Makro and Fujitsu e-waste Recycling Goes Nationwide

Following the tremendous success of the pilot e-waste recycling hub at Makro’s Woodmead store, Makro, together with Fujitsu and desco recyclers rolled this facility out to all Makro stores around the country. The recycling containers, placed conveniently near the entrance of all Makro stores facilitate the safe disposal of used computer and electronic equipment. the containers are regularly cleared by desco recycling and the contents are recycled, or disposed of in line with global environmental best practises.

E-waste is a global problem and The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) estimates that some 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are generated every year. This waste contains a range of materials which, if not disposed of correctly, can have severe effects on the environment. “electronic waste poses a potential environmental threat and this initiative underlines a growing consciousness among businesses and consumers to protect the environment for the future,” says Steven Sanders, Fujitsu retail manager.

“As a large retailer of electronic products in South Africa, we believe that it is our duty to facilitate the recycling and environmentally-safe disposal of electrical goods,” says Derick Kalan, general merchandise director of Makro stores. “We are mindful of the potential hazard of e-waste and we believe that by providing this facility, we can make it easier for our customers to dispose of their old equipment.”

Martin Ferreira, desco recycling director, says the organisation was keen to participate when Fujitsu approached it. “We’re always looking for initiatives to make people more aware of the environmental requirements of disposing of potentially hazardous materials. It is an unfortunate fact that the broader public is uninformed that electronic equipment cannot simply be discarded like other waste,” he says.

Getting on board with the initiative, Ferreira says Desco outlaid the cost of the containers and put them in place at the retailer’s outlets nationwide. “Fujitsu handled the branding and together with Makro are marketing the concept to the public, letting people know that they can bring their old electronic equipment in, simply put it into the containers and walk away knowing that they have done something environmentally responsible.”

Acknowledging the growing scale of the problem of old electronic equipment, Sanders explains the necessity for recycling. “With some 240 000 notebooks and 120 000 pcs sold through the retail channel alone in South Africa annually, the scale of the e-waste problem becomes apparent. With legislation in Europe and the USA increasingly acknowledging the environmental hazard posed by the metals and plastics contained in e-waste, we see it as our responsibility to facilitate its environmentally correct disposal,” he says.

Tons of Waste Coming

Since the establishment of the ewaste project, the South African public is demonstrating its growing awareness of the need to responsibly discard their electronic waste. “The biggest items being disposed of are monitors, pc boxes and printers,” says Sanders.

As a pilot project at Makro’s Woodmead store, the e-waste bin initiative quickly struck a chord with residents of Johannesburg; in under a year, nearly ten tons of outdated equipment found its way into the container. that provided the impetus to roll the project out nationwide

The Recycling Process

Putting into perspective the need for electronic recycling, Sanders points out that the average cathode ray tube monitor contains over 10 times the amount of lead than is found in an entire car. These types of monitors are now by and large obsolete, and have been replaced in thousands by flat panel screens, therefore resulting in their widespread disposal. Lead is a poisonous metal and if incorrectly disposed of, these monitors could create a long-term impact on the environment and the health of large numbers of people.

It is not just computer equipment which causes an environmental hazard. Everything from an old hairdryer to a broken printer or photocopier contains electronic components made of various metals and plastics. not only can many of these components be reclaimed for reuse, but failure to do so can result in toxins entering the environment. But when disposed of through a recycling hub, the item is stripped, recyclable elements reclaimed, and any remaining hazardous materials disposed of in an environmentally-correct manner.

What is left over goes into a further recycling process. “The waste is physically destroyed, providing for manual separation of plastics from steel and other metals. copper from cabling is reclaimed and sold to dealers; then the circuit boards go into another process.” Circuit boards are present in every electronic device and contain a range of metals, some of which are valuable, others of which are poisonous. “The boards are shredded and pulverized into small pieces.

The plastic powder is electrostatically separated from metal; the plastic is sent to china where is recycled and comes back into the market as new electronic goods in due course,” Ferreira explains. The metals are shipped to a smelter in Germiston, from which the recyclers recover gold, silver, platinum and vanadium. “The quantities are not large, but the precious metals generate sufficient revenue to cover costs,” says Ferreira.

The processes in place at desco are iso 14001 certified, and results in the achievement of 97% recycling of all goods which are processed. Ferreira explains that iso 14001 is a standard for environmental management systems that which aim to reduce environmental footprint and decrease pollution and waste. “The real challenge is that the public needs to be informed. This initiative, driven by Makro and Fujitsu is driving the awareness that people need to dispose of electronic scrap differently to usual garbage.

From our perspective, we are working on education at schools and universities, at institutions such as banks and other technology users with roadshows that highlight the problem and what to do about it,” says Ferreira. With the programme now rolled out nationally, consumers have a simple and convenient facility to dispose of old equipment. By visiting a Makro and simply popping their waste into the bin, they have done their bit. “Whether businesses or consumers, people can use the bins provided at Makro to dispose of all electronic waste including notebooks, pc’s, monitors, cellular phones, calculators, tv’s, dvd’s, telephones and other appliances irrespective of brand,” Sanders concludes.