treatment methodologies, air control systems and extraction fans, dust control measures, and other measures in place to prevent environmental impacts. Previous history of land contamination, water and air pollution will also be recorded, including previous directives and violations, if any. 3.7 Poverty Reduction through Public Private Partnerships [PPP] Stakeholder assessment will be extended to include identification of NGOs and/or entities that are willing to address poverty reduction within the e-waste management framework by opting for PPPs. 3.8 Estimate the amount of used and waste EEE generated Current methods of collecting data to estimate the amount of used and waste EEE generated will be identified including their accuracy and verification methods. Development indicators will also add value to the process of estimating data which is not available by extrapolating from National Statistics, World Development Indicators published by the World Bank, UNDP Reports on Human Development and other such publications on economic development data by SADC and SACU. 3.8.1 Amount of brand new EEE domestically produced/shipped and imported/exported This information will be sought from manufacturers, exporters, importers, and the national Customs database. This information could be obtainable from MTEC, the Competent
26

Authority as defined in the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary of Hazardous Waste, if exported as waste EEE, otherwise Customs document all exported items. Data on used EEE that is repaired, reassembled and dismantled will be sought from facilities that undertake these operations. A questionnaire will also assist in gathering valuable information from repair shops and retailers of used goods. The source of such used EEE goods were identified and included in the mass flow diagrams. 3.8.2 Amount of used EEE discarded at present and in the future Mass Flow models will assist in obtaining this data and will be calculated from EEE manufactured or imported, the expected functional life of that product, whether it can be repaired if broken and refurbished for reuse, whether it can be recycled in whole or some components can be recycled and what finally ends up as obsolete components destined for disposal. Percentage of used EEE discarded currently will be used for extrapolating future value, by identifying trends in consumption and use of EEE in the country. 3.8.3 Generation and management of residues generated from repair/reassembling, dismantling, and processing Site visits to facilities and undertaking an audit of their operations, waste generation and management of residues generated from repair, reassembling, dismantling and processing will produce valuable data for future planning and sound management of residues. It will also assist facilities to develop pollution abatement policies, Integrated Waste Management Plans and compliance with regulations. 3.9 Identify the status of implementation of measures for ESM of used and WEEE Facilities that handle used and waste EEE should have plans to implement environmentally sound management of used and waste EEE. Where this plan does not exist, other measures that seek to meet this goal will be identified, including the development of regulations and guidelines by government on sound management of used and waste EEE.
27

3.10

Massflow Assessment

Assessment of flow of equipment from point of production along the value chain was undertaken in order to determine trends in e-waste generation and fate of e-waste through the life cycle through the following steps: 3.11 Identification of massflow system Quantification of massflows Extrapolation of current massflows to identify future trends Limitations The concept of e-waste assessment is relatively new in Lesotho, hence the following limitations to this assessment: a) Methodology Used There was a general lack of data pertaining to e-waste and therefore the current survey generated the first e-waste baseline database; and Lesotho consists of 10 Districts, however, 5 districts were used a representative sample. With more human, financial resources and timeframe, all 10 districts could have been covered to give the exact baseline value in Lesotho as opposed to projected; For most respondents, there was a thin line between obsolete products which could be repaired for reuse and e-waste. For example, respondents placed non-functional equipment in storage for future repair and reuse; however, the length of storage had exceeded 2 years without any action taken. b) Data Collection There was a general lack of data from stakeholders because no such data was collected;

28

Where available, data sources on e-waste were dispersed over a variety of entities, institutions, and stakeholders. The majority of data in this report is the secondary data collected from various stakeholders as administrative records and as anecdotal.

There was reluctance by some business entities to divulge information regarded as confidential business information, some fearing that it could be used against them for tax purposes;

Data published in this report were collected from different sources including Government Ministries and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) as well as private sector. Some were derived from specialized studies conducted by BOS undertaken to address certain environmental concerns;

Massflow data has some gaps whereby some areas lack completeness in the data sets. This in turn results in a set of information which does not sufficiently answer some questions about environmental status and concerns in the trends.

Many stakeholders asserted that they do not have resources to collect data and continuously and consistently update their records. Furthermore, they indicated that there was no legal requirement to do so except for tax purposes;

Most recycling, dismantling and refurbishing entities did not know that they are handling e-waste and they could be expected to collect data on what they handled;

Some data represented was extracted from the 2006 Census and may be regarded as outdated; and

The base periods are not the same for all the data sets collected, because data sets that could be equally pegged on the same period could not be found, for example, waste in storage is represented at present value and not within a specific timeframe that shows accumulation over time.

29

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS OF SURVEY RESULTS

4.1

E-Waste Components and Management The project goal is to undertake a nationwide survey.

The Status Quo Analysis Report provides a comprehensive situational assessment and analysis of waste management systems and implementation capacity in the municipality, seen as the first step in understanding the current status for waste management planning. A full analysis of approaches and challenges currently utilized by municipality towards fulfilling their role in waste collection services will be made. 4.1.1 Sample Size The survey was conducted according to the Guideline on Development of E-waste Inventory. A total of 400 questionnaires (Appendix A) were developed for distribution and data collection through interviews by the researchers; however, only 379 interview surveys were completed: 218 households; 83 offices (business entities and institutions); Importers and Exporters; Collectors; Manufacturers; 42 Traders; and 24 Repairers.

4.1.2 Field studies Site visits were undertaken to gather as much information to meet the objectives of the project, including taking of photos, identifying exact locale and taking coordinates that can be mapped to show spatial distribution within the country (figure 19). The following sites were visited:
30

 4.2

Second (2nd) hand markets Dismantling facilities Recycling facilities Landfills.

E-waste Generation Solid waste is defined as the useless and unwanted products in the solid state derived from the activities of society. Current waste management practices in Lesotho show that waste can be disposed off in communal refuse dump, own refuse dump and roadside dump. Generally, majority of households (about 88%) were disposing waste at own refuse dumps (Census, 2006). Figure 4 depicts the percentage share of households by type of solid waste disposal for the year 2006. It is observed from the figure that 88.0 percent of the households in Lesotho used Own Refuse Dump to dispose solid waste. The least percentage share of households (1.0 percent) had their waste collected by municipality, albeit irregularly collected, and transported to the landfill site for disposal.

Source: Census 2006

Figure 4: Percentage share of household waste collection and disposal practices in Lesotho

31

E-waste forms a small fraction of general waste. Based on current waste collection and disposal patterns, e-waste co-mingled with general waste could be found disposed in backyard pits, illegally dumped on the roadside or collected for disposal at the landfill.

4.2.1 Households A graphic representation of how e-waste flows circulate in the value chain is defined below. It shows the various stakeholders and players in life circle of components, firstly as usable items moving from manufactures, importers, retailers, private and corporate consumers, upon their deterioration to refurbishment and e-waste scrap dealers. This establishment of a material flow within a geographical boundary assists in identifying networks of different phases of EEE. PHASE 1 This phase is identified by stakeholders such as manufacturers, importers, exporters and retailers dealing with either new or second hand EEE. The processes involved represented by pointing arrows include production, sales and returning of items for repairs and exchange. PHASE 2 This phase is identified by consumers: offices, institutions and industry consuming EEE. The processes involved represented by the pointing arrows include collection, store and repairs of used EEE at stakeholders workplace and homes. PHASE 3 This phase is identified by stakeholders including consumers, importers, collectors, traders, dismantlers, repairers and other e-waste generators. Processes involved represented by the pointing arrows include end-of-life EEE collection, transfer to treatment, trade in, importation and exportation.

32

PHASE 4 This phase is identified by e-waste collectors such as governmental waste collectors, independent e-waste collectors and recyclers. Major activity involved represented by the pointing arrows is disposal alternatives for EEE, such as repair, decontaminating, dismantling, shredding, landfill and incineration.

EEE- CONSUMPTION

SCRAP DEALERS

RESIDUES

Figure 5: Current EEE Market Supply Methods 4.2.2 Manufacturers and Producers Only four big manufacturers were identified and interviewed in this survey, giving an estimated amount of brand new EEE domestically produced, shipped, imported or exported. There were no means to verify this information as it was considered confidential business information. Furthermore, of the amounts produced, it was not clear how much was sold to the public. Such information data gaps made it impossible to draw up Massflow charts.
33

Table 6: Brand New EEE Domestically Produced Name of manufacturer

Crabtree

Type of EEE Approximate produced amount produced/day

17 300 10 400 Not given 5 000 47 000

Exporting interval
Every days Monthly Monthly Weekly

Market

(a) Circuits (b) Switch CBI (Circuit Circuit Breakers Breakers Industry) Lefase Lesotho TV: LCDs, LEDs Manufacturing and Plasma Philips Lighting Globes Maseru

two South Africa (SA) Johannesburg(SA) SA SA, SACU countries, Dubai Egypt Sudan

Table 7: Quantities of brand new imported and exported goods per month Commodity 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Waste cells and batteries TV and video monitors Radio Telephones and teleprinter Hairdryers, heaters, stoves and microwaves Electric shavers, clippers and parts Vacuum pumps, air pumps and refrigerating Imported 7000 136700 62000 100000 214500 7700 29200 Exported 100 46900 600 0 100 0 2600

compressors 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Air conditioners and parts
Refrigerators, freezers and parts Generating sets Cells, batteries and parts Vacuum cleaners, polishers and food processors Portable electric lamps Industrial, laboratory furnace Electric welders

18000 18900 13800 57700 18900 186400 2200 10300

700 0 0 0 0 0 0 200
34

16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. Total

Amplifiers, loudspeakers

speaker

sets,

earphones,

microphones,

29100 10200 2600 84000 195 840 146400 23000 13100 35400 82000 117100 37800 38400 6400 9700 2400 56500 7100 5000 9600 900 300 18000 87400 18000 2200 412800 2 139 735

0 100 0 300 100 100 0 0 0 7000 6800 30200 500 0 0 0 0 0 100 200 0 0 0 200 200 0 200 100 97 300
35

Record players Tape recorders/producers Video recorder TV cameras, transmission apparatus Radio remote control apparatus Antenna, reflectors and parts Electrical signal/traffic control Burglar/fire alarms Printed circuits Circuit breakers Switches, plugs and sockets Boards, panels, consoles and switches Lamps TV camera tubes, microwave tubes and cathode tubes Medical, surgical or laboratory sterilizers Industry machines

Filter and purify machines and parts Packing machinery Weighing machinery Lawn mowers Dairy machinery Fruit juice production machinery Photocopiers and printers Printing machinery including ink jet machinery Washing machines Dry cleaning machines Computers and printers

Of the total EEE imported as per our sample size, computers are the most imported products in Lesotho, consisting of 19.3%, followed by hairdryers, heaters, stoves and microwaves at 10.0%.The least imported products were TVs, cameras and transmission apparatus which constitute about 0.00911% of imported goods. There was no information available to show how imported EEE were distributed throughout Lesotho; therefore tracking of goods through Massflow was impossible. The most exported EEE were switches, plugs and sockets which were manufactured in Lesotho and then exported to RSA.

