WeCollect
Electronic Waste Project – Our Contribution to Circular Economy
OUR PROJECTS
What is WeCollect?
Electronic waste (e-waste) has increased globally due to the production of limited-lifespan electronic devices, posing environmental and public health concerns due to lack of proper safe disposal mechanisms.
The lack of serious enforcement of the electronic waste management legal framework in Kenya over time and the high cost of recycling has posed a great challenge to e-waste management.
Threats to e-waste Management in Kenya
Unhealthy e-waste disposal by informal handlers through crude means of open burning, disposal in open fields, storage of e-waste in unlicensed facilities and handling by individuals with little knowledge of e-waste management and concerns for legal implications have been witnessed. Heating e-waste releases hazardous compounds into the atmosphere posing environmental risks. Prolonged exposure to e-waste, particularly lead, is associated with adverse health effects, including premature births, alterations in lung function, and respiratory complications.
WeCollect; A Solution to e-waste Menace
There is a growing need to reduce barriers to e-waste management and improve the cost-effectiveness of business models attempting it. To achieve this, we have established WeCollect; a collection and recycling value chain in Homa Bay County whereby we repair our solar products, especially our solar lanterns and e-waste collected from the community.
WeCollect is aligned to the principles of reusing, reducing, and recycling electronic waste with the ultimate goal of transforming e-waste into valuable resources.
Pre-processing Plant
Our pre-processing plant is located in Homa Bay town. E-waste from the collection points are transported to the pre-processing plant where they undergo functionality tests, repair, dismantling and separation of components which are then transported to the recycling facilities for further treatment and disposal facilities for disposal of hazardous components
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Our reduce, reuse and recycle mechanisms are based on four main components:
- Managing our solar and electronic products
- Sensitization and incentivization of community members to hand-in e-waste at our collection points and through collection days
- Ensuring stakeholder engagement
- Maintaining smooth operations at the pre-processing plant, collection centers and construction of additional storage facilities in the lake region.
Collaborations
We operate in close partnership with the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), diligently adhering to their regulatory guidelines and maintaining a collaborative relationship with various County Governments and stakeholders.
We maintain a close working relationship with the Ministry of Health, collaborating with the Community Health Promoters to ensure effective dissemination of our e-waste management communication within our communities.
Capacity Building
We conduct comprehensive training for community health promoters and public health officers, focusing on instigating behavior change in ensuring the correct disposal of e-waste. As a testament to our commitment and impact, we have, to date, efficiently collected and processed a substantial 10 million metric tons of e-waste at our state-of-the-art processing facility.
Collection Centres
Our e-waste collection centers are located at our hubs in Homa Bay town, Mbita, Sindo, Ragwe, Nyandiwa (Homabay County), Sori (Migori County) and Honge (Siaya County). An additional collection center will be constructed in Katito in Kisumu county
