assessment of e-waste status in port harcourt city and its...

Environmental Sciences, Vol. 3, 2015, no. 1, 45 - 66

HIKARI Ltd, www.m-hikari.com

http://dx.doi.org/10.12988/es.2015.521

Assessment of E-Waste Status in

Port Harcourt City and its Environs

R. S. Konya, B. B. Babatunde and D. Iniefe

Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological

Sciences, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Port Harcourt,

P.M.B. 5323, Choba Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Copyright © 2015 R. S. Konya, B. B. Babatunde and D. Iniefe. This article is distributed under

the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and

reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Port Harcourt is one the fastest growing cities in Nigeria witnessing high influx of

migrants seeking economic prosperity in the oil and gas companies there. The

consequence of such socioeconomic impact could range from increased

population, material consumption, generation of unprecedented quantity and

quality of waste and environmental contamination. Waste electrical electronic

equipment generated when these equipment go bad, old or obsolete has been on

the increase in developing nations due mainly to increase demand for information

and communication technology, technology advancement in the North and

consequent shipment of their old and discarded EEE to poor countries such as

Nigeria where most people cannot afford new ones. This has resulted to increase

WEEE generated since the life span of such EEE has most time expired or near

expiration before they were shipped to the poor countries. The WEEE so

generated enters the municipal solid waste stream after poor attempt by informal

collectors to recover useful materials from them exposing themselves and the

environment to hazardous materials present in WEEE. The present study is a

baseline attempt to analyse WEEE in Port Harcourt and Obio/Apkor Local

Government Areas in River State, Nigeria with the view to elucidating the

composition of e-waste in municipal solid waste in the state providing baseline

data needed for further research and sustainable management of e-waste. Four

settlements were selected in each of the LGAs and e-waste components were

enumerated and evaluated according to ASMTM 92 (2008) method of solid waste

analysis from several dumpsites. Electronic waste dominated all sampling

locations ranging from 71.2% at Eneka in Obio/Akpor LGA to 91.2% at Dioub in

Port Harcourt LGA. Computer and accessories was the most prominent e-waste

46 R. S. Konya et al.

followed by circuits of various electronic devices. Radio recorded the least overall

e-waste composition in all the sampling sites. The sustainable management of e-

waste in the state would require baseline data provided by this field work to be

combined with other studies such as consumer inventory and e-waste commerce

across the borders.

Keywords: Port Harcourt, e-waste composition, sustainable management

strategies

Introduction

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) popularly known as e-waste

has fast become one of the major sources of contamination to the environment and

humans. The WEEE typically consist of discarded TV sets, refrigerators,

microwave ovens, mobile phones, computers and accessories, recordable

electronics such as DVDs, VCRs, tape recorder, radio and other audio visual

equipment Table 1. These discarded electrical and electronic goods contain a

range of toxic materials such as furans, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

(PAHs), polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs), hydrogen chloride

and heavy metals (Table 2). These toxic materials requires special handling prior

to disposal (Robinson, 2009; Sthiannopkao and Hung Wang, 2013) and can

become difficult and expensive to recycle safely with profit (Arora and GTZ-

Asem, 2008). In 2006, the world's production of e-waste was estimated at 20–50

million tonnes per year (UNEP, 2006), representing 1–3% of the global municipal

waste production of 1636 million tonnes per year (OECD, 2008) with most e-

waste being produced in Europe, the United States and Australasia. Cobbing

(2008) calculated that computers, mobile telephones and television sets would

contribute 5.5 million tonnes to the E-waste stream in 2010, rising to 9.8 million

tonnes in 2015. In rich countries, E-waste may constitute some 8% by volume of

municipal waste (Widmer et al. 2005). China, Eastern Europe and Latin America

will become major e-waste producers in the next ten years (Robison, 2009).

