• The Ewaste Recycling Authority has announced a massive increase in the amount of ewaste it collected in 2023.
• As much as 10.7 million kilograms of ewaste was collected and recycled over the year.
• However, the amount of electronic junk South Africa creates is on the rise and more needs to be done.

Over the last year, the Ewaste Recycling Authority (ERA) collected and recycled over 10.7 million kilograms of ewaste, a massive increase from 2022 when it collected and recycled 780 000kgs.

Not only does this speak to the hard work ERA is doing to address the growth of ewaste, it highlights just how much electronic junk we’re creating. According to ERA, ewaste is growing three times faster than municipal solid waste in South Africa.

“We’re happy with the results from our first year of operations for ERA and are committed to keeping momentum through our strategic partnerships, driving public awareness, engaging WEEE [waste electrical and electronic equipment producers, and working closely with DFFE [Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment],” says chief executive officer of ERA, Ashley du Plooy.

ERA works closely with multiple sectors of corporate South Africa and has grown its membership to over 45 producers – including Defy, HP, Dell Technologies, Philips, IBM, and Smeg. More recently, industries coming onboard are the Solar sector, retailers, as well as companies working in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Emerging areas of focus for ERA are Lighting Waste and Batteries, for which new departments are being formed at ERA, governed by unique EPR Notices.

“We’re working to institutionalise our systems and establish operational routines applicable across sectors. We encourage more WEEE producers to reach out to see how we can work together towards a more sustainable South Africa,” says du Plooy.

The organisation notes that tackling ewaste alone is an impossible task and as such it brings in partners such as those outlined above. ERA is also working to create jobs and last year it put 60 locals into a skills development programme.

“This is just the beginning – we’ve barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done,” says du Plooy. “To achieve a Circular Economy we need to address Problem Fractions such as mixed plastics, and we’d like to reduce our Waste-to-Landfill ratio to 0%. For 2024 the DFFE has a national e-waste target of 61 000 tonnes, and we at ERA have endeavoured to facilitate the collection of a third of this, at 20 000 tonnes. Watch this space.”

With the Climate Change Bill now an Act as of late July, we suspect that ERA will be fielding a fair few calls from companies looking to responsibly dispose of ewaste and more.