A model for recycling: HP launches new Cape Town plant to create jobs and cut pollution

What if you could transform a broken electronic device into new electronics, a toy or even a work of art? And help the environment and create jobs at the same?

Since the beginning of the year, the new HP sponsored recycling plant for electronic waste (‘e-waste’) in Cape Town, South Africa, as well as similar projects in Morocco and Kenya, aim to establish a model that the rest of the continent could use as a blueprint for recycling e-waste.

The facility will recycle parts of electronic devices including plastics and metals that can be reused to make new electronic devices or other products such as toys. Local artists will use some of the non-recyclable material to create works of art. Toxic substances will be disposed of in an environmentally sustainable fashion.

E-waste is currently the fastest growing form of waste in South Africa as well as in many other African countries. Recycling metals and plastics saves money, creates jobs and reduces pollution.

“We see this project as a way to help develop a sustainable infrastructure to safely deal with electronic waste based on local practices that will benefit local communities. Once fully operational, this pilot project will process up to 150 tonnes of equipment per year and create around 20 jobs,” commented Thoko Mokgosi-Mwantembe, managing director of HP South Africa.

The pilot project in Cape Town is the main focus of an African-wide project, "E-waste Management in Africa," launched in 2007 by HP in partnership with Empa, a research institute of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the Global Digital Solidarity Fund. Similar projects are also underway in Morocco and Kenya.

The aim is to develop a ‘blueprint’ for electronic waste management across the continent.

HP is working together with the Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF), the Swiss Institute for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) and Recover-e-Alliance, Wasteplan and the Salesian Institute locally in South Africa to assess the current conditions for electronic recycling and test methods to improve recycling processes and equipment.

The project seeks firstly to repair and reuse ICT equipment wherever possible with recycling only as a last resort. The method of recycling incorporates existing manual processes but transforms them into sustainable and environmentally sound operations. The project provides the Cape Town facility the funds to operate until October, when the facility plans to become self-sufficient.

"We have seen some very inventive and entrepreneurial people making a living out of dismantling old electronic equipment in South Africa,'' said Gerry Newson, Recover-e Alliance. "This equipment is being refurbished to be used by the community and people are making everything from toys to art out of it. We are looking to develop effective methods of dealing with waste that will allow this sector to flourish in a safe and sustainable manner."

The facility is expected to act as a nucleus, raising awareness, and providing training and education to previously disadvantaged individuals as a means of creating opportunities for entrepreneurship.

In order to develop workable and safe solutions for electronic recycling in Africa, HP has teamed up with industry-leading experts: the Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) and the Swiss Institute for Material Science & Technology (Empa).

DSF will provide overall project and financial management, working with technical agencies and NGOs on the ground, in agreement with HP. For Cissé Kane, DSF E-waste project manager, this collaboration with HP supports the key objectives of the organisation. “We are very proud to build this partnership with HP, the n° 1 IT company in Africa, and Empa, the leader in e-waste recycling, to specifically tackle what is often neglected and forgotten when looking at the potential of ICT in Africa: the e-waste,” he said.

The Swiss Institute for Material Science & Technology (Empa) provides technical advice and will be responsible for training and quality control. Empa has carried out a range of similar projects around the world, including India, China, South Africa and Colombia and has extensive experience and local expertise across Africa.

Mathias Schluep, programme coordinator of the Swiss e-Waste programme at Empa, sees the potential scale of the partnership as a great opportunity. "We were able to build considerable expertise and e-waste management capacity in South Africa and elsewhere with the Swiss global e-Waste Programme. This new HP project is a great opportunity to spread this African know-how further over the continent where it is urgently needed," he said.

HP South Africa recently received the ISO 14001 certification, an international standard that provides a framework for organisations to manage, control and demonstrate their environmental conservation practices. HP currently offers recycling services of print cartridges in South Africa through its Planet Partner programme.