Computing is driving the generation of e-waste. According to Osibanjo and

Nnorom (2007), information and telecommunications technology (ICT) and

computer Internet networking has penetrated nearly every aspect of modern life,

and is positively affecting human life even in the most remote areas of the

developing countries. The rapid growth in ICT has led to an improvement in the

capacity of computers but simultaneously to a decrease in the products lifetime as

a result of which increasingly large quantities of waste electrical and electronic

equipment (e-waste) are generated annually (Arora and GTZ-Asem, 2008). Ladou

and Lovegrove, (2008) estimated that by the year 2013, more than one billion

computers would have been retired. The Greenpeace, (2008) report predicted the

global WEEE arising from PCs, mobile phones and televisions will be around

5,504,737 MT in the year 2010 and 9,762,935 MT by the year 2016. The UN esti-

Assessment of e-waste status in Port Harcourt city and its environs 47

mated that some 20-50 MT of e-waste is generated worldwide each year,

comprising more than 5% of all municipal solid waste (UNEP, 2008).

Debate on environmental, health and social problems associated with the

uncontrolled dumping and inappropriate recycling of e-waste has already reached

the mainstream of policy-makers in developed as well as developing countries.

However, most of the developing countries have not yet been able to enforce

national policies and legislations for managing e-waste. Furthermore, lack of

technology and skills, and unexplored business and financing opportunities,

coupled with an exponential growth in the use of electric and electronic

equipment in the developing countries, have led to severe challenges in terms of

managing e-waste in a proper manner (Prakash et al. 2010). As e-waste entails

several toxic and hazardous substances, its improper processing, recycling and

disposal leads to severe health hazards, environmental pollution and social

problems, not only for the people involved directly in e-waste related activities,

but also for the local communities and the society as a whole.

Developed countries have conventions, directives, and laws to regulate their

disposal, most based on extended producer responsibility (EPR). Manufacturers

take back items collected by retailers and local governments for safe destruction

or recovery of materials. Compliance, however, is difficult to assure, and

frequently runs against economic incentives. The expense of proper disposal leads

to the shipment of large amounts of e-waste to China, India, Pakistan, Nigeria,

and other developing countries. Shipment is often through middlemen, and under

tariff classifications that make quantities difficult to assess. Therefore, despite the

intents of regulations and hazardous waste laws, most e-waste is treated as general

refuse, or crudely processed, often by burning or acid baths, with recovery of only

a few materials of value (Sthiannopkao and Hung Wang, 2013). In the developing

worlds such as Nigeria, e-waste is simply dumped in municipal solid waste

streams without considerations for its potential harm to the environment and

human health (Orisakwe and Frazzoli, 2010).

According to Robison, (2009), effective reprocessing technology, which recovers

the valuable materials with minimal environmental impact, is expensive, so most

e-waste is disposed in landfills in the developed worlds with strict guidelines.

Consequently, although illegal under the Basel Convention, rich countries export

an unknown quantity of e-waste to poor countries, where inadequate recycling

techniques include burning and dissolution in strong acids with few measures to

protect human health and the environment is practiced. Such reprocessing initially

results in extreme localised contamination followed by migration of the

contaminants into receiving waters and food chains where they can become very

dangerous due to biomagnification at higher trophic levels (Orisakwe and

Frazzoli, 2010). E-Waste is chemically and physically distinct from other forms of

municipal or industrial waste; it contains both valuable and hazardous materials

that require special handling and recycling methods to avoid environmental conta-


mination and detrimental effects on human health. Recycling can recover reusable

components and base materials, especially Cu and precious metals. However, due

to lack of facilities, high labour costs, and tough environmental regulations, rich

countries tend not to recycle e-waste. Instead, it is either landfilled, or exported

from rich countries to poor countries, where it may be recycled using primitive

techniques and little regard for worker safety or environmental protection

(Cobbing, 2008).