4.2.3 Import and Export of EEE Table 8: Companies involved in Import and Export of Used EEE (Distributors)
Company Name District

Types of EEE Computers Breadmakers All kinds of EEE All small EE appliances Satellites, decoders, refrigerators, stoves Computers and peripheral components Phones, cellphones and accessories Cellphones and accessories Computers TVs, Fridges, and all household appliances TVs, Fridges, and all household appliances All small EE appliances TVs, Fridges, and all household appliances All kinds of EEE
All kinds of EEE All kinds of EEE

CAMARA Leribe Prestige Furniture Maseru Lifes Comfort Solutions Maseru (LCS) Maseru City Lights Kaybon Satellites Sha Computers
Maseru Maseru

Econet Telecom Lesotho Maseru (ETL) Maseru Vodacom Lesotho (VCL) Maseru Quadrant Computers Lewis Furniture Ellerines Furniture Puretec OK Furniture Hardware Marketing SABA gifts and Electronics Hitec Electronics Lewis furniture
Maseru Maseru

Leribe, Buthabuthe Leribe, Maseru Leribe, Maseru Buthabuthe

Buthabuthe Buthabuthe

TVs, Fridges, and all household appliances

36

Lesotho has a small fraction of EEE manufacturers making only 5.48% of total factories in Lesotho. Our interaction with them through interviews showed that they have no information on e-waste management. Camara which imports and distributes used computers had good strategies for environmentally sound management of e-waste. However, they have not yet implemented exported any obsolete computers to country of origin as yet since none has been returned from clients. There was a general lack of awareness of e-waste stream as waste with the potential to release harmful and toxic substances when it becomes waste. Therefore the need to inform these companies on e-waste management and the potential of e-waste to cause harm to humans and the environment upon its becoming waste has been identified for further action. 4.2.4 Domestic shipment per year The data was collected through interviews with importers and exporters of EEE as well as the Customs Department of the Lesotho Revenue Authority. The data from Customs was the most reliable as most importers and exporters of EEE do not keep proper records. However this data had shortcomings in the way items were grouped as it did not give precise amounts. Customs records do not separate used and brand new EEE imported, they assume all EEE imported is new. To address the problems, a recommendation could be made to the Customs department to group EEE in such a way that data taken can be meaningful and can be used to measure imported and exported electrical and electronic equipment including obsolete products. A five year projection was made from customs data based on previous trend of import and export of EEE observed in five years.

37

Table 9: Quantities of new and used EEE domestically produced, imported and exported per year
ITEM BRAND NEW EEE
PRODUCTION IMPORT EXPORT DOMESTIC SHIPMENT

USED EEE
IMPORT EXPORT

TOTAL DOMESTIC SHIPMENT

1. 2. 3. 4.
5.

TV Refrigerator, freezers and parts Radio Printing machinery including ink jet machinery
Computers

60000 0 0 0
0

1367 189 620 874

412800

60000 0 6 2
100

1367 189 614 872

412700

0 0 0 0
607

198 11 121 0
216

1169 178 503 8720

413307

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Washing machines Dry cleaning machines Photocopiers and printers Air conditioners Mobile phones, batteries and parts Electrical tubes and bulbs Hairdryers, heaters and stoves Electric shavers, clippers and parts Vacuum pumps, air conditioners and refrigerators compressors and parts Generators Industrial laboratory furnace Electric welders Microphones, loudspeakers, earphones and amplifiers Record players

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

180 22 180 180 1647 2248 2145 77 296

7 2 2 7 0 0 1 0 26

173 20 178 173 2248 2144 77 270

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 0 49 311 95 185 5 18

164 20 129 173 1336 2153 1959 72 252

0 0 0 0 0

138 22 103 291 102

0 0 2 0 1

138 22 101 291 101

0 0 0 0 0

39 6 5

99 16 96 156 1

20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

Tape recorders or producers Video recorders TV camera and transmission apparatus TV remote control Antenna, reflectors and parts Electrical signal/traffic control Burglar/fire alarms Printed circuits Circuit breakers Switches, plugs and socket Boards, panels, consoles and switches .Lamps TV camera tubes, microwave tubes and cathode tubes Medical, surgical or laboratory sterilizers Industry machines Filter and purify machines and parts packing machinery Weighing machinery Lawn mowers Dairy machinery Fruit juice production machinery

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

26 840 195 840 1464 230 131 354 820 1171 378 384 64 97 24 565 71 50 96 9 3

0 3 1 1 0 0 0 70 68 302 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0

26 837 104 839 1464 230 131 284 752 869 373 384 64 97 24 565 70 48 96 9 3

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 30 9 1 1 9 8 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 6 10 0 1 0

39

Items in Table 9 are grouped according to a system used by customs. Customs records do not separate used and brand new EEE imported, they assume all EEE imported is new Domestic shipment = production + import export Total domestic shipment=new domestic shipment + used import.

According to Table 9 above, Televisions are the most produced in the country at the rate of 60 000 per month but they are all exported to RSA for distribution to users. TVs are not a big problem to the environment since those that are produced are all exported to RSA and of almost 15% of those that are imported for consumption are exported back. Electrical tubes pose the most threat followed by mobile phones as most of them are imported into the country and only a few fraction is exported back, therefore their majority end up in the Lesotho e-waste stream. Table 10 below indicates quantities of domestic export per month, with TVs and Video Monitors being the highest commodities exported monthly.

Table 10: Domestic quantities of used EEE exported (re-exports) per month
No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Commodity TV and video monitors Hairdryers, heaters, stoves and microwaves Amplifiers, speaker sets, earphones, microphones, loudspeakers Portable electric lamps Waste and scrap of cells and batteries Photocopiers and printers Telephones and teleprinter Video recorder Computers and printers Vacuum pumps, air pumps and refrigerating compressors Radio Refrigerators, freezers and parts Weighing machinery TV cameras, transmission apparatus Electrical signal/traffic control Washing machines Air conditioners and parts Burglar/fire alarms Industrial, laboratory furnace Used Exports 19800 18500 15600 9500 8200 4900 4800 3000 1800 1800 1200 1100 1000 900 900 900 900 800 600

20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

Industry machines Filter and purify machines and parts packing machinery Electric welders Tape recorders/producers Electric shavers, clippers and parts Generating sets Printed circuits Circuit breakers Vacuum cleaners, polishers and food processors Cells, batteries and parts Record players Radio remote control apparatus Antenna, refectors and parts Dairy machinery

600 600 600 500 500 500 400 400 400 300 100 100 100 100 100

Figure 6: Country Map showing e-waste hotspots

41

Figure 7: Country Map showing e-waste hotspots

42

Figure 8: Country map showing e-waste distribution 4.3 E-waste Collection and Storage Local government, through district administrators contract private companies to provide waste management services, including waste collection, supply of temporary storage receptacles such as bins and skip bins, transportation and disposal. E-waste is lumped together with general waste, and not treated differently or given special treatment.
43

Table 11: Companies Involved in Collection of Used EEE COMPANY NAME DISTRICT TYPES OF EEE

COLLECTED 1. Toozn Recyclers 2. Welcome Transport 3. LMSD Leribe Maseru Maseru Stoves and Refrigerators All All

There is currently no sanitary landfill in Lesotho but there is Tsosane dumpsite, owned by Maseru City Council, a local government body. The site has been in use since 1983 as the official landfill for the Maseru City. History claims it is an abandoned quarry that has steep, irregular shape which makes it difficult to calculate its capacity and life span. Its ground is sloped and the soil is not easily excavated. This dump site was not designed and engineered as a sanitary landfill site, taking due consideration of acceptable standards of landfill development (World Bank, 1999). There is a potential danger of groundwater contamination since it is located uphill from wells, streams and springs. There is no safeguard against pollution originating from leachate which contains dissolved and suspended matter. The site is not divided into cells. There is no consideration at all given for disposing hazardous and bulky wastes and there in no control over the thickness of layers. Salvaging and scavenging are not prohibited at the working face [NES: State of the Environment in Lesotho. p 182]. Waste disposal, in general, was not implemented in an environmentally sound manner; there was poor operation and maintenance of the site. There was evidence of recyclable material at dump sites which reflected that no sorting of waste at source of generation was undertaken. Although there was a guard at the entrance, waste reclaimers were allowed access to the site and to take whatever they could pick and recover from the site. Daily and monthly operational records were not maintained to describe the type, weight, and volume of solid wastes received, the area and volume of the landfill used, and the cover material spread. There was no provision for on-site control of potential gas movement and

44

control from the landfill and for supplementary control measures for nuisance such as rats and other vectors, birds, and flies. Workers on site were not provided with operational plans to direct and control the use of the site. No washing facilities were provided for workers to cleanse themselves at the end of the day. Waste disposal sites are very dangerous facilities because they generate landfill gas, or methane, which is very explosive. Therefore no smoking signs and fire hazard signs should be displayed. There were no fire-fighting devices and first-aid equipment on site. 4.4 Repair and Refurbishment of EEE

Table 12: Companies Involved in Repair or Reassembling of Used EEE; Company Name Maseru
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Types of EEE Repaired TVs, Computers, monitors, DVD players, Generators, electrical grass trimmers

Atech Electronics Lady C Electronics

Refrigeration & Appliance Refrigerators, stoves, heaters etc Centre Sesotho Power Solutions TVs, radio, satellites etc Maloti Furniture and Cellphones Suraya Cosmetics and Electronics Sara Electronics and Car Sound Welcome Cellular and Cell Repairs Digital Car Sound, Cellphones and Accessories United Electronics M and N Electronics Matrix Warehouse Roshni Cellphone Repairs Kaybon Satellites Mobile phones Mobile phones Mobile phones Mobile phones Mobile phones Mobile phones, TVs, radio, fans Radio, TVs, DVD players Computers Mobile Phones Satellites and decoder
45

15.

