E-waste management implies a treatment system that deals with electronic wastes. These wastes, also known as end-of-life (EOL) electronics or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), include used electrical and electronic appliances that are unserviceable, such as computers, television sets, mobile phones, and appliances. This process involves collection, transport, recycling, and environmentally safe disposal of e-waste. Effective EOL electronics management is aimed at reducing the negative impact of hazardous substances found in devices, including lead, mercury, and cadmium. These could also include promoting Recycling programs, getting companies to design their products for longevity, and creating laws ensuring safe disposition of electronic wastes. Proper management helps to reduce environmental pollution, conserve useful resources, and limit health risks due to improper handling of electronic waste.
This method was quite low in general acceptance and adoption a number of years ago, but today it is increasingly recognized and adopted in Nigeria. The Nigerian government and other organizations have started making efforts toward solving the ever-increasing menace of e-wastes in the country. An initiative institutionalized, among many others, by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has come up with guidelines on how best it could be managed and handled toward proper recycling and disposal. Besides, local recycling centres and informal sectors collect and process these products. The problems in the sector, however, remain unrelieved: the Infrastructure is lacking, public awareness remains low, and regulations are poorly enforced. Attempts are being made toward building a more solid frame for its management, enhancing facilities related to its recycling, and promoting sustainable behaviour among both consumers and businesses.
Infrastructural gaps and lack of information poses challenge.
In Nigeria, this management method faces many infrastructural gaps and regulatory lapses. Some of the main ones are related to facilities for decent EOL electronics recycling and proper waste management. Most of them are deficient or not equipped for the huge diversity of electronic wastes generated. It is this deficiency that is responsible for the improper ways of disposal methods, including open burning and informal recycling methods that could result in dangerous toxins released to the environment. There is a general lack of awareness and Education among the public on how to properly dispose of it. Many people in Nigeria do not have an idea of the hazard that it poses to the environment and human health, nor have they been educated on how to get rid of their electronic gadgets.
Of course, the reason for improper disposal might be due to a lack of information about how to handle it, and it usually ends up in landfills or is thrown onto the ground in an uncontrolled environment. This is very serious, considering the problems of regulatory and enforcement issues. Although the regulations exist—for instance, those provided for by NESREA—the enforcement element is quite weak. Most informal recycling activities circumvent the regulations, and often, there is not enough monitoring and control to ensure compliance with proper disposal practices. The informal sector is also very huge in the area of e-waste management in Nigeria. While informal recyclers can recover materials from the products, their methods are mostly rudimentary and pose exposure risks to human health and the environment. This is an indication that there is a need for proper integration of the informal recyclers into a more formal and regulated system.
Environmental, economic and social development opportunities abound.
There are multiple environmental, economic, and social development opportunities in this sector. Among the major opportunities would be job creation and resultant economic development. Creating both formal facilities for its recycling and their subsequent expansion will open up job opportunities in collection, sorting, processing, and selling of the recovered materials. This could mean the potential spurring of WEEE management and recycling industries and ancillary industries like Logistics and environmental consulting, hence contributing to the Economy of Nigeria. A strong industry in the management of e-waste could spur Economic Growth through the infusion of investments by local and foreign investors.
The second opportunity lies in resource recovery and recycling. Wastes from electronic devices are made up of materials with values of precious metals such as gold, silver, and palladium, and rare earth elements associated with other components. Proper management would, therefore, help unleash this potential resource and consequently reduce the volume of raw materials that otherwise need to be imported into the country, increasing supply chain sustainability. This avoids not only most of the associated environmental impacts from Mining and extraction but also enables economic added value creation through the establishment of a circular economy in which materials are continuously reworked.
Related Article: Waste Management Challenges in Nigeria
Systematically functioning e-waste management can also open up prospects for technological development and innovation. Due to its potential, Nigeria could express itself as the champion in the adoption and development of advanced recycling technologies and Waste Management practices. It can engage in research and development to further develop the process of recycling, raise levels of efficiency in treatment, and reduce negative environmental impacts from e-waste. This could potentially establish Nigeria as the center of green Technology and Innovation across Africa, consequently drawing global attention and collaboration.