The problems of transfer of e-waste burden from rich to poor countries and

consequent lack of adequate regulations and facilities to dispose them in a safe

manner has given rise to the informal collectors who are now almost totally in

charge of the trade of e-waste across developing nations of the world. The

informal collection activities, involving door-to-door collection as well as

collection from the ware houses and dump sites seem to be operating in a very

effective manner. The informal collectors, also known as scavengers, buy or

scavenge the obsolete e-equipment from the end consumers at relatively low

prices and dismantle every part of the equipment to recover useful metals and

other materials before burning or final disposal at dumpsites. In Ghana for

instance, an obsolete desktop PC for US$ 1.0 to 2.5 and US$ 0.67 in Nigeria,

making this refurbishing of old and second-hand electrical and electronic

equipment also an important economic activity in these countries. In many cases,

collectors themselves conduct the dismantling, while in other cases, they pass on

the e-waste to specialised recyclers for the recovery of metals, such as aluminium,

copper and steel (Prakash et al. 2010). However, in most cases, these informal

collectors use primitive measures that exposed them and the environment to

contaminants present in the e-waste and in some cases, refurbished items are

recirculated/resold for use and may expose unsuspecting consumers to hazards

present in the item purchased.

The electronic waste forms 1% of solid waste on an average in developed

countries and is expected to grow to 2% by 2010. However in developing

countries, the e-waste can range from 0.01% to 1% of solid waste. The developing

countries will be the fastest growing segment of the e-Waste market with the

potential to triple output over the next five years with China, the leading country

(Arora and GTZ-Asem, 2008). In Nigeria, the domestic consumption of electrical

and electronic devices is increasing rapidly and consequently leading to rapidly

growing e-waste volumes. According to E-waste Africa Project, Nigeria’s e-waste

generation is by far the highest in all West African countries. These volumes,

along with the absence of environmentally sound management systems for this

particular waste stream, have manifold impacts on the environment, local

communities and the economic system in Nigeria. Although obsolete electric and

electronic devices undergo some basic form of recycling in Nigeria, many e-waste

fractions cannot be managed appropriately, which is resulting in the accumulation

of large hazardous waste volumes in and around major refurbishing and recycling

centres. Furthermore, some recycling practices – like the open burning of cables


and plastic parts – cause severe emissions of pollutants such as heavy metals and

dioxins. Additionally, electrical and electronic equipment contain a whole range

of valuable metals like copper, palladium, gold, silver, indium and germanium

that are lost if not recovered in an early stage of waste treatment. Port Harcourt

where the present study took place is a fast growing urban centre in Rivers State,

Nigeria experiencing high influx of people with consequent demand for electrical

and electronics goods. The present study was carried out to assess the current

status of e-waste in Port Harcourt city and its environs with a view to providing

scientific data necessary for an integrated and sustainable e-waste management in

the catchment area.

Table 1: Typical WEEE items

Item Weight (kg) Typical lifespan

Computers 25 3

Facsimile machine 3 5

High-fidelity system 10 10

Mobile telephone 0.1 2

Electronic games 3 5

Photocopier 60 8

Radio 2 10

Television 30 5

Video recorder and DVD player 5 5

Electricals

Air conditioning unit 55 12

Dish washer 50 10

Electric cooker 60 10

Electric heaters 5 20

Food mixer 1 5

Freezer 35 10

Hair dryer 1 10

Iron 1 10

Kettle 1 3

Microwave 15 7

Refrigerator 35 10

Telephone 1 5

Toaster 1 5

Tumble dryer 35 10

Vacuum cleaner 10 10

Washing machine

Sources: (Betts, 2008; Cobbing, 2008; Li et al., 2009).


Table 2: Typical contaminants in e-waste and their concentrations in mg/kg

Contaminant Relationship with e-waste Typical e-waste

concentration

(mg/kg) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers

(PBDEs)

polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)

tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA)

Flame retardants

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) Condensers, transformers 14, 280

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) Cooling units, insulation foam

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

(PAHs) Product of combustion

Polyhalogenated aromatic

hydrocarbons (PHAHs)

Product of low-temperature

combustion

Polychlronated dibenzo-p-dioxins

(PCDDs),

polychlorinated dibenzofurans

(PCDFs)

Product of low-temperature

combustion

of PVCs and other plastics

Americium (Am) Smoke detectors

Antimony Flame retardants, plastics (Ernst et al.,

(2003) 1,700

Arsenic (As) Doping material for Si

Barium (Ba) Getters in cathode ray tubes

(CRTs)