Lucky Cellphones 16. Africa Cellphones & Repairs Buthabuthe

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Mobile phones Mobile phones

Vodacom Holy Repairs Thato Mokhethi Harbour Marketing Katleho Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Northern Electrical Wholesalers Econet Telkom Lesotho Rex TV and Radio Repairs SA-Tech Electronics

Mobile phones TVs, DVD players, radios, generators All home and office appliances Refrigerators, microwaves, machines, stoves,boilers All electrical appliances Mobile phones TVs, DVD players, radios All electrical appliances washing

4.5

E-Waste Dismantling Processes Table 13: Dismantling Process EEE CRT TV LCD TV Desktop PC Notebook Mobile Phone Refrigerator DISMANTLING PROCESS Air Conditioner Separate Copper, CRT and plastic cover Separate Copper, LCD and plastic cover Separate Copper, CRT , plastic cover and PCB Separate Copper, LCD , plastic cover and PCB Separate LCD panel, plastic cover, PCB and rubber parts Release freon/ refrigerant Separate compressor , metal parts, plastic parts and rubber parts

Release freon/ refrigerant Separate compressor , metal parts and plastic parts Release freon/ refrigerant Separate compressor , metal parts and plastic parts

Washing Machine

Dismantling process in Lesotho is still at an infancy stage. Basic tools like screwdrivers were used for almost all dismantling processes; dismantling was done manually with no
46

technically advanced electrical tools used. A majority of dismantlers tended to separate parts according to components e. g plastic, metal etc. After the dismantling process, parts were usually packed into boxes with only the valuable components such as metals being stored while those that are believed to be less valuable being discarded.

Types of EEE widely used locally

1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

Figure 9: Quantities per type of EEE commonly used locally

Table 14: Estimated mass of used EEE discarded at present and in the future (kg/per year) Item Units Mass per unit (kg) Total mass(at present) (kg) Printers Computers (with monitors) Notebooks Fax Machines Electrical Tubes 450 982 27 38 2082 3.26 11 3 10.5 0.04 1467 10802 81 399 83.28 Estimated mass in 2017 (+5%) (kg) 1540.35 11342.1 85.05 418.95 87.444

No. of EEE

47

Mobile Phones Fans Heaters Kettles Microwaves Radios Air Conditioners Photocopiers Invertors Projector Scanner Electronic calculator Television sets Telephone Typewriters Vacuum cleaner Washing machine Solar panel Refrigerator Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) Decoder DVD player Generators Stoves Irons Toaster Geyser Total

1587 47 421 569 184 249 297 99 14 16 1 11 350 88 20 5 18 1 806 13

0.19 3 5 1.3 11 4.6 14.2 18.8 9.4 10.6 18 0 .03 31.6 1 20 12.9 18 10 55 18

1587.19 141 2105 739.7 2024 1145.4 4217.4 1861.2 131.6 169.6 18 0.33 11060 88 400 64.5 324 10 44330 234

1666.5495 148.05 2147.1 776.685 2125.2 1202.67 4428.27 1686.2 138.18 178.08 18.9 0.3465 11613 92.4 420 67.725 340.2 10.5 46546.5 245.7

1 24 26 234 236 77 60 9033

1.5 2.9 55 46 1 1 43

1.5 69.6 1430 10764 236 77 2580 98641.3

1.575 73.08 1501.5 11302.2 247.8 80.85 2709 103242.78

48

From the development of e-waste management strategies to effective implementation of ewaste management strategies requires rigorous public participation and buy-in from various stakeholders, a process that may take an average of 3 years. Furthermore, the development of regulations, their adoption and implementation may require longer public awareness sessions. This process is followed by the development of guidelines for implementation and enforcement. It is therefore assumed that by the time MTEC embarks on effective implementation of the e-waste management strategies and regulations, it would be 5 years. From the trends in the disposal of EEE it is also estimated that after 5 years the amount of discarded EEE would have increased by 5%.

Table

15:

Quantities

of

used

EEE

disposed,

stored,

repossessed

and

reassembled/dismantled/repaired per district District Disposed EEE Buthabuthe Leribe Mohales Hoek Qachas Nek Maseru TOTAL 68 52 20 10 147 297 Reassembling/ Dismantling/ Repair 33 28 29 1 26 117 128 103 27 1 18 277 Stored EEE Repossessed Total

(Given away Sold) 14 8 6 4 7 39 243 191 82 16 98 760

Table 16: Total mass of used EEE disposed, stored, repossessed and reassembled/ dismantled/ repaired per Year
Mass of items in Mass households/offices (kg) items storage (kg) 8 193 581 3 544 of Mass of items Mass of items Mass repaired items discarded (kg) 1 536 2 265 8 201 426 of Total Mass (kg) in repossessed

(given/donated/sold) (dismantled) (kg) 499 (kg)

49

4.6

Recycling of e-waste

Full operation of EEE recycling does not happen in Lesotho at present. All factories tend to recover precious metals out of electrical and electronic parts using physical properties and getting them recovered in other countries, in particular, South Africa. Plastic that cover computers and other electrical and electronic equipment are not recycled; they are discarded in dump sites. 4.7 E-waste Disposal The dumpsite was not designed in accordance with accepted standards; it does not have a cemented base and waste is disposed and covered with soil and during heavy rainfalls, there is a lot of leaching water from the dumpsite that goes down to the Maqalika dam which supplies the Maseru city with domestic, industrial and irrigation water. Initially the waste disposed at the site was burnt but now that practice has been stopped. There is no material recovery at the site except for scavengers who collect whatever they need for different purposes. The site is currently operated by a Motse Miya Project, a private contractor. Waste is not sorted into components when collected; solid waste, except chemicals, is mixed and discarded. In Tsosane landfill site, burning has just been recently prohibited but throughout the districts solid waste is still burned at dumpsites. The extent of impacts due to dumping e-waste at this landfill site has not been determined. Table 17: Disposal Method for Residues left over from Dismantling Type Residue Plastic Metal Mixture Other Total of Disposal Method % by Keep for Take to collectors for weight Reuse recycling 7.143 28.571 33.333 30.953 100 Dispose as Municipal Waste

50

Most dismantlers mix their residues after the dismantling process. They pack and store residues according to type of residue and not type of initial product hence the average percentage for all items at a dismantling facility is used in the above table. Plastic constitutes only a small percentage of the total weight of the residues of the dismantling process, this may be due to its low density. However, it is regarded as non valuable waste stream; therefore it is often the one that mostly ends up being disposed as municipal waste other than being recycled or reused. Furthermore, computer plastic materials have fire retardants and currently have no recyclable value. Metal constitutes a better proportion (33.33%) and is the only residue that is considered very valuable hence it is mostly reused and recycled than disposed as municipal waste. Manufacturers (Importers & exporters)

Repairers

Consumers

Municipality waste disposal facility and local dumpsites

Storage

Scavengers

Local Collectors and foreign recyclers (exported) Figure 10: Flow Chart for EEE For most EEE, the trend is that usually they will be manufactured in other countries and then be imported into Lesotho for distribution to users, normally offices, industries and households. When users experience problems with products, they put them in temporary storage, take them

51

to repairers or discard them. Items that are taken to repairers are either claimed back for reuse or end up being discarded in waste disposal facilities. At such facilities, e-waste reclaimers collect e-waste components for further processing offsite. These are sold locally but some will ultimately be exported while unwanted residues are discarded at the local dumpsites. There are also scavengers who go about and collect waste from dumpsites for different purposes.

Table 18: Average Mass of EEE handled by a Repair Shop Generation of residues: Average Items in a repair shop per week Item Average number of Average EEE handled in a (kg) Repair Shop per week 5 10 5 5 4 10 6 1 33 79 Mass Average Mass handled in per year (kg/annum) 158 5 70.5 49.5 12 5.2 35 18.6 0.73 354.53 8216 260 3666 2574 624 270.4 1820 967.2 37.96 18 435.56

TV (CRT) DVD player Monitor (CRT) Computer Stoves Radios Refrigerators Washing machine Mobile phones Total

Table 18 shows that more than 18 tons of e-waste per annum is handled by one repair shop.

Table 19: Management of Residues Generated from Repairing Methods Management Method Reuse parts Recycle parts Residue parts Total % 30.769 15.385 53.846 100

52

Of the interviewed repairers, only 15.38% tend to recycle items or parts from their repairing processes. They normally take them to local collectors for exportation to recyclers but others export them directly to recyclers. Others (30.77%) tend to reuse parts, but it was observed that the most reused parts are metal while plastic and other components that are regarded as non valuable are discarded. A majority of the products resulting from the repair process are regarded as non valuable and constitute about 53.85% of the total e-waste generated from repair shops. From this, it can be concluded that about 53.8% of e-waste coming from repairers ends up at local dumpsites. Table 20: Types of residues and their way of disposal Type of Residue Plastics Metals Glass Glass with lead Oil Way of Disposal Burnt Disposed as municipal waste Sold to collectors Disposed as municipal waste Disposed as municipal waste Disposed as municipal waste Disposed as municipal waste Released into land Released into air Released into air Released into air from Kept as spare parts Kept as spare parts Burnt Disposed as municipal waste disposal site Sold to collectors Disposed as municipal waste Disposed as municipal waste Disposed as municipal waste

CFC Dioxins Furans Rechargeable batteries notebooks Rechargeable mobile phone batteries Mixture of different types of materials Mixture from copper parts Wire/inside parts Others

53

4.8

Environmental Problems and Impacts This e-waste survey identified potential e-waste impacts to the environment and human health in areas where dismantling and recycling of e-waste activities were undertaken, including illegal dumping and disposal at the landfill. Most impacts related to the following: i. Airborne particles during dismantling, which affects air quality and respiratory problems if inhaled; ii. Few people used protective clothing; therefore they were prone to injury; iii. Seepage of liquid residues from dismantling processes; iv. Plastics disposed in dumping sites and landfills reduced aesthetic value of the environment and airspace respectively. Broadly, e-waste has been defined as a waste from relatively expensive and essentially durable products used for data processing, telecommunications or entertainment in private households and businesses. E-waste has three primary characteristics a) Waste is partly very valuable end of life motherboards for instance may well sell to recyclers who recover metals. b) E-waste is partly very hazardous - e-waste contains over 1000 different substances, some of which are toxic, and can pose serious risks and create severe pollution upon wrong handling and disposal. c) E-waste is increasing at alarming rates Due to the fast evolution of e-technologies high rates of obsolescence occur. Combined with an explosion of new applications, ewaste produces high volumes of waste showing rapid increase globally. While potential hazards of e-waste were identified, they could not be quantified. Therefore a comprehensive assessment has to be undertaken in future for the protection of human health and the environment.

