Actors in the South African Recycling System
The recycling industry is tightly controlled by a few major players and there a many small scrap metal merchants who operate on the "fringes" of the industry. However, due to the very strictly applied regulations governing the trade of precious metals, as well as the implementation of ISO 14000 at refineries, which require the screening of the premises of that has produced any metal for refining, it is difficult for any of the fringe operators or any of the informal recyclers to find a refinery willing to process their raw materials if their operations do not comply with the required specifications and self-regulatory framework set by the Metal Recycling Association of South Africa.
Importers / manufacturers
Unlike the Switzerland, South Africa has no laws governing extended product responsibility. Hence a system similar to the Swiss SWICO system has not yet evolved. However, the metal recovery industry is becoming organised and may eventually recognise the need to organise a self-regulatory body with similar objectives to the SWICO system.
All major computer manufacturers, such as IBM, Dell, HP/Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, etc. are represented in South Africa. Generic machines are also built with components imported from the Far East by smaller suppliers. The importation of components is dominated by one large supplier, Sahara Computers.
Refurbished machines are also imported for resale or donation to disadvantaged areas by companies such as Device SA, a multinational company, based in the Netherlands. They receive lease-expired personal computers, which they data-wipe and refurbish, then resell, both to dealers and the public. Obsolete or replaced parts are sold for scrap to Desco Electronic Recyclers.
Device SA are also involved in the Digital Partnership, a UK initiative which donates refurbished computers to the townships where the majority of the previously disadvantaged people of South Africa live. Device SA distributes and installs the donated computers in South Africa.
Traders /retailers
There is no Advance Recycling Fee System or extended product responsibility attached to the trade of computers and other electronic goods in South Africa. However, distributors swap out obsolete computers when supplying new equipment to clients. Most of these computers are landfilled, not recycled.
Consumers
Informed sources estimate that some 80% of all computer sales are made to government departments whether at local, regional, provincial or national levels and corporations. Of these, the majority remain in store even after they have been put out of use. Most small businesses and households also appear to store their obsolete machines and eventually dispose of them in the municipal solid waste collection system. Very little of this material is recovered by salvagers operating on the general landfill sites where this waste is dumped.
Authorized E-waste Collection Points
There are currently no organised take-back systems, although in Gauteng, Pikitup, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality's Waste Management Utility, and Ekurhuleni Metro Waste Management are planning to provide drop off points at their garden refuse transfer stations to assist with data collection regarding household e-waste generation.
Sorting and Dismantling Companies
In South Africa, no licenses are required to sort or dismantle e-waste. This function is performed by scrap metal merchants. Reclam, the largest recycling organisation in South Africa, deals in the traditional markets of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap. They are not involved in e-waste processing themselves. However, they will collect it as a service to their regular clientele, then broker it to one of the two major e-waste recyclers. All other smaller scrap merchants surveyed either do not accept e-waste at all, or when they accept PCBs, they resell them to either of the above mentioned companies.
Recyclers
Formal Recyclers
There are two large recyclers in South Africa who process e-waste. The largest is Universal Recycling Company which operates from four locations and processes approximately 1800 tonnes of electronic scrap per annum. The recycling is done using sophisticated technology including mechanical shredders, pulverisers, rotary magnets, granulators, shears and balers on "disassembly" lines. Heavy and precious metals are shipped to a European refinery, steel is processed locally and aluminium scrap is exported to the Far East. Non-metallic fractions are landfilled.
Desco Electronic Recyclers: Desco which has been in operation in Gauteng since 1992 deals exclusively with e-waste and claims to be the largest PC Board recycler in South Africa. Desco purchases PCBs from scrap dealers and industry throughout South Africa and neighbouring African countries. It processes approximately 400 tonnes of PC boards and 2000 tonnes of general electronic scrap, including telecommunication equipment, desktop computers, mainframes, medical and radio equipment etc per annum.
All electronic scrap is manually stripped using a labour-intensive process. PCBs are processed with specialised machinery designed and built by Desco. No incineration or chemicals are used in the process.
Informal Recyclers
Preliminary investigations suggest that the informal e-waste recycling situation in South Africa differs substantially from the status quo in India and China. One of the reasons for the lack of informal recyclers is that the precious metals industry is strictly regulated in South Africa. Experts suggest that five years ago, there was informal recovery of metals using drum burning etc - to recover materials from e-waste. However, these no longer exist because of lower quantities of precious metals present in newer generation circuit boards than there used to be.
Refiners /Conditioners
Rand Refinery: Rand Refinery, the principal refinery in Gauteng, processes hundreds of tonnes of recovered material per annum from e-waste recyclers. According to Martin Griffiths, the two biggest e-waste recycling companies, Desco and Universal Recycling have virtually cornered the local market.
Rand Refinery also receives pre-processed material exported from the Far East and U.S.A - mainly precious metal dust. They principally process gold, while another refinery, IRS (Impala Refining Services) deals with high grade Platinum Group Metals.
Final Disposers
The majority of computer waste in South Africa is landfilled either in permitted hazardous waste disposal sites, such as Enviroserv's Holfontein site, where disposal is paid for, and the client is issued with a certificate of safe disposal, or is disposed of in the municipal waste stream and is landfilled in the local general waste disposal site. Informal salvaging is discouraged in accordance with government's directives. Very little e-waste is recovered from permitted landfills in South Africa. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which currently operates five waste disposal sites reported that on average 2.2 tonnes of e-waste per month are disposed at the Weltervreden Landfill site in Brakpan. No e-waste was recorded from any of the other landfill sites.