Beryllium (Be) Silicon-controlled rectifiers

Cadmium (Cd) Batteries, toners, plastics 180

Chromium (Cr) Data tapes and floppy disks 9,900

Copper (Cu) Wiring 41,000

Gallium (Ga) Semiconductors

Indium (In) Solder, LCD displays

Lead (Pb) CRTs, batteries (Kang and Schoenung,

(2005) 29,00

Lithium (Li) Batteries

Mercury (Hg) Fluorescent lamps, batteries,

switches 0.68

Nickel (Ni) Batteries 10,300

Selenium (Se) Rectifiers

Silver (Ag) Wiring, switches

Tin (Sn) Solder , LCD screens (Kang and

Schoenung, 2005) 2,400

Zinc (Zn) 5,100

Rare Earth metals CRT screens

Adapted from (e-waste, 2009)


Materials and Methods

Rivers State where this study was carried out is a maritime state in the southern

geopolitical zone of Nigeria (Figure 1) located on 4°45′0″ and 4.75 N and 6°50′0″

and 6°83′3″ E. It has a total population of 5,198,716 (NPC, 2006) comprising of

23 local government areas with Port Harcourt, the state capital as one of the Local

Government Areas (LGA) Figure 2. For the analysis of e-waste composition in

municipal solid waste, two LGAs, Port Harcourt LGA and Obio/Akpor LGA were

chosen according to the category of inhabitants and socioeconomic activities and

because they share boundary and commerce. Port Harcourt LGA is the main

urban centre in Rivers State but houses some shanties as well. Obio/Akpor is

presumably the richest LGA in Rivers State and houses most of the

multinationals. Detail characteristics of the settlements studied under the three

LGAs in this study is presented in Table 3.

Sampling and data collection

The determination of the composition of e-waste in unprocessed municipal solid

waste during this study was done according to ASTM D5231 - 92(2008) Standard

Test Method which involves the direct sampling of solid waste from specific

sources, a labour-intensive manual process of sorting, classifying and weighing all

items in each sampling unit and a detailed recording of the data. In each LGA,

five distinct communities were selected and five open dumps in each community

surveyed. Ten quadrants of two square meters each were drawn at each open

dump and WEEE components such as TV sets, DVDs, VCRs, Computers and

accessories and radio were counted and classified into two major categories

namely Electrical and Electronics. In each case, the ten quadrants sufficiently

covered the waste dump up to 90%. Secondary data of municipal solid waste

composition of the study sites (Babatunde et al. 2013) was used to estimate

percentage composition of e-waste at each dump site. Statistical quantities such as

the mean, standard deviation and standard error were used to summarise the

findings in this study. Standard deviation showed variation in the values of

variables from the mean and standard error of the mean (SEM) represents the

spread that the mean of a sample of values will have if one keeps taking samples.


Fig. 1: Map of Nigeria showing Rivers State.

Fig 2: Rivers State showing all the LGAs with the study sites in red circles


Table 3: The two LGAs studied and characteristics of their settlements

NP* Not planned

Result and Discussions

The overall percentage composition of the two major categories of WEEE is

presented in Figures 3 & 4 for Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt LGAs while Figures

5 & 6 present the percentage composition of the two major categories of WEEE at

the sampling locations. Figures 7 & 8 present individual WEEE components

encountered during the study at the sampling stations in the two LGAs.

Percentage composition of e-waste in municipal solid waste was higher in

Obio/Akpor LGA (0.82) than Port Harcourt LGA (0.64) although the two LGAs

represent the highest concentration of residence and industries in River State.