54

4.8.1 Potential Hazard in E-waste a. Identification of the problems Electronic equipment is a large contributor of heavy metals and organic pollutants to the general waste stream. Some electronic products usually those with cathode ray tubes (CRTs), circuit boards, batteries and mercury switches contain hazardous or toxic materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and flame-retardants. The glass screens or CRTs in computer monitors and televisions can contain as much as 27 percent lead. Electronic products containing these hazardous materials may pose an environmental risk if they are not properly managed at their end-of-life. b. Toxics in E-waste E-waste contains a number of toxic substances such as lead and cadmium in circuit boards; lead oxide and cadmium in monitor cathode ray tubes (CRTs); mercury in switches and flat screen monitors; cadmium in computer batteries; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in older capacitors and transformers; and brominated flame retardants on printed circuit boards, plastic casings, cables and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cable insulation that release highly toxic dioxins and furans, (persistent organic pollutants, POPs) when burned to retrieve copper from the wires. Due to the hazards involved, disposing and recycling e-waste has serious legal and environmental implications. When this waste is deposited in landfills or incinerated, it poses significant contamination problems. Dump sites and landfills leach toxins into groundwater, and incinerators emit toxic air pollutants including dioxins. Likewise, the recycling of computers has serious occupational and environmental implications. Most ewaste repair, dismantling, recycling and materials recovery initiatives found in Lesotho are too small to realize huge profit margins; therefore they often cannot afford to take the necessary precautions to protect the environment and workers health. The toxic effects of some of these substances are given in table 20 below.

55

4.8.2 Environmental problems due to reuse or recycling and disposal of used EEE The environmental impacts associated with the disposal of e-waste into landfill include the leaching of toxins into groundwater, and the emission of toxic air pollutants, including dioxins and furans. A robust regulatory instrument can be developed and used to set standards and procedures for sustainable e-waste handling and for monitoring at e-waste management facilities, ensuring that any negative environmental impacts are minimised and/or mitigated for. 4.8.3 Identified Environmental Problems at Lithabaneng Scrap yard (LMSD) Air pollution: from rust aerosols forming dust in dismantling of rusty steel (workers were also not wearing their protective clothing particularly nose masks). Land-based pollution identified: (i) Waste is thrown all over the place and some are beginning to rust and corrode; and (ii) Leaching is also occurring with the potential to cause water pollution through run-off. 4.8.4 Labour and Health Impacts Although there is no data available on medical surveillance of workers in e-waste dismantling facilities in Lesotho, exposure to harmful materials was observed; therefore potential health, labour and environmental impacts were expected from the e-waste recycling process. These could, however, be minimised or mitigated through the adoption of appropriate operating procedures and policies as prescribed in the relevant legislation and guideline documents.

a) Labour Currently, e-waste recycling is a highly specialized activity requiring technical know-how especially in the dismantling process. However, any labour related impacts associated with the recycling process would be mitigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) which protects workers and ensures a safe and healthy working environment.

56

b) Health Handling e-waste could have direct and indirect impacts on human health. i. Direct impacts on human health may be caused by the following: Dust in indoor air generated in manual and mechanical dismantling processes (e.g. when processing plastics or CRT); Filter dust generated in the mechanical dismantling process; Noise emissions during the manual and mechanical dismantling process (hammering, shredders etc.); Deviations from occupational safety standards. For most of these direct impacts, the OHSA has defined MAL (Maximum Allowable Limit) values. Compliance with these values is intended to minimize the risk of adverse health effects.

57

Table 21: The Hazardous Substances, their Occurrence and their Impacts
Substance Source Environmental and Health Effect

Heavy Metals and other Metals Mercury

Fluorescent lamps providing backlighting in LCDs Alkaline batteries Mercury wetted switches and globes

Cadmium

Mobile phones NiCd rechargeable batteries Pigment in printer inks Fluorescent layer of CRT screens Photocopying machines (photo drums) Small quantities in the form of gallium arsenide within light emitting diodes Getters in CRT Power supply boxes which contain silicon controlled

Arsenic

Very volatile therefore during processing can easily get into the air Can also be easily deposited (dry and wet) into aquatic system Affects the functioning of the liver and kidney Attacks the central nervous system and if a pregnant woman is poisoned with it, the child is born with many disorders Its acute poisoning causes the person to lose the coordination of the limbs Interferes with the respiratory system because it interferes with uptake of oxygen in the blood Acutely poisonous and injurious to health on a long-term perspective Cadmium poisoning causes skeletal pains, anaemia, high blood pressure and kidney problems. Cadmium poisoning is very serious because the body has no mechanism to excrete it, so it can be retained for as long as the organism lives Acutely poisonous and on a long-term Perspective injurious to health May develop explosive gases (hydrogen) if wetted Harmful if inhaled

Barium Beryllium

Substance

Source

Environmental and Health Effect

Chromium VI

rectifiers Beam-line components Data tapes Floppy-disks Light-emitting diode injurious to health CRT screens Batteries Printed wiring Boards (LED) Acutely poisonous and injurious to health perspective Causes allergic Reactions Injurious to health on a long-term

Gallium arsenide Lead

Lithium

Li-batteries Fluorescent layer (CRT screen)

Causes damage to the nervous sys-tem, circulatory system, kidneys Toxic and more dangerous to young children, it impairs development of nervous system and causes learning disabilities in children Inhibits biosynthesis of proteins and that of haemoglobin hence anaemia is a sign of lead poisoning Lead poisoning symptoms include constipation, loss of appetite, pains in the joints but these symptoms are also diagnosed with fever hence lead poisoning can be detected at an advanced state. May develop explosive gases (hydrogen) if wetted Irritates skin and eyes

Rare earth elements ( Europium) Selenium Zinc sulphide

Older photocopying-machines (photo drums) The interior of a CRT screen mixed with rare earth metals

Exposure to high levels may cause adverse health effects Toxic when inhaled

Others
59

Substance

Source

Environmental and Health Effect

Toxic organic substances Toner Dust

Condensers Liquid crystal display (LCD) Toner cartridges for laser printers / Copiers Americium medical equipment, fire detectors Active sensing element in smoke detectors Propellants in spray cans Refrigerant and air conditioners gases Foaming agents for plastics

Health risk when dust is inhaled Risk of explosion May cause cancer when inhaled

Radioactive Substances

Chlorofluorocar bons (CFCs)

Deplete the ozone layer that protects earths surface from damaging ultraviolet radiation

60

ii.

Indirect impacts on human health may be caused by: Air pollution related to high-temperature used for melting metals and cutting using blow torches; Emissions due to transportation of e-waste materials; Contamination of water systems and soil near landfills often due to leachate.

The indirect impacts on human health are difficult to quantify, because of synergistic effects and the time-lag between exposure and reaction among other reasons. iii. Value added of e-waste handling A very small percentage of EEE imported, manufactured and sold in Lesotho, are found in the waste stream because most obsolete equipment, machines and appliances are stored in household storage spaces, industrial warehouses and offices. Recycling initiatives and takeback programmes could recover out-of-circulation computers for refurbishment thereby extending their life cycles, dismantling for recycling and/or, material recovery. Additional benefits of this system include associated job opportunities and income generation, a reduced e-waste stream and a reduction in negative impacts associated with e-waste disposal by landfill.

Table 22: Basel Convention characterization of e-waste Waste Type Hazardous characteristic Waste equipments containing CFCs Waste lead, Ni-Cd, mercury batteries and electrolysis liquid from waste batteries Electrical and electronic parts and equipments Waste equipment containing asbestos Waste equipment containing hazardous composition Hazardous components dismantled from waste equipments Toxic, eco toxic Toxic, eco toxic Toxic, eco toxic Toxic, eco toxic Toxic, eco toxic Toxic, eco toxic

4.9

Description of a Repair Process:

Table 23: Repair process necessary for reuse or recycling; EEE CRT Monitors REPAIR PROCESS Diagnose problem Check power supply, control circuit, CRT and receiving signal circuit Repair or change parts Return to user Check Power supply, Screen, Tuner, Sound, Control circuit, Wiring Repair or change parts Return to user Identifying problem (a) Software problem : Check virus Check OS, Application Software Format HDD screwdriver Install software/driver (b) Hardware problem : Check Power supply, Ram, Main board, HDD, VGA Card Repair or change parts or send to claim at distributor Return to user Identifying problems (a) Software problem: Identify Check virus Check OS, Application Software Format HDD or Flash BIOS Install software/driver (b) Hardware problem : Check Power supply, Regulator, Ram, Main board, HDD, Repair or change parts or send to TOOLS USED AND EQUIPMENTS

Multi-meter Screwdriver Soldering iron Multi-meter Screwdriver Oscilloscope Pliers Logic probe Screwdriver Pliers CD Program Oscilloscope Semi-conductor

LCD TV

Desktop PCs

Notebooks

Screwdriver Hot-air blower Soldering iron Voltage test screwdriver Pliers CD program, Multi-meter

62

Mobile phones

claim at distributor Return to user Identify problem and symptoms (a) Software problem Flash program/Update software

Refrigerators

AirConditioners

Washing machines

(b) Hardware problem Check battery, Battery pole, circuit, press button, wiring Repair or change parts or send to claim at distributor Update software Clean up Return to user Identify problem Check compressor, Diode, Motor, Refrigerant, Control circuit Repair or change parts or send to claim at distributor Fill refrigerant Test run Return to user Identify problem Check compressor, Motor, Refrigerant, Control circuit, refrigerant Repair or change parts or send to claim at distributor Fill refrigerant Clean up and Test run Return user Identify problem Check Motor, Rotor, Control circuit Repair or change parts or send to

Soldering iron Hot-air blower DC Power supply screwdriver CD program Pliers Small screwdriver Multi-meter PCB Battery Phone mask Internet Computer Soldering wire Screw Flash EE probe Refrigerant Welding equipment Hardware tools Multi-meter Soldering iron Refrigerant pump Vacuum pump Compressor Coil Screwdriver Clamp Multi-meter Hardware tool Pressure gauge Valve Seal Winding machine Electric motor Screwdriver Clamp Multi-meter
63

claim at distributor Clean up and Test run Return to user

Valve Hardware tool Pressure gauge Seal Winding machine Electric motor

4.10

Actions taken by manufacturers Manufacturers play a significant role in the environmentally sound management of e-waste. The role of manufacturers with respect to the supply of safe, fit-for-use EEE products is important, including product labeling and safe disposal at its end of life. This information was recorded, with recommendations that would encourage awareness of recycling and take-back initiatives as part of company social responsibility and extended producer responsibility. Manufacturers also have a role to reducing harmful and hazardous components in their EEE products. Lesotho only has a small fraction of EEE manufacturers as only 5.48% of EEE factories in Lesotho are manufacturers. For the fact that Lesotho is a developing country and for lack of legislation and enforcement of environmental law in Lesotho, most manufacturers are not implementing any environmentally sound management plans in their operations. However, most manufacturers tend to ensure safe disposal of their production residues by reusing them, recycling and selling them to waste collectors for safe disposal. The product scope for the current e-waste survey does not include all categories as defined by the EU WEEE Directive; however, more than half of the said categories were included. (Table 23)

64

Table 24: EEE Categories No. Category Lesotho Survey 1. 2. 3. Large household appliances (e.g. Washing machines, dryers, etc) Small household appliances (e.g. Hair dryers, toasters, etc) IT and telecommunication equipment (e.g. PCs, Mobiles, Faxes etc) 4. 5. 6. Consumer equipment (e.g. TVs, DVDs, Music Players etc) Lighting equipment (e.g. Tube lights, Bulbs etc) Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools) 7. 8. Toys, leisure and sports equipment Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products) 9. 10. Monitoring and control instruments Automatic dispensers

X X X X

When developing the regulatory tool to manage e-waste, Lesotho can give notice in the government gazette of the types of e-waste controlled by the regulation, but also provide for the extension of this list based on data collected of the amounts generated, extent of impact to human health and also based on the risks posed to the environment.

