An electronic waste recycling plant is due to open in Mombasa, Kenya by the end of the year to aid with the country’s e-waste management plans.
Kenya is entering a new regulatory regime with new guidelines that aim to steer the formation of a new policy that will help support people who want to recycle old mobiles, computers and other electronic items.
Statistics from the Economic Survey 2010, released by the Kenya National Bureau Statistics, show that mobile phone connections increased by 34 per cent from 12.9 million in 2008 to 17.4 million in 2009, which means that the volume of e-waste produced from mobile phones also increased by the same percentage.
Unfortunately, due to this increased usage of mobile phones, when they become obsolete they are often disposed of in a dangerous manner. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), each year 150 tonnes of e-waste from mobile phones is being produced. The problem is made worse by a lack of recycling plants and recycling policy framework.
The proposed plant will by opened by Camara Education, a non-profit organisation and will help reduce the level of e-waste dumping. It will be located on the coast which will mean that the by-products, including components that would require complex recycling techniques that the plant cannot yet handle, can be shipped abroad to be processed and sold on.