Organic waste, polythelene and paper are the leading municipal solid waste

components in the two LGAs (Babatunde et al. 2013; Oyelola and Babatunde,

2008; Igoni et al. 2007). Per capital generation of e-waste and the total volume of

e-waste generated in the study area is beyond the scope of this study. However, a

comprehensive evaluation of such data would combine filed data such as in the

present study and popular methods such as consumption and use method, market

supply method and method that says for every new EEE, an old one reaches its

end-of-life (Borthakur and Sinha, 2013). In the first two methods, assumptions

need to be made on the average life-time of EEE products as well as their average

weight (from which to derive WEEE generation in tonnes) and under the third

LGA

Area

(sq.km) Population Settlement Settlement type

Port

Harcourt 109 541,115

Main township Planned

Dioub NP

Elekahia/Woji Semi-planned

GRA/aba express

way Planed

Obio/Akpor

260

464,789 Rumuokoro NP

Eneka Industrial layout

Trans Amadi Industrial layout

Wimpey NP residential


method, however, the assumption of the average life-time of the appliances is

irrelevant, as it assumes a completely saturated market (Widmer et al, 2005).

According to Robinson (2009), the contribution of an item to the annual E-waste

production, E (kg/year) depends on the mass of the item, M (kg), the number of

units in service, N, and its average lifespan, L (years).

Therrefore:

E = MN/L

However, all the factors mentioned here are difficult to calculate. These factors

may differ across different stakeholders and countries. These methods have been

used to assess e-waste inventories in other parts of the world (Borthakur and

Sinha, 2013; WHO, 2010) but with suggestions to combine with field data such as

reported in this study.

Electronic equipment dominated all the sampling locations ranging from 71.4% at

Rumukoro in Obio/Akpor LGA to 91.5% at Dioub in port Harcourt LGA. Figures

3 and 4 showed percentage composition of WEEE studied in Obio/Akpor and Port

Harcourt LGAs respectively. In Obio/Apkor LGA, mean percentage composition

of electrical devices ranged from 14.3% at Wimpey to 25.4% and 28.7% at Trans

Amadi and Eneka respectively. Eneka and Trans Amadi are industrial areas with

higher probability of discarding electrical equipment such as welding machines,

electrical lamps, soldering gun, Fridges, freezers, fans and general garage waste.

Electronic devices ranged from 71.4% at Eneka to 85.7% at Wimpey. Wimpey is

a residential settlement and more likely to dispose of electronic gadgets such as

DVDs, VCR, radio, Television sets and cameras Figure 5. In Port Harcourt LGA,

electrical devices ranged from 8.8% at Dioub to 18.5% at Port Harcourt Main

Township which was the original well laid out Port Harcourt town consisting of

mainly colonial households or renovated ones. Being an old township, it is more

likely to possess obsolete electrical equipment now disposed of. Electronic

devices ranged from 82.5% at Port Harcourt Main Township to 91.2% at Dioub a

suburb of Port Harcourt with a dedicated dumpsite at Iluoabuchi for electronic

gadgets such as TV sets, circuit boards, DVDs, VCR, Radio and audio visual

devices Figure 6.

Computer and accessories recorded the highest percentage composition of

electronic devices at Eneka (28.5%) and Trans Amadi (37.3%) in Obio/Akpor

LGA followed by circuit boards which were quite prominent at all sampling

locations (30.3, 33.9, 26.8 and 28.6%) at Rumuokoro, Trans Amadi, Eneka and

Wimpey respectively. Wimpey recorded the least composition of computers and

its accessories (8.6%) since it is mainly a residential area occupied by low income

earners. Rumuokoro had a fairly larger ICTC commerce than Wimpey and more

computers were recorded at its sampling locations but much less than Eneka and

Trans Amadi. DVD was the third most prominent category of electronic wastes at

all stations in Obio/Akpor LGA recording percentage composition higher than TV, VCR and Radio at all locations. The overall least composition was TV followed


by Radio and VCR was fairly more prominent than the former two Figure 7. In

Port Harcourt LGA, computer and accessories was the most prominent category

only at the GRA location (41.2%), a government reserved area occupied by

mostly higher income earners who can afford new ones and be inclined to dispose

of the old ones. This category’s 41.2% was higher than it recorded at Trans Amadi