65

CHAPTER 5: MODEL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

5.1

Developing a Model Regulation for E-waste Management Currently, the Kingdom of Lesotho, like most African countries, shoulder the burden of dealing with e-waste; from administering a collection and recycling system, building landfills, or cleaning up dumped waste on the side of the road; taxpayers are currently the ones paying for the exploding costs of e-waste. An assessment of current legal regime was undertaken in order to further develop guidelines and regulatory regimes, with instructions, to influence e-waste management from source of generation, during transportation, on dismantling, recycling operations, import and export of used and waste EEE and final disposal of residues in authorized facilities (the entire value chain). This regulatory regime would take into consideration all relevant national policies and regulations and ensure alignment, including international treaties such as the Basel Convention and Bamako Convention and sustainable consumption and development. In developing policies and the regulatory regime, the following issues should be considered: Roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders along the EEE value chain; Coordination of e-waste management and administration capacity of various relevant ministries and government agencies; Pollution prevention and reduction in the whole life cycle of products; Ban on the import of the certain category of waste, in particular, containing chemicals that are listed under various international treaties; Restrictions on the use of hazardous substances, with preference to using green product design; Technical policies for pollution prevention and control on home electronic appliance and electrical waste;

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Developing Technical standards for the collection, transportation, storage, dismantling, treatment and disposal of e-waste; and Strengthening the environmental management of e-waste to ensure environmental sound practices in waste collection and treatment.

Included in this instruction is the obligation to report waste generated, transported and disposed in duly authorized landfill sites. The model e-Waste regulation would set minimum standards for collection, storage, handling, recycling, dismantling, and disposal of e-waste and resultant residues. Guidelines will be developed for e-waste management along the value chain. 5.2 Motivation for the Regulations Lesotho has experienced an increase in the use of electronic and electrical equipment and appliances for simple daily use and for special needs. Once such equipment and appliances reach their end-of life, they are often discarded and thrown in rubbish bins for disposal with general waste at landfill sites. A fraction of these can be reused or repaired to original functionality while others are stripped of their parts for selling at scrap metal markets. Used electronic products are the most rapidly growing problem in Lesotho waste stream due to their quantity and toxicity. Electronic wastes, such as televisions, computers and computer components, contain toxic substances, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, lithium, brominated flame retardants, phosphorous coatings, and PVC plastics that create dioxins when burned. Light bulbs, in particular, florescent tubes contain mercury, if broken mercury vapour is dispersed in the air posing a threat to human health and the environment. Challenges identified through the assessment program include the following: There were no e-waste data sets available because data capture was not practiced; therefore, the extent of problem was unknown; There was inherent difficulty in identifying obsolete products from functional products;

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Health and environmental impacts resulting from e-waste dismantling and recycling activities are not currently measured; Legal instruments, standards, guidelines and technical know-how were not available for stakeholders to access; and There was a general lack of awareness on the toxic nature of e-waste and its impacts on human health and the environment.

It is against this background that MTEC acknowledges that the establishment of a system to provide for the collection and recycling of electronic devices in Lesotho is consistent with its duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of Basotho people, enhance and maintain the quality of the environment, conserve natural resources and prevent air, water and land pollution. These regulations will allow the Ministry to have an oversight on the management, collection, illegal dumping, importation and disposal of e-waste. The e-waste regulations will also establish an extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanism that mandates manufacturers, and not consumers or government, to take responsibility for the environmentally safe management of their electrical and electronic equipment and appliances when they are obsolete, no longer useful or are discarded. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) gives the manufacturers the financial responsibility for managing their old products, giving them a strong incentive to redesign their products to remove the hazardous materials that make recycling challenging and expensive. It is envisaged that manufacturers will conduct further research and development in the area of material substitution, looking for safe and accessible alternatives to toxic substances. These regulations will also provide mechanisms that prohibit the export of toxic electronic waste from developed countries to developing countries like Lesotho in line with the law in all of Europe which makes it illegal to ship hazardous waste from any EU country to developing nations in line with the provisions of the Basel Convention. Certain requirements will be set in order to promote high levels of e-waste collection through takeback initiatives driven by the industry and encourage drop-off initiatives driven by

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communities. These efforts would divert more e-waste, out of landfills and into the hands of recyclers and refurbishers for further processing or selling components to the markets. 5.3 Goals and Objectives Goals and objectives of establishing regulatory instruments are the following: To develop regulatory instruments for managing waste EEE from source of generation, through value chain to final disposal; To ensure that environmental factors are considered in the decision making process while likely adverse human health and environmental impacts are identified and minimized. Develop e-waste management tools: Register of e-waste handlers, permits for handling e-waste and for operating facilities, standards, guidelines, data capture, and auditing tools; Establish extended producer responsibility regulations and enforce obsolete product take-back; Develop e-waste information management system and data reporting; and Develop enforcement tools with appropriate penalties

Activities to be regulated are the following: 5.4 Electrical and electronic equipment and appliance manufacturing and production; Import and export activities of both product including Transboundary movement of e-waste; Collection and storage of e-waste; Dismantling, Repair/refurbishment; Recycling; and Disposal. E-Waste Management Considerations Implementation of sound environmental management of e-waste is based on premise that ewaste management can be planned in advance because the nature, source, composition and
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quantities of e-waste generated has been assessed and can be predicted. The following sections will deal with various stages of electrical and electronic equipment along the value chain as it becomes obsolete and classified as e-waste. The following problems were identified: The electrical and electronic equipment and appliances purchased do not last very long, they often break with no one to fix them, with some consumers finding it easier to buy new ones than repair the old ones; Electrical and electronic equipment contain many toxic materials; More e-waste is thrown away than recycled; Toxic components in electrical and electronic equipment and poor design make ewaste hard to recycle; Most recyclers overseas export the products to developing countries with no worker safety or environmental protections as donations to bridge the digital divide. 5.4.1 E-Waste Generation

As Lesothos economy increase in size and diversity, there is an increase in procurement of electrical and electronic equipment and appliances for household use, commerce, manufacturing, health care, and transportation etc., as a reflection of the economic status of society. However, the more affluent the society, there is concomitant increase in generation of various waste streams per capita. An assessment conducted has indicated that there is currently no sound management of ewaste in Lesotho. Most e-waste generated is disposed in illegal dumps and the landfill site where is it salvaged for recycling. The lack of education, awareness and guidelines on handling, storage and disposal of obsolete electrical and electronic equipment has allowed for dumping of e-waste with general waste destined for collection to the landfill site.

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5.4.2 E-Waste Handling and Dismantling Obsolete electrical and electronic equipment is often stored in household cupboards, offices and industrial warehouses until they are shifted to another storage area or discarded as more space is required for other uses. When discarded, they can be picked up by scavengers and waste recyclers and dismantled and/or sold for scrap. Currently, there are no guidelines, standards or legal requirements for any person or facility to dismantle and operate an e-waste facility. There is no official registry and database of ewaste dismantling facilities in Lesotho. Without such important data, it is not possible to educate facility owners and workers on occupational health and safety considerations, and environmental impacts that may occur if best environmental practices are not applied. 5.4.3 E-Waste Recycling and Recovery After municipal and private vehicles offload discarded electrical and electronic equipment waste at the sites groups of men and women, start salvaging recyclable materials from the general waste. Electrical and electronic equipment have toxic components which may have an impact on human health and the environment. These products are dismantled and separated using such crude rudimentary and toxic technologies exposing workers and communities to many highly toxic chemicals, smoke, bad odour, dust, etc. The price for a recyclable commodity is a strong driving force influencing the amount of that commodity that is recycled. Furthermore, the value of potentially recyclable materials is dependent upon the demand for the materials. Demand is affected by the number and types of manufacturing operations that use recycled materials, and the demand for the final product. Prices for recovered materials have fluctuated widely, rising in 2006 to all-time highs in 2008.In late 2008, prices plummeted sharply in the fallout from global economic meltdown. These price fluctuations significantly affected the stability of recovered material commodity markets.

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The reclaimers are currently not formalized or registered to operate and this makes recycling activities inefficient. Furthermore, prices for recyclables are also not fixed and this leads to confusion and mistrust between reclaimers and companies who buy back these commodities, and possible exploitation of the reclaimers who are not knowledgeable about market forces. MTEC should provide an enabling environment that would enhance recycling activities in a formalized way, namely, establish recycling or take-back centres operated in accordance with best environmental practice using best available techniques. However, these activities should be regulated; necessary guidelines and standards, best available technologies should be applied to protect workers and the environment. 5.4.4 Product Repair and Refurbishment Refurbishers in Lesotho consists of small enterprises that repair broken electronic and electrical equipment and appliances that extend the life time of equipments and feed the second hand market. Some of dismantled parts feed into this industry as spare parts. Unwanted e-waste residues are discarded with the general waste stream to the landfill site. 5.4.5 Ban Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Landfills A concept of Zero e-waste to landfill should be legally adopted and enforced. Provision in the law should be made to prohibit disposal of electronic and electrical equipment with general waste and encourage recycling activities. Provision is made to prohibit manufacturer, retailer, or owner or operator of an electronic equipment collection site in the country from disposing of electronic equipment at a solid waste management facility or hazardous waste management facility; No person should be allowed to place or dispose of any electronic equipment in any solid waste management facility, or place electronic equipment for collection which is intended for disposal at a solid waste management facility or hazardous waste management facility, including waste-to-energy facilities in this state. Persons engaged in the collection of solid

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waste for delivery to a solid waste management facility shall provide written information to users of such facility on the proper methods for the recycling of electronic equipment; An owner or operator of a solid waste management facility or hazardous waste management facility has an obligation to educate users of such facility on the proper methods for the management of eligible electronic equipment. Such education shall including provision of written information to users of such facility on the proper methods for recycling of eligible electronic equipment. 5.4.6 Restrict Transboundary Movement of e-Waste and Border Control Lesotho is a signatory to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), a body which facilitates trade for Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Tariffs for certain goods have been relaxed, making it easier for border control to allow imported and exported goods a smooth passage through these countries. This has made the borders porous, as more control is relaxed and there is less inspection of goods coming into Lesotho, with consequential illegal traffic of controlled goods and materials across the border. Furthermore, it is not possible for border control personnel to differentiate cargo of obsolete computers and new ones because they all come packed in boxes; unless there is physical assessment of each unit. It is therefore easier to transport obsolete electronic and electrical equipment and appliances across the border without detection as e-waste. Transboundary movement of hazardous waste is a notifiable activity that is controlled under the Basel Convention, requiring prior consent from the receiving country to accept waste. In most cases, this procedure is not followed; therefore it is the intension of this regulation to provide legal tools to control this activity. In controlling products such as obsolete computers from developed countries exported to Lesotho for bridging the digital divide, the following can be provided for on the regulations: exporter must send notification to the competent authority in Lesotho 60 days prior to export;
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notification may cover export over a 12 month or lesser period; the Competent Authority forwards the notification to transit and Importing country; the Competent Authority notifies exporter of consent or denial by Countries because export cannot proceed without consent of Countries involved; and the exporter should be obligated to use the same packaging and labeling requirements as for Domestic shipment, using developed country standards.

