HOUSEHOLD E-WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN GWANDA TOWN, ZIMBABWE

Precious Mhoti, Emmanuel Nhedzi, Jemitias Mapira

Abstract


This study investigates household e-waste management practices at Ward 9, Gwanda in Zimbabwe. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used in which a sample of 125 participants was selected through random sampling with the aim of determining the nature, quantities and management practices of electronic waste in the study area. Data was collected through the use of a pre-tested questionnaire and key informant interviews. Observation pictures were also taken to document the methods used by households to manage the e-waste. Collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 and presented using tables and graphs. The study found that on average each household unit generated the following quantities and types of e-waste: electrical irons (0.68±0.68), kettles (0.53±0.50), stoves (0.34±0.54), televisions (0.26±0.44) and decoders (0.18±0.44). With regards to household e-waste management, 54.4% of the participants reported that they disposed of it in designated sites, 24.8 % kept it at their homes, 15.2 % burnt or incinerated it and only 5.2 % sold it to recyclers. In light of these findings, this investigation concludes that residents use unsustainable household e-waste management practices which may endanger their environment and personal health. The study recommends that waste managers of Gwanda municipality and the Environmental Management Agency should (i) conduct e-waste awareness campaigns to households in order to improve on management practices, (ii) develop a sound e-waste management strategy, and (iii) consider strengthening the efforts on e-waste recycling.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


e-waste management practices, sustainable development, ward 9, Gwanda, Zimbabwe

Full Text:

PDF

References


Asante KA, Agusa T, Biney CA, Agyekum WA, Bello M, Otsuka M, Itai T, Takahashi Sand Tanabe S., 2012. Multi-trace element levels and arsenic speciation in urine of e-waste recycling workers from Agbogbloshie, Accra Science of the Total Environment 2012; 424, 63-73.

Berg and Rosana E Norman. Health consequences of exposure to e-waste: a systematic review. Lancet Glob Health 2013; 1: 350-61.

Bushehri FI (2010). UNEP’s role in promoting environmentally sound management of e-waste. In 5th ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change, Cairo

Chan JKY, Xing GH, Xu Y, Liang Y, Chen LX, Wu SC, Wong CKC, Leung CKM, Wong MH. Body loadings and health risk assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans at an intensive electronic waste recycling site in China. Environmental Science & Technology 2007; 41: 7668–7674.

Elliott P, Briggs D, Morris S, et al. Risk of adverse birth outcomes in populations near landfill sites. Br J Med 2001; 323: 363-368.

Gaidajis G, Angelakoglou K, Aktsoglou D. E-waste: environmental problems and current management. Journal of Engineering Science & Technology Review 2010; 3: 193-199.

Gensburg L, Pantea C, Fitzgerald, EJ, et al. Cancer incidence among former Love Canal residents. Environ Health Perspectives 2009; 117: 209-216.

Ha NN, Agusa T, Ramu K, Tu NPC, Murata S, Bulbule KA, Parthasaraty P, Takahashi S, Subramanian A, Tanabe S. Contamination by trace elements at e-waste recycling sites in Bangalore, India. Chemosphere 2009; 76: 9–15.

Halluite J, Linton JD, Yeomans JS, Yoogalingam R. The challenge of hazardous waste management in a sustainable environment: insights from electronic recovery laws. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manage 2005. 12:31–37.

Hicks C, Dietmar R, Eugster M. The recycling and disposal of electrical and electronic waste in China-legislative and market responses. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 2005; 25, 459–471.

Huo X, Peng L, Xu X, Zheng L, Qui B, Qi Z, Zhang B, Han D, Piao Z. Elevated blood lead levels of children in Guiyu, an electronic waste recycling town in China. Environmental Health Perspectives 2007; 115:1113–1117.

Joseph K (2007). Electronic waste management in India: issues and strategies. Eleventh International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, Sardinia.

Kristen Grant, Fiona C Goldizen, Peter D Sly, Marie-Noel Brune, Maria Neira, Martin van den Leung A, Cai ZW, Wong MH. Environmental contamination from electronic waste recycling at Guiyu, southeast China. Material Cycles and Waste Management 2006; 8: 21–33.

Puckett J, Smith T. (2002). Exporting harm the high-tech trashing of Asia. In: Coalition, S.V.T. (Ed.).

Qu W, Bi X, Sheng G, Lu S, Fu J, Yuan J, Li L. Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers among workers at an electronic waste dismantling region in Guangdong, China. Environment International 2007; 33: 1029–1034.

Tchobanoglous G, Theisen H, Snippet SV. (1993). Integrated solid waste management. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Wang JP, Guo XK. Impact of electronic wastes recycling on environmental quality. Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2006; 19: 137–142.

Wang T, Fu J, Wang Y, Liao C, Tao Y, Jiang G. Use of scalp hair as indicator of human exposure to heavy metals in an electronic waste recycling area. Environmental Pollution 2009; 157: 2445–2451.

Widmer R, Oswald-Krapf H, Sinha-Khetriwal D, Schnellmann M, Boni H. Global perspectives on e-waste. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 2005; 25: 436–458.

Williams E, Kahhat R, Allenby B, Kavazajian E, Kim J, Xu M. Environmental, social and economic implications of global reuse and recycling of personal computers. Environmental Science & Technology 2008; 42: 6446–6454.

Zambon P, Ricci P, Bovo E, et al. Sarcoma risk and dioxin emissions from incinerators and industrial plants: a population-based case-control study. Occu Environ Med 2007; 6, 19.

Zeng X, Song Q, Li J, Liu L, Yuan W, Duan H, Liu L. Solving e-waste problem using an integrated mobile recycling plant. Journal of Cleaner Production 2015; 90: 55–59.

Zheng L, Wu K, Li Y, Qi Z, Han D, Zhang B, Gu C, Chen G, Liu J, Chen S, Xu X, Huo X. Blood lead and cadmium levels and relevant factors among children from an e-waste recycling town in China. Environmental Research 2008; 108: 15–20.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v8i4.1474

Copyright (c) 2023 Precious Mhoti, Emmanuel Nhedzi, Jemitias Mapira

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The research works published in this journal are free to be accessed. They can be shared (copied and redistributed in any medium or format) and\or adapted (remixed, transformed, and built upon the material for any purpose, commercially and\or not commercially) under the following terms: attribution (appropriate credit must be given indicating original authors, research work name and publication name mentioning if changes were made) and without adding additional restrictions (without restricting others from doing anything the actual license permits). Authors retain the full copyright of their published research works and cannot revoke these freedoms as long as the license terms are followed.

Copyright © 2016 - 2023. European Journal Of Social Sciences Studies (ISSN 2501-8590) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library. All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and standards formulated by Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002), the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003) and  Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003) and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights of the published research works are retained by authors.