and Eneka in Obio/Akpor LGA. Circuit board was the second most prominent

category at GRA (16.0%) but recorded the highest percentage composition at the

other locations in Port Harcourt LGA (29.2, 35.1 and 31.2%) at Elekahia, Dioub

and Port Harcourt Main Township respectively Figure 8. Contrary to its position

in Obio/Akpor LGA, DVD was the third most prominent category at only three

locations in Port Harcourt LGA with percentage composition of 23, 23.2 and

22.9% at Elekahia, Dioub and Port Harcourt Main Township respectively. VCR

percentage composition (13.5%) at the GRA replaced DVD as the third most

prominent category at this location. Percentage composition of TV category was

higher than VCR and Radio categories at Dioub and Port Harcourt Main

Township and almost equals DVD and Radio at Elekahia and GRA sampling

locations. The overall least category was Radio recording 9.7, 6.8, 6.3 and 8.4% at

Elekahia, GRA, Dioub and Port Harcourt Main Township respectively Figure 8.

The biggest concern with e-Waste is the presence of toxic materials such as lead,

cadmium, beryllium, mercury and arsenic, toxic flameretardants and PVC

containing plastics that pose significant health and environmental risks when

WEEE is disposed (Arora and Asem, 2008). Such toxic materials present in

WEEE such as the categories recorded in this study usually leech out into the

ground contamination soils, surface and ground water and when burnt, releases

toxic fumes into the air. Brigden et al. (2008) tested the soil and ash samples at

the e-waste burning sites in the Agbogbloshie scrap yard, and proved the

deposition of exorbitantly high concentrations of toxic metals, such as lead and

cadmium, and halogenated chemicals, such as phthalates and polybrominated

diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). While exposure to lead fumes or dust is known to cause

multiple disorders, including neurological, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal

diseases (Haefliger et al. 2009), exposure to cadmium fumes or dust leads to

malfunctioning of kidneys (Hellstrom et al. 2001) and respiratory system (WHO

1992), and possibly lung cancer (DHHS 2005). On the other hand, even in

Europe, workers in electronics recycling facilities have higher blood levels of

PBDEs than other workers (Brigden et al. 2008; Sjödin et al. 2003).

Consequently, it is assumed that in the absence of protective gear and other

workplace standards, the levels of PBDEs in the blood of the recycling workers in

Nigeria would be much higher. Exposures to PBDEs have been known to cause

endocrine disruptive properties (Legler & Brouwer 2003) and neurobehavioral

disturbances in animals, such as abnormal brain development (Qu et al. 2007;

Kuriyama et al. 2005). Apart from open incineration, inappropriate dismantling

techniques to recover metals such as copper, aluminium and iron, also represent enormous risks to the workers. For example, breaking of CRT-monitors using stones,


hammers, heavy metal rods and chisels, to recover copper, steel and plastic

casings, could result in the inhalation of hazardous cadmium dust and other

pollutants by the workers (Manhart et al.2011).

In Agbogbloshie and Koforidua, two major e-waste recycling sites in Ghana, the

concentrations of copper, lead, zinc and tin were found to be in the magnitude of

over one hundred times typical background levels. In particular, the

concentrations of lead in soil and ash samples collected in these sites were found

to be as high as 5,510 mg/kg dry weight (Brigden et al. 2008). Comparable lead

concentrations are also reported from bottom ash samples taken in Indian

recycling sites with intensive cable burning activities (3,560-6,450 mg/kg dry

weight), dust from Indian e-waste separation workshops (150-8,815 mg/kg dry

weight), dust from streets near e-waste recycling facilities in India (31-1,300

mg/kg dry weight) and dust from houses of e-waste recyclers in China (719-4,110

mg/kg dry weight). These values mostly exceed typical natural background levels

for soils and industrial sites (35 and 500 mg/kg dry weight) (Sepúlveda et al.

2010).