The Competent Authority should also put in place mechanism to identify such goods, making sure that they are destined to the correct address as intended in the notification. The United States of America has not ratified the Basel Convention; therefore opening doors for Transboundary movement of hazardous waste, including e-waste to developing countries. The USEPA has developed a draft bill called HR 2284/S1270, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act that addresses export of EEE to developing countries, if they agree to receive it. It gives guidance to the industry sector and identifies what may and may not be exported to developing countries. These are listed in the following paragraphs: a) What may be exported to developing countries: Equipment and parts may be exported for reuse if they are tested and found to be fully functional; Non-working equipment covered by a manufacturer warranty being sent to the original manufacturer or component manufacturer for warranty repair center for warranty repairs; Products subject to a recall (like the recent laptop battery recall) where return of the product to the manufacturer is required; Processed leaded glass cullet (crushed glass from cathode ray tubes) which has been cleaned and prepared as feedstock into a glass-to-glass recycling plant in a country that does not classify it as a hazardous waste; Material streams (metals, glass, plastics) from e-waste that does not contain any of the listed toxic chemicals.
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b) What may not be exported to developing countries: Used electronic equipment or parts containing listed toxic chemicals, that are not fully functional, or are not tested; and Shredded material derived from electronic equipment containing listed toxic chemicals; It is therefore imperative that MTEC put in place necessary safeguards that prohibit importation of non-functional EEE into Lesotho, including surveillance mechanism, strengthening its inspectorate to identify prohibited goods. Currently, Lesotho is receiving shipment of used computers exported from Ireland for Camara, an educational organisation that distributes them to needy schools in Lesotho. They presented their closed-loop strategy that ensures that non-functional computers are sent back to the country of origin (Ireland) for final disposal (Annexure A). 5.5 Compliance and Enforcement The law should provide for the development of guidelines and control measures to meet the obligations set out in the regulation. Therefore all stakeholders should apply duty of care and protect human health and the environment. Enforcement measures with appropriate penalties have to be meted out should there be evidence of contraventions or noncompliance. 5.6 Planning and Finance Considerations Establishment of an e-Waste Management Fund is hereby proposed as an important solution to finance all activities relating to e-waste management, including the following: Education and awareness of the public and e-waste handlers; Promote recycling activities; Promote research and development in risk assessment; Data collection and maintenance of the Waste Information System, and,
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 5.7

Rehabilitation of contaminated sites. Recommendations

An integrated approach to e-waste management will benefit both the e-waste industry and its stakeholders, the citizens of the country and the environment. It is imperative that robust regulatory instruments are developed to manage the industry and protect the environment. Measures have to be taken to promote compliance and level of enforcement through reporting, site visits and auditing. The developed partnerships with stakeholders will enhance cooperation, encourage duty of care and improve awareness and education on the hazardousness and risks posed by handling e-waste. There is a need to strengthen and build the capacity of the Licensing Authority, the Inspectorate and other government agencies and enhance institutional empowerment and skills development to meet its obligations. There is an increasing trend in e-waste generation in Lesotho; therefore there should be concomitant readiness to meet the challenge of the next decade. There are emerging opportunities for job creation, new skills development and new technologies that can be applied for sound management of e-waste. Additional revenue streams can be obtained from Licensing, new enterprise development in the sector, and penalties for non-compliance with the law.

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CHAPTER 6: PLANNING AND MOBILISATION OF FUNDS

6.1

An Assessment of the capacity to deliver a sustainable e-waste management An assessment of the capacity of MTEC to deliver sustainable e-waste management was undertaken, including looking at the organizational structure of MTEC, department of Environment. The following information is considered important in order to understand institutional arrangements within MTEC -department of Environment to support e-waste management: Organisational structure, namely which department(s) are responsible for policy development, and who are responsible for enforcement, regulation, strategy formulation, contractual agreements, standards development, guidelines and strategy for implementation of e-waste management plans; Local government structures responsible for waste collection, transportation and disposal of the waste to the landfill site; and Number of people directly and indirectly involved in rendering waste management services. Where employees have shared responsibilities, the percentage of time spent on waste management activities. An organogram for MTEC-department of Environment is depicted below (Figure 24)

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Director

Principal Environment Officer-EIA

Principal Environment OfficerEnvironmental Planning

Principal Environment Officer-Outreach and Training

Senior Environment Officer-Pollution Control

Senior Environment OfficerPrograms

Senior Environment Officer-Data

Senior Environment officer

10 District Environment Officers

Senior Environment Officer

Environment Officer

Environment Officer

Environment Officer

2 Environment Officers

Figure 11: MTEC Organogram Due to limited timeframe of the project, it was not possible to analyse individual job descriptions, skill base and their direct control, authority and delegation in waste management. Furthermore, there was no opportunity to analyse the number of people assigned within the waste management units in local government and skills base to deliver e-waste services efficiently. Initial assessment indicates that general waste collection service was inadequate, leaving man households to manage their waste by burning and burying it, and further increasing air, land and potential water pollution. Therefore with an added function of managing hazardous e-waste and its components MTEC would require human, financial and technical resources for sound management of e-waste. The following activities have been recommended to further undertake a comprehensive assessment of the organizational capacity to manage e-waste efficiently: Capacity building and skilling of personnel to meet the various challenges posed by e-waste management; Define roles and responsibilities of personnel in the department; Assess available skills (skills audit) and required skills for officials; provide training where essential skills are lacking; and
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 6.2

Design an effective Organogram that meets the needs of the Ministry, if necessary. Capacity Building Education and Awareness Plan

MTEC should develop Standards which would set the tone for various activities relating to the responsibilities of municipalities in the development of an environmental awareness program; therefore it is important that the district develops plans to meet those goals. Community involvement is at the success of this plan; it is important to create an environment conducive to participation of all interested parties within the area and accommodate external stakeholders. This approach will bring together all stakeholders with the common objective of identifying challenges and corresponding solutions to solve problems relating to waste management. It is also information sharing platform to enrich communities with knowledge, establish consensus, and building a critical mass of people who understand environmental and waste issues in general. Therefore it is important to establish a strong relationship with the key waste management stakeholders and partners, particularly from the industry, business and academic institutions. 6.3 Mobilisation of Funds for e-Waste Management Programmes For any strategy to be implemented successfully, funds have to be allocated annually for priority activities identified in the short-, medium- and long-term implementation. The development of a financial plan will include funding mechanisms required to achieve goals and objective at each level of the e-waste management hierarchy (4Rs). This plan will show where funds will be coming from, partnerships to be explored to achieve goals at the shortmedium- and long-term. 6.3.1 Resource Provision, Funding and Performance Management Human resources, financial and technical know-how should be provided to meet the challenges posed by unsustainable e-waste management in Lesotho. A funding plan should have, at the minimum the following: Full cost accounting of activities to be undertaken, their costs along the value chain;
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Potential sources of funding; and A cost recovery strategy (including the use of polluter pay principle).

6.3.2 Defining Potential Partnerships This is required as a mechanism for providing services and facilities required for e-waste management. Such partnerships may include privatepublic partnerships, publicpublic partnerships, and involvement of NGOs. The objectives of each partnership have to be clearly defined, including the roles and responsibilities of each partner, their contribution to the partnership and the exit strategy should be developed. This will create an environment of achieving a common goal and create mutual benefits. Partnerships with EEE manufacturers and the implementation of extended producer responsibility will assist MTEC with the necessary technical and financial support to manage e-waste in a sustainable manner. Lesotho, as a party to the Basel Convention, should identify international programmes and partners that will benefit its national programmes to achieve set goals and also comply with the prescripts of the Basel Convention.

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CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION

7.1

Conclusion on Survey Results There is an increasing trend in e-waste generation in Lesotho; therefore there should be concomitant readiness to meet the challenge of the next decade. There are emerging opportunities for job creation, new skills development and new technologies that can be applied for sound management of e-waste. Additional revenue streams can be obtained from Licensing, new enterprise development in the sector, and penalties for non-compliance with the law. An assessment of the sources, amount and geographical spread of e-waste was undertaken concurrently with the development of this model regulation. Official data collection and management is essential to track e-waste from point of generation to final disposal and concomitant planning and execution of the law. While collection of such data may be obtained from industry sector which is often reluctant to share such information as it is part of confidential business information, inspectors are empowered by law to inspect premises, undertake audits, collect information and recommend prosecution of facility owners and operators that violate the law. Inspectors and other line function personnel should be given appropriate training on e-waste issues in order to meet anticipated challenges.

7.2

Planning and Finance Considerations Establishment of an e-Waste Management Fund can be proposed as an important solution to finance all activities relating to e-waste management, including the following: Education and awareness of the public and e-waste handlers; Promote recycling activities; Promote research and development in risk assessment; Data collection and maintenance of the Waste Information System, and,

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Rehabilitation of contaminated sites.

