ELECTRONIC WASTE (E-WASTE) DISPOSAL IN TAMALE: THE SITUATION TODAY AND THE WAY FORWARD

Abstract

The urban lifestyle which depends heavily on electronic gadgets has consequently increased the generation of e-waste significantly in urbanizing Tamale in recent years. Despite the dire environmental and health effects associated with this waste stream, Tamale currently has no formal strategy for its disposal. The aim of the study was thus to uncover current disposal practices to possibly inform the design of an appropriate disposal strategy. Using an interview schedule, data were collected from 156 households and 24 non-households (Banks, internet cafes, hotels, public offices, repairers and telecommunication companies) while in-depth interviews were held with waste management institutions using semi-structured interview guides. The results showed that, there were basically seven (7) disposal practices in Tamale (storage, sale as scrap, dumped with other waste, permanently left with repairer, sold as used gadget, donation and dumped somewhere). Both households (90%) and non-households (100%) typically stored their e-waste though 65% of households preferred to sell it as scrap. Despite the fact that the sale of e-waste as scrap is run by the informal sector, it showed a high potential of becoming the socially acceptable channel of disposing it and should thus be integrated in designing any e-waste disposal strategy in Tamale. It was also recommended that places should be designated for the temporal storage of e-waste before taken to treatment plants to relieve disposers of congesting their homes while a mass education on print and electronic media on environmental and e-waste regulatory frameworks is to be done regularly to help create awareness.