In addition, Sepúlveda et al. (2010) demonstrated that levels of PBDEs, too, are

significantly elevated in and around recycling sites in China and India. Exposure

to lead dust or fumes leads to the underdevelopment of brain in children, hence

causing intellectual impairment (Haefliger et al. 2009; Brigden et al. 2008). Apart

from that, lead is known to cause a wide range of disorders, such as “damage to

the nervous system and blood system, impacts on the kidneys and on

reproduction” (Brigden et al. 2008). Similarly, negative health impacts of flame

retardants, such as PBDEs, could also occur, not only through direct exposure, but

also through food contamination (Harrad et al. 2004). In China, for example, high

levels of PBDEs in the blood of local residents living in the proximity of e-waste

recycling activities have been reported (Bi et al. 2007). PBDEs have been known

to cause abnormal brain development in animals (Eriksson et al. 2002), endocrine

disruptive properties (Legler & Brouwer 2003) and anomalies in the immune

system (Birnbaum & Staskal 2004).


Figure 3: Percentage composition of the two major categories of WEEE in

Obio/Akpor LGA

Figure 4: Percentage composition of the two major categories of WEEE in

Port Harcourt LGA.

21,95

78,05

Electrical

Electronic

13,6

86,65

Electrical

Electronic


Figure 5: Percentage composition of the two major categories of WEEE at

the various sampling locations in Obio/Akpor LGA

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Rumuokoro Trans Amadi Eneka Wimpey

% c

om

po

siti

on

of

WEE

E in

Ob

io/A

kpo

r LG

A

Dumpsite locations

Electrical

Electronic


Figure 6: Percentage composition of the two major categories of WEEE at

the various sampling locations in Port Harcourt LGA

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Elekahia GRA Diobu Main township

% c

om

po

siti

on

of

WEE

E in

PH

LG

A

Dumpsite locations

Electrical

Electronic


Figure 7: Percentage composition of individual items of e-waste at the

various sampling locations in Obio/Akpor LGA

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Rumuokoro Trans Amadi Eneka Wimpey

% c

om

po

siti

on

of

ind

ivid

ual

e-w

aste

in O

bio

/Akp

or

LGA

Dumpsite locations

Tv

Radio

DVD

Circuit Board

VCR

Computer


Figure 8: Percentage composition of individual items of e-waste at the

various sampling locations in Port Harcourt LGA

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Elekahia GRA Diobu Main township

% c

om

po

siti

on

of

ind

ivid

ual

e-w

aste

in P

H L

GA

Dumpsite locations

Tv

Radio

DVD

Circuit Board

VCR

Computer


Conclusion

The present study serves as a reconnaissance approach to the management of e-

waste in Port Harcourt and the Niger Delta as whole. Further studies elucidating

per capital generation of e-waste and its total inventory in the Niger Delta is

expedient to provide scientific data necessary for effective and sustainable

management of e-waste in the region. Effective management of e-waste in the

developing countries demands the implementation of EPR, the establishment of

product reuse through remanufacturing and the introduction of efficient recycling

facilities (Osibanjo and Nnorom, 2007).

In this context, the initiation of the E-waste Africa Project under the umbrella of

the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC) of the UNEP, and co-managed by

the national governments and authorities in African countries, is an important step

forward (Arora and GTZ-ASEM, 2008; Prakash et al. 2010; Manhart et al. 2011).

The project aims at enhancing environmental governance of e-waste and at

creating favourable social and economic conditions for partnerships and small

businesses in the recycling sector in Africa. In particular the project seeks to better

understand and regulate the transboundary movements of used and obsolete e-

equipment from Europe to Africa, and also to improve the local e-waste

management capacities in many African countries, such as Nigeria, Ghana, Côte

d’Ivoire and Benin. Apart from dealing with a better management and control of

the legal and illegal trade of used and obsolete equipment from developed to

developing countries, the project has a special focus on identifying solutions for

sustainable management of domestically generated e-waste too. The idea is to

explore appropriate mechanisms, if any, to link the informal e-waste recycling

sector in the African countries with modern high-tech metal refining enterprises

worldwide with the objectives to:

1. Treat the hazardous fractions of the e-waste in an environmentally sound

manner,

2. Generate decent employment, income opportunities and other positive social

impactsfor the informal sector in African countries, and;

3. Recover valuable materials in the e-waste efficiently.


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Received: February 10, 2015; Published: April 16, 2015


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