The outcomes of this project will assist the ministry to develop appropriate waste management systems and build management capacity in order to maximize efficiency in ewaste management, minimize environmental impacts and associated financial costs. The implementation of the plan will lead to a healthier and cleaner environment that is able to sustain an improved quality of life for all. 7.3 Summary of Major Survey Findings E-waste in Lesotho is, no doubt, a growing problem that requires an integrated approach, to meet the challenges on the ground. Planning for waste data collection is important for understanding the extent of the problem. Therefore MTEC should lay the foundation and enabling environment for data collection, analysis, verification and dissemination. A market supply method (Assessment Manual, Vol. I) was used to estimate e-waste generated per annum since there were constraints in data collection, namely, no data availability and the samples were collected from informal sector which, by its nature, does not consistently collect data. Therefore this estimation depended on the lifespan of EEE where the average life determines consumer behavior for downstream market. Assumptions made were the following: All EEE sold became obsolete at the end of their lifespan; and All obsolete EEE were not in storage, but removed from consumers for processing.

Data collected from the survey indicated that more than 18 tons/annum of e-waste were generated as residues from repair shops. The map (figure 19) shows distribution per district and per stakeholder sampled. About 31% was reused parts, 15% was recycled and 54 were disposed at landfill sites (Table 20). Therefore the bulk of repair shop e-waste generated ends up at landfill sites. This calls for MTEC to look for an environmentally sound management of e-waste, also generating markets for residues which can still be used by downstream industry, developing new skills and technology in e-waste management.
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More works still needs to be done to identify the extent if negative impacts on workers in informal e-waste trade, scavengers, and the environment. Survey data could not show any illegal traffic in used e-waste components; therefore measures should be taken to identify current and future of import of WEEE, in particular, identifying sources of this waste, including waste streams, country of origin and amounts imported into the country, and legal issues (illegal traffic or through the Basel Convention). Supporting standards for the level of repair and refurbishment of used EEE for reuse or recycling has to be developed to ensure safe use of refurbished products, reducing harmful radiation, especially coming from refurbished mobile phones.

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CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS

8.1

Recommendations An integrated approach to e-waste management will benefit both the e-waste industry and its stakeholders, the citizens of the country and the environment. It is imperative that robust regulatory instruments are developed to manage the industry and protect the environment. Measures have to be taken to promote compliance and level of enforcement through reporting, site visits and auditing. The development of partnerships with stakeholders will enhance cooperation, encourage duty of care and improve awareness and education on the hazardousness and risks posed by handling e-waste. The role of manufacturers with respect to the product redesign, supply of safe and fit-foruse EEE products is important, including product labeling and safe disposal at its end of life. This information will be recorded, with recommendations that would encourage awareness of recycling and take-back initiatives as part of company social responsibility and extended producer responsibility. Manufacturers also have a role to reducing harmful and hazardous components in their EEE products. Illegal dumping of e-waste was on the rise. Local government, by default, is becoming responsible for electronics discarded on roadsides and in dump sites. Once EEE is determined to be hazardous and banned from landfill disposal, local government would become the default agency for both collection and cleanup for illegally dumped EEE. Local government is faced with uncertain end markets, high transportation and collection costs, and lack of funding to manage these wastes. The financing of electronic collection events and permanent collection facilities is a burden for local government that could be shared with participating EEE manufacturers, importers and retailers in extended producer responsibility programme. Respondents are looking to the MTEC to provide grants, both to local government and nonprofit agencies that refurbish computers. Local government needs money for public education, as well as assistance with literature development and distribution. Several
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respondents would like to see the MTEC take the lead and develop a country-wide e-waste education campaign. Local governments want MTEC to advocate on their behalf for extended producer responsibility (EPR) to: Reduce toxicity of products. Reduce resources consumed in the manufacturing process. Design products for durability, repair, and recycling. Develop take-back programs that shift end-of-life management from local government to manufacturers and retailers. EEE recycling disposal should be paid at the point of purchase, not at the point of disposal. The final users of EEE often have few financial resources and limited ability to pay for disposal or other processing. End markets are a high priority. Agencies or industry sector operating e-waste collection programs are concerned about their waste generator liability, and they request mechanisms to ensure that e-waste recyclers are handling materials in an environmentally responsible manner. Program operators are concerned with liability associated with both smelters and overseas shipment, and they would like to see development of a legal framework to manage e-waste industry. Stakeholders agreed on the need for development of more markets, especially local markets. E-waste collection facilities wanted to be notified of new processing facilities as they open. A phased approach to regulation that would allow time for development of guidance and implementation strategies, as well as education and outreach is preferred and recommended. Some respondents questioned if disposal of EEE in landfills is a threat to the environment and would like to see additional studies on hazardous chemicals such as lead leaching in landfills and their possible impacts on ground water.

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Residents look to local government to help them get rid of their e-waste and have voiced their concerns and objections to charges for recycling and/or properly disposing of EEE, especially of historical e-waste. Local government may not be able to afford to subsidize diversion costs associated with separation and sorting of e-waste at source and transportation of e-waste to collection centres or recycling facilities. Who will pay for ewaste management initiatives remains the big question. Legislative solutions for producer responsibility and/or advanced recycling fees are widely supported. Many suggest that manufacturers, distributors, and retailers should take these materials back. Responsibility for disposal should remain with the manufacturer and those who profit from the product sales. The government should also explore opportunities to partner with manufacturers and retailers to provide recycling services. EEE recycling and disposal should be paid at the point of purchase, not at the point of disposal. The final users of EEE often have few financial resources and limited ability to pay for disposal or other e-waste processing. If the cost were built into the purchase of new EEE, it would further encourage proper recycling. Funds from the fee could help finance new eco-friendly programmes, build recycling infrastructure; offset collection, reuse, and recycling costs; and foster market development. MTEC as e-waste programme implementers would need a mechanism to ensure that recyclers are handling materials in an environmentally responsible manner. Requests should be made to industry stakeholders to access environmental compliance reports and for a certification process for e-waste recyclers. Local governments should have tools to assist them in enforcing the law. The survey also showed a concern for the long-term liability associated with smelters in Lesotho and the desire to see development of a strong scrap metal recycling capacity. The MTEC needs to continue working with industry to develop end markets for EEE and other e-waste components. End markets should be aggressively promoted for end products including glass, plastic, and metals to create jobs, and enhance technology innovation.

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The costs of EEE recycling programs cannot be absorbed into solid waste or household hazardous waste programs. Increasing taxes or fees is often not an acceptable solution due to the fiscal constraints and ratepayer fatigue. Often, the final users of electronic equipment have limited financial means and may be unable or unwilling to pay a disposal fee for recycling. Of the agencies that charge for collection of EEE most stated that they were not recovering the actual costs of the programs. The survey results showed that most government respondents saw a correlation between end-of-life fees and illegal disposal. Rural areas are particularly vulnerable to illegal dumping. EEE are being hidden in loads of trash and dumped along rural roadways, open fields, and dump sites; and left at pawn shops and television repair shops. Governments and nongovernmental organizations should work together to improve local recycling capabilities in new markets and identify potential vendors, assess whether they meet all standards and policies, and require them to put plans in place to address any gaps in their approach. There is a need to strengthen and build the capacity of the Licensing Authority, the Inspectorate and other government agencies and enhance institutional empowerment and skills development to meet its obligations. Baseline data has shown that Lesotho produces a small amount of e-waste that needs proper handling in order to reduce potential harm to the workers and the public in general, including negative impacts to the environment. It was also discovered that there is a growing interest to expand the e-waste recycling business, improving the capacity to provide employment, improving skills and technical knowledge and working in a safe environment. Therefore there is a need for government to provide an enabling environment to meet these objectives. Mass flow diagrams have shown that most EEE are in storage places in households, offices, industrial warehouses and institutions because there is still a belief that they are valuable. Most stakeholders consulted were not aware of the hazardousness and toxic effects of e87

waste until the survey was undertaken. MTEC could, therefore, build on the current awareness environment, however small, to enhance the campaign to release stored nonfunctional and broken and obsolete EEE for take back and recycling. While the recycling component of e-waste was small in Lesotho, there is an opportunity to grow this sector to encourage job creation, skills development and technical knowledge. Due to hazard risks, MTEC should manage this sector through its legal tools, and further empower these stakeholders through the Basel Convention programmes that advocate for ESM and application of best available technologies and best environmental practices (BAT/BEP). Establishing viable partnerships with the industry sector is therefore encouraged for funding and technology transfer purposes. Repairing and refurbishing of EEE is already occurring in order to lengthen the life of electrical and electronic equipment. This is an indication that there were available technical skills in the country from which to grow and expand this sector. Enablers would include formalization of the sector through registration with the licensing authority, further improvement of skills base while entrenching environmentally sound business practices to protect workers, the public and the environment. Separation of waste at source or point of generation will ensure that no e-waste enter the general waste stream destined for disposal at landfill sites. Therefore a robust awareness campaign targeting households, schools, large education institutions, business sector and government sector is recommended as a basic tool for e-waste management. MTEC should build from existing initiatives as articulated in section 97 of the Environmental Act, 2008. Take-back initiatives by the industry sector, in particular, product manufacturers will remove e-waste from the environment, reducing illegal dumping and disposal at landfill sites. MTEC should target those companies that already implement take-back programmes and have established drop-off centres. With healthy partnerships, it would be possible to expand drop-off centres and collection systems and possibly remove historical e-waste. Waste data collection is important for planning and executing appropriate responses to problems on the ground. However, the survey found that there was no e-waste data capture
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and management throughout the local administrators in the districts. MTEC should establish a Waste Information System to capture data for planning, adequate allocation of human and financial resources and efficient management of e-waste. The legal framework to empower inspectors to collect this information is already provided under section 41 of the Environmental Act, 2008, (Act 10 of 2008). MTEC will be able to quantify and report on e-waste generated, transported from source of generation, recycled, treated and scrap and precious metals sold, and residues disposed of in landfill sites. As a waste management tool, waste information system will be used for decision-making in enforcement measures. This data collection system will also be used for the following: Identifying areas where e-waste is generated and hotspots, Gather data on e-waste and monitor trends in e-waste generation, recycling rates, take-back initiatives, dismantling trends, import/export, etc.; Location of drop-off centres, landfill sites and illegal dumpsites; Important data can be used for full cost accounting; and Consolidation of all information collected for reporting, for example, into the state of environment report. WIS involves the participation of all spheres of government, therefore strengthening cooperative governance.