Importers / manufacturers
Unlike the Switzerland, South Africa has no laws governing extended product responsibility. Hence a system similar to the Swiss SWICO system has not yet evolved. However, the metal recovery industry is becoming organised and may eventually recognise the need to organise a self-regulatory body with similar objectives to the SWICO system.
All major computer manufacturers, such as IBM, Dell, HP/Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, etc. are represented in South Africa. Generic machines are also built with components imported from the Far East by smaller suppliers. The importation of components is dominated by one large supplier, Sahara Computers.
Refurbished machines are also imported for resale or donation to disadvantaged areas by companies such as Device SA, a multinational company, based in the Netherlands. They receive lease-expired personal computers, which they data-wipe and refurbish, then resell, both to dealers and the public. Obsolete or replaced parts are sold for scrap to Desco Electronic Recyclers.
Device SA are also involved in the Digital Partnership, a UK initiative which donates refurbished computers to the townships where the majority of the previously disadvantaged people of South Africa live. Device SA distributes and installs the donated computers in South Africa.
Traders /retailers
There is no Advance Recycling Fee System or extended product responsibility attached to the trade of computers and other electronic goods in South Africa. However, distributors swap out obsolete computers when supplying new equipment to clients. Most of these computers are landfilled, not recycled.
Consumers
Informed sources estimate that some 80% of all computer sales are made to government departments whether at local, regional, provincial or national levels and corporations. Of these, the majority remain in store even after they have been put out of use. Most small businesses and households also appear to store their obsolete machines and eventually dispose of them in the municipal solid waste collection system. Very little of this material is recovered by salvagers operating on the general landfill sites where this waste is dumped.
Authorized E-waste Collection Points
There are currently no organised take-back systems, although in Gauteng, Pikitup, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality's Waste Management Utility, and Ekurhuleni Metro Waste Management are planning to provide drop off points at their garden refuse transfer stations to assist with data collection regarding household e-waste generation.
Sorting and Dismantling Companies
In South Africa, no licenses are required to sort or dismantle e-waste. This function is performed by scrap metal merchants. Reclam, the largest recycling organisation in South Africa, deals in the traditional markets of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap. They are not involved in e-waste processing themselves. However, they will collect it as a service to their regular clientele, then broker it to one of the two major e-waste recyclers. All other smaller scrap merchants surveyed either do not accept e-waste at all, or when they accept PCBs, they resell them to either of the above mentioned companies.
Recyclers
Formal Recyclers
There are two large recyclers in South Africa who process e-waste. The largest is Universal Recycling Company which operates from four locations and processes approximately 1800 tonnes of electronic scrap per annum. The recycling is done using sophisticated technology including mechanical shredders, pulverisers, rotary magnets, granulators, shears and balers on "disassembly" lines. Heavy and precious metals are shipped to a European refinery, steel is processed locally and aluminium scrap is exported to the Far East. Non-metallic fractions are landfilled.
Desco Electronic Recyclers: Desco which has been in operation in Gauteng since 1992 deals exclusively with e-waste and claims to be the largest PC Board recycler in South Africa. Desco purchases PCBs from scrap dealers and industry throughout South Africa and neighbouring African countries. It processes approximately 400 tonnes of PC boards and 2000 tonnes of general electronic scrap, including telecommunication equipment, desktop computers, mainframes, medical and radio equipment etc per annum.
All electronic scrap is manually stripped using a labour-intensive process. PCBs are processed with specialised machinery designed and built by Desco. No incineration or chemicals are used in the process.
Informal Recyclers
Preliminary investigations suggest that the informal e-waste recycling situation in South Africa differs substantially from the status quo in India and China. One of the reasons for the lack of informal recyclers is that the precious metals industry is strictly regulated in South Africa. Experts suggest that five years ago, there was informal recovery of metals using drum burning etc - to recover materials from e-waste. However, these no longer exist because of lower quantities of precious metals present in newer generation circuit boards than there used to be.
Refiners /Conditioners
Rand Refinery: Rand Refinery, the principal refinery in Gauteng, processes hundreds of tonnes of recovered material per annum from e-waste recyclers. According to Martin Griffiths, the two biggest e-waste recycling companies, Desco and Universal Recycling have virtually cornered the local market.
Rand Refinery also receives pre-processed material exported from the Far East and U.S.A - mainly precious metal dust. They principally process gold, while another refinery, IRS (Impala Refining Services) deals with high grade Platinum Group Metals.
Final Disposers
The majority of computer waste in South Africa is landfilled either in permitted hazardous waste disposal sites, such as Enviroserv's Holfontein site, where disposal is paid for, and the client is issued with a certificate of safe disposal, or is disposed of in the municipal waste stream and is landfilled in the local general waste disposal site. Informal salvaging is discouraged in accordance with government's directives. Very little e-waste is recovered from permitted landfills in South Africa. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which currently operates five waste disposal sites reported that on average 2.2 tonnes of e-waste per month are disposed at the Weltervreden Landfill site in Brakpan. No e-waste was recorded from any of the other landfill sites.
