• The Ewaste Recycling Authority has urged South Africans to dispose of their electronics responsibly this holiday season.
• ERA has multiple drop-off points for old electronics at Makro stores around South Africa.
• The authority is working to launch more drop-off points at Pick n Pay and Builders stores.

There is a cupboard in the Hypertext office we try to ignore until its opened. This cupboard is packed to bursting with old printers, keyboards and other broken or obsolete technology. With December upon us and a two-week break over the end of the year, we may use that time to throw that old tech away and so should you.

Globally, we generate 53.6 megatons of ewaste every year – roughly 7kgs per person – and only 17.4 percent of that ewaste is recycled. This is concerning as ewaste can leak toxic chemicals into the ground affecting agriculture and the water supply.

Because of this, we must dispose of our electronics and technology responsibly.

Thankfully, the Ewaste Recycling Authority (ERA) has a way for South Africans to dispose of their ewaste responsibly when they decided to spring clean this December.

“The upcoming holidays present an opportunity for South Africans to declutter the electronic waste that has been piling up in homes. Our e-waste drop off points are at Makros nationwide and are open during store operating hours, which excludes Christmas Day and New Year’s Day,” explains Ashley du Plooy, chief executive officer at ERA.

It’s important to remember that ERA isn’t just looking for old smartphones or printers that worked once and then never again. Examples of ewaste ERA collects include:

• Battery-powered toys,
• Christmas lights,
• Refrigerators,
• Washing machines,
• Notebooks,
• Desktop computers,
• Cellphones,
• Hard drives.

In a recent campaign, ERA collected 130 tonnes of ewaste throughout a single weekend. We are clearly holding on to our electronics for far longer than we should, likely because we don’t know where to throw them away. This is why collection points for old electronics are so important and the more visible they are the better.

“The kind of items that were unearthed was very revealing as to how long people have been hoarding ewaste – we saw everything from unwanted refrigerators to washing machines, rusting cookers, old printers and big old broken box TVs,” says du Plooy.

As the CEO mentioned, ERA has collection points at Makro stores and it is working to expand its presence to Pick n Pay and Builders stores as well. You can find your nearest drop-off point by visiting the ERA website.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]