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REFERENCES

1. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal 2. Bureau of Statistics, 2010: Statistical Yearbook 2010, National Statistical System of Lesotho, Statistical Report No 12:2009 3. Bureau of Statistics, 2012: Environment and Energy Statistics Report 2011, Statistical Reports NO. 12:2012 4. Bureau of Statistics, 2011: National Accounts of Lesotho 2001-2010. National Statistical System of Lesotho: Statistical Reports No 32:2011 5. Bureau of Statistics, 2010: Ministry of Finance and Development Planning: Statistical Yearbook, 2010. 6. Bureau of Statistics, 2012. Environment and Energy Statistics Report 2011 Statistical Report: No. 12:2012 7. Bureau of Statistics, Census, 2006 8. EMPA, 2009: e-Waste Assessment Methodology Manual, (13 October 2009, v0.4 Draft) EMPA. 9. EMPA, 2012: Where are WEEE in Africa? Pan-Africa Forum on E-waste held between 14 - 16 March, 2012, Technology & Society Lab, EMPA. 10. Environment Act, 2008 (Act 10 of 2008). 11. EPA, 2011: Summary of HR 2284/S1270, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). 12. European Commission: Restriction of Hazardous Substances, Directive 2002/95/EC of The European Parliament. 13. e-WASA, 2004: E-Waste Assessment In South Africa: A Case Study of The Gauteng Province Draft Report. 14. E-WASA, 2008: E-Waste Assessment South Africa. 15. GOL, Draft Hazardous Waste Management Report and Legislation (BILL AND REGULATIONS), pg 22 16. National Environment Policy 1996 (NEP): www.ecs.co.sz/env leg lesothoenvpolicy.htm. 17. National Environment Secretariat; State of the Environment in Lesotho, 1997,pg 182
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18. NES: State of the Environment in Lesotho. P 182] 19. StEP, Solving the E-waste Problem: www.step-initiative.org 20. UNEP: E-Waste, Volume I: Inventory Assessment Manual. Division o1f Technology, Industry and Economics International Environmental Technology Centre, Osaka/Shiga. 21. UNEP: E-Waste, Volume II: E-Waste Management Manual. Division of Technology, Industry and Economics International Environmental Technology Centre, Osaka/Shiga. 22. World Bank, 1999: Solid Waste Landfills in Middle- and Lower-Income Countries: A Technical Guide to Planning, Design and Operation. World Bank Technical Paper No. 426. Washington D.C.

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ANNEXURE A

Annexure A: Case Study: SchoolNet-Camara Digital Hub

1.

INTRODUCTION SchoolNet-Camara Digital Hub was established to effectively promote the use of ICTs in teaching and learning. SchoolNet-Camara Digital Hub is a partnership between SchoolNet (Lesotho) and Camara which came into being in 2008. SchoolNet is a non-profit organization established to promote the use of computers and related technologies in promoting teaching and learning in Lesotho schools while Camara is an Irish charity organization established to assist African schools to use computer-related technologies in promoting education. The word Camara was borrowed from West Africa and means the one who teaches with experience. The partnership between Dell in the United Kingdom has been driven by the core belief that education is the key for people to break the cycle of poverty they find themselves in and if properly used, ICT can be harnessed to education quality and access.

2.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES SchoolNet-Camara has been established to achieve the following objectives: To provide affordable computer hardware and software to schools and other institutions for educational purposes; To provide maintenance and support on computer hardware and software supplied to schools; To refurbish computer hardware sourced from different organizations, locally and beyond Lesothos borders; To provide recycling and disposal services for computers that are obsolete in an environmentally friendly manner; To develop, adapt and commission educational software appropriate to Lesotho educational needs;
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To train teachers, students and administrators in ICT applications and classroom integration; and To provide internationally recognized certification for training provided by the hubs, including training of refurbishers and dismantlers.

3.

PROJECT BENEFICIARIES Schools that are registered with the Ministry of Education and Training acquire these computers and their staff are sent to the hub for initial training on software and hardware. Computer laboratories are set up in partnership with Nedbank and Vodacom. Other than schools, there are courses for different groups such as youth who intend to pursue ICT learning. The hub distributes and sells these computers to schools at very low and affordable prices.

4.

ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AT SCHOOLNETCAMARA HUB The Hubs objectives include refurbishing computer hardware sourced from different organizations, locally and beyond Lesotho borders while also providing recycling and environmentally sound disposal services when computers become obsolete. In fulfilling the above objectives, the Hub runs a refurbishment centre, waste management facilities and a training centre. They also go to their beneficiaries frequently to monitor their equipment and to ensure that they are still usable. Camara does not allow any of their beneficiaries to do any disposal of their equipment; when the equipment they have distributed becomes obsolete they collect it and export it back to Ireland for disposal. Other users other than Camara beneficiaries also bring their obsolete equipments for refurbishment or disposal.

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5. Flow of Refurbished Computers and Accessories Distributed By Schoolnet Camara Programme

Producers & Exporters: Dell & Partners, Ireland, UK

Obsolete computers exported back to Ireland

Refurbished & used computers and ICT accessories for export to Lesotho

Malfunctioning computers sent to Camara for refurbishment

CAMARA, Lesotho:
Refurbished Computers received. Checked for functionality and certified

Computers sent to Schools and other beneficiaries for use

Camara: St Monicas Lesotho (Sacred Heart Premises) Database. Types used of EEE Country of Quantities of Imported Origin Imported Used Computers 1. Switch Ireland May 2008-350 computers storeroom (Undistributed) 40 Distribute to schools and Reassemble Purpose for importing Processes done on the equipment arrival on its

in used computers

imported

NGOs at affordable prices (CRT at M750.00 and Flat screen at M1000.00) 2. Monitors Ireland July 2008-500 For computer training at the Upgrade and repair centre (35 computers) There is also a testing centre where examinations are held (35 computers) 3. Printers 4. Scanners 5. Computers 6. Network cables Ireland Ireland Ireland Nov 2008-210 2009-310 2010-447 2011-2012-nil

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To date, the centre has not yet received back any obsolete items that they distributed to clients hence the amount of waste they produce is not yet known. They only start operating in 2008 and most of their distributed products are estimated to have a lifespan of five years hence the approximate amount of e-waste they produce will only be known after about five years. There is also a decommissioning area for obsolete parts from repairs and dismantling, the parts are sorted according to components e.g. cover, panels, etc and put into boxes.

ANNEXURE B

Annexure B: Questionnaires

QUESTIONNAIRE 1-COLLECTORS

Our Reference: EW/ENV/C-01/12 RESPONDENT/POSITION/CONTACTS 1. GENERATION OF E-WASTE Question Which types of used EEE do you collect? Do you pay for it or it is given free of charge? Where do you collect it/ what are your possible generators of e-waste? E.g. households, Response Yes/No COMPANY NAME /OFFICE

industries, institutions etc. Give figures of approximate amount of used EEE waste you receive. List of items and quantity per item. 2. PROCESSING (REPAIR/ REASSEMBLING AND DISMANTLING) OF USED EEE What do you do with the used EEE at your company? i.e what do you collect the used EEE for? Do you have a special storeroom for the used EEE at your premises or do you store it on the soil? Do you take all used EEE brought to you or you sort it, take only the valuables and discard the non-valuables?

If so, what do you do with the non-valuables e.g. plastic covers of EEE? Do you do any processing (repair, reassemble or dismantle) on the used EEE before transferring it to the next stakeholder? If so, please give details of your processing. In the processing of used EEE what safety measures are ensured? E.g. safety clothing, extraction fans etc. Also give details of what you do with the residue of the processing (e.g. reuse, burn, disposal or recycle). What are the names of your waste disposal facilities? 3. EXPORTATION AND RECYCLING OF USED EEE Who do you transfer your used EEE to? Please give company name and location Give approximations of the amount of used EEE you export per period. List items and their quantity per item and exporting interval e.g. daily, weekly, monthly etc Do you know what they do with the EEE? E.g. recycling If so, please give details. Are there any fees charged? Do you have any plans to implement environmentally sound management of used and waste EEE? If yes, give details. What do you think can be done to reduce the environmental impacts of e-waste? Recommend management measures and policies to improve e-waste management in Lesotho.........................................................................................................

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QUESTIONNAIRE 2-Households

Our Reference: EW/ENV/H-02/12 RESPONDENT VILLAGE/DISTRICT INCOME LEVEL

QUESTION What types of Electrical and Electronic Equipment do you have in the house? Did you purchase them new or as second hand goods? Do you do any repairs on them at household level? If yes, do you follow manufacturers recommendations or what? Please give details of how you carry out the repairing process? Other than repairing, do you do any processing on them? e.g. dismantling What do you do with the residues of processing (repairing or dismantling)? /How do you discard the residue? Other than household repairing, where do you take them for repairing? What is their approximate life span? After they have reached their end of life, how do you discard/dispose them? Do you know of the impacts of waste EEE on the environment? If yes, detail them.

RESPONSE

What measures do you think can be taken to reduce or eliminate the adverse impacts of waste EEE on the environment?....................................................

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QUESTIONNAIRE 3-Offices/ Institutions

Our Reference: EW/ENV/OI/03/12 RESPONDENT/POSITION INSTITUTION /LOCATION

Which types of EEE do you use most?

Did you purchase them new or as second hand goods?

If they need repairing, where do you take them?

What is their approximate life span?

After they have reached their end of life, how do you discard/dispose them?

Do you know of the impacts of waste EEE on the environment?

If yes, detail them.

What measures do you think can be taken to reduce or eliminate the adverse impacts of waste EEE on the environment?

Detail any information and/or recommendations that you think maybe implemented to improve management of e-waste in

Lesotho?..........................................................................................
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QUESTIONNAIRE 4-IMPORTERS/EXPORTERS

Our Reference: EW/ENV/IE-04/12 RESPONDENT/POSITION/CONTACTS COMPANY NAME /DIVISION

1. IMPORTING OF GENERATION OF E-WASTE Question Do you import or export any used EEE? Which type of used EEE do you import? List all items and quantities per period E.g. per week/per month etc. Where do you collect it/ who are your sources of used EEE? What do you do with the used EEE you import? i.e. your purpose for importing used EEE 2. PROCESSING (REPAIR/ REASSEMBLING AND DISMANTLING) OF USED EEE How do you store it? (Are there any environmental considerations?) Do you do any processing (repair, reassemble or dismantle) on the used EEE before transferring it to the next stakeholder? If so, please give details of your processing. Give details of what you do with the residue of the processing (disposal). Response Yes/No

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What are the names of your waste disposal facilities? Then who do you pass your used EEE to? E.g. sell to users 3. EXPORTATION AND RECYCLING OF USED EEE What do you do with used EEE that is returned to you because it is non functional? Give E.g. repair/return to supplier/discard Give approximations of the amount of used EEE you export for repair and for exchange per period. List all items and their quantity What do you do with used EEE that you receive that is totally non functional and beyond repair? i.e how do you discard it? Do you export any used EEE out of Lesotho? To whom do you export it? Give company name and country. Do you know what they do with the used EEE? If so, please give details. Are there any fees charged? Do you have any plans to implement

environmentally sound management of used and waste EEE? If yes, give details. What do you think can be done to reduce the environmental impacts of used EEE Waste?.........................................................................................................

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