We live in a digital world and electronic devices are part of our daily lives. Yet, few of us know what happens to our gadgets after they’ve served their purpose.
To understand why e-waste management is so important, let’s follow the journey of one of our most common devices: the smartphone.
Life cycle of a cell phone (Rhonda Saunders)
A smartphone is dependent on modern mining and manufacturing. Each device contains approximately 40 different critical minerals, including gold, silver, copper, platinum, and rare earth elements.
The average smartphone contains about 0.034 grammes of gold, 0.34 grammes of silver, 15 grammes of copper, and smaller amounts of palladium and platinum. These precious metals are found in the circuit boards, speakers, and various electronic components. The screen contains indium tin oxide, while the battery relies on lithium and cobalt. The device’s frame typically consists of aluminum and various plastics.
Exact quantities can vary somewhat between different phone models and manufacturers.
The journey of these materials from Earth to smartphone is resource-intensive. Mining these minerals often involves significant environmental impact, with some estimates suggesting that producing a single smartphone requires processing about 34 kilogrammes of ore.
The manufacturing process itself consumes substantial energy and water resources, resulting in a considerable carbon footprint before the device even reaches a consumer’s hands. There are also questionable mining processes for the lithium and cobalt and some large brand names have been challenged for their purchase of ‘conflict minerals’ which rely heavily on child labour.
Considering all the impacts in the production of a smart phone it makes sense to re-use as many of them as possible. When a smartphone reaches its end of life – whether due to damage, obsolescence, or simply user preference for a newer model – its journey takes one of two paths: responsible recycling or waste disposal. Unfortunately, too many of them end up in the dustbin, or landfill and their valuable components are lost while the toxic one’s pose significant environmental risks.
In landfills, the device’s components begin to break down. Heavy metals and toxic substances like lead, mercury, and flame retardants can leach into soil and groundwater. The lithium-ion batteries can cause fires, releasing harmful fumes into the atmosphere. The plastics gradually degrade into microplastics, contributing to a growing environmental crisis.
Looking at South Africa’s e-waste landscape, the statistics paint a concerning picture. As of 2023, South Africa generates approximately 415,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, with only about 12% being formally recycled. This places a significant burden on the country’s waste management systems and represents a massive loss of valuable resources that could be recovered through proper recycling.
The benefit of e-waste recycling
The encouraging news is the concept of urban mining – extracting valuable materials from discarded electronics – that is gaining traction. For instance, one tonne of smartphones contains about 300 times more gold than one tonne of gold ore, making e-waste recycling a valuable aspect of the recycling economy and helps improve environmental management.
Each of us has a crucial role to play in this transformation. The first step is understanding that every electronic device has value and shouldn’t be carelessly ‘thrown away”.
There are a number of e-waste recyclers in South Africa who are helping turn this waste into something of more value. Before you decide to get a new device, find out whether the one you have can be repaired or if you can donate it. If you do have to buy something new choose brands with strong environmental commitments and recycling programmes.
Our E-Waste Initiative at the SI
Many items can be regarded as e-waste, and here is a list that can help you. Note that most of these items contain valuable materials (like copper, gold, and rare earth elements) and potentially harmful substances like lead and mercury.
We have made it easier for our community to recycle e-waste! The SI has an e-waste recycling programme, and people can bring their old electronics to our collection point in the main building. Tell your family and community members they can bring their e-waste too.
Every piece of e-waste you bring for recycling helps create a cleaner, healthier South Africa. There are also various e-waste drop off points around South Africa. Find your nearest one here.