CHALLENGES OF WASTE SHIPMENTS AND INAPPROPRIATE E … · •Success story recorded in Nigeria •Group consisted of representatives of: NESREA enforcement agency ... 7 6 Dec 2012

CHALLENGES OF WASTE

SHIPMENTS AND

INAPPROPRIATE E-WASTE

MANAGEMENT IN AFRICA

Percy C. Onianwa

Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for the African Region (BCCC-Africa)

Ibadan, Nigeria

IMPEL Waste & TFS Conference: Circular Economy and International Cooperation Eschborn, Germany, 8 – 10 June, 2016

Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for

the African Region (in Nigeria)

• First Basel Convention Regional Centre to be established (1994)

• Regional mandate for the whole of Africa

• Coordinates three other sub-regional centres:

BCRC-Egypt for Arab speaking African countries

BCRC-South Africa for English speaking African countries, and

BCRC-Senegal for French speaking African countries

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Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for

the African Region (in Nigeria)

• Core functions, relating to hazardous wastes, include:

Training

Awareness raising

Projects

Consultancy

Promoting synergies amongst the sub-regional BCRCs

• Designed to assist state parties in their implementation of the convention

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BCCC-Africa

• Played active roles at regional level, regarding e-waste issues: Coordinated the e-waste Africa project, 2010-2012, involving Nigeria, Benin,

Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Egypt.

124 law enforcement officers attended the national E-waste workshops in 4 African States (Benin, Egypt, Ghana, and Nigeria)

Led 19 Africans officials on a 2 week training at various ports in Europe

Developed capacity building tools and led to establishment of EU-Africa Enforcement Network

• Organised the PACE workshop on e-wastes (2015) , in which representatives of 32 African countries participated.

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E-waste flows to developing countries

Source: Basel Action Network, Sillicon Valley Toxics Coalition

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EU-Africa E-waste shipment routes

• Most significant is the EU-West Africa route to Ghana and Nigeria

• Imports usually include admixture: New EEE Fairly used EEE Near end-of-life EEE, and End-of-life EEE (E-waste)

• An estimated 5 million personal computers is imported annually into Nigeria through the major sea port of Lagos alone.

• About 25–75% of imported second hand computer wares are unusable junk that are non-functional or unrepairable.

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Quantitative data for EEE imports and use (source: SBC E-

waste Africa project, 2011)

Country Imports of EEE EEE in use Waste

Generated

tonnes/

year

thereof used

EEE

tonnes Kg/inhabitant tonnes/year

Benin 16,000 30% 55,000 6.32 9,700

Cote d’Ivoire 25,000 48% 100,000 4.8 15,000

Ghana 215,000 70% 984,000 41 179,000

Liberia 3,500 10% 17,000 4.6 N/A

Nigeria 1,200,000 35-70% 6,800,000 44 1,100,000

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Modus operandi of shippers

• Deception at ports of origin

• Deception at ports of destination

• False manifests

• Admixture of cargo E-waste often in used vehicles

E-waste mixed with UEEE

• Criminal corruption of enforcement officials at ports of destination

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Waste shipments to Africa contravene:

The Basel Convention

The BAN Amendment

The Bamako Convention

Local regulations of various countries: o E.g., Nigeria prohibits importation of WEEE

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How are African countries dealing with the

problem?

Participating in studies of ewaste flows into Africa

Establishing local regulations to stem flows

Establishing local “dump watch” groups

Establishing subregional action groups

Cooperating with European and other international organisations

Training of regulators, enforcement and judiciary personnel

Repatriation of ships bearing WEEE

Regional and Sub-regional governance

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Studies on E-waste flows

• Most African countries have carried out their own e-waste country assessments

• BCCC-Africa coordinated the major e-waste Africa project (involving SBC, UNEP, EMPA, EU, Oko-Institue, IMPEL)

• BCCC-Africa is currently partnering with the UNU in conducting the Person-in-Port project in Nigeria, and the DOTCOM project

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Local e-waste regulations to stop imports

• Interim regulations, designed to solve immediate problem

• Many countries keep a register of local importers of EEE

• NIGERIA: National Environmental (Electrical/Electronic Sector) Regulations, 2010. S. I. No 23. – prohibits importation of WEEE

• Very few national E-waste policies: Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 2010. Electronic Waste Management Policy for Uganda. Final Draft June 2010

DRAFT BILLS IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES

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Training of personnel

• Many relevant training workshops organised in all sub-regions, and at regional levels for: Regulators

Enforcement officers (Customs)

Ports officials

• Further training required for these, and additionally for: Prosecutors

Judiciary

Legislators

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Local “Dump Watch” groups

• Success story recorded in Nigeria

• Group consisted of representatives of: NESREA enforcement agency The Customs The Ports Authority Standards Organisation of Nigeria Nigerian Navy State Security Service National intelligence Agency Defence Intelligence Agency Nigerian Maritime Administration

• The group operates by intelligence received from cooperating international

organisations (IMPEL, INTERPOL, WCO, INECE, SESN, etc)

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Sub-regional “Watch Groups”

• 2013 attempt at establishing a West African Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (WANECE).

• Initiative by NESREA and ECOWAS

• Launched with much enthusiasm and hope

• Not yet a success story

• Important organ that can effectively curtail waste dumping in the sub-region.

• EU-Africa Enforcement Network established in 2013 (Impel, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Egypt). Not functional due lack of funds.

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E-waste repatriations from Nigeria since 2010

S/N Date Vessel No. of Containers Country of Export

1 14 April 2010 MV Nashville 1 (UESUA 463595-0 ) Austria

2 3 June2010 MV Gumel 7x40 Ft and 2x 20 Ft trucks Germany

3 6 Oct 2010 Vera D 4 x40 Ft (ZCSU 82397694- 5), ZCSU 82392024-5 and ZCSU 81973444-5)

USA

4 14 Oct 2010 Grande America 2 (GCNU 463667-3 and GCNU 463871-6) UK

5 11 July 2012 Louis S 1 (TGHU 353945-7) Malaysia

6 16 May 2012 PAC Antilia 1 (TGHU 736337-1) Singapore

7 6 Dec 2012 Hamonia Teutonica 1x 40ft (PCIU 999156-0 ) Korea

8 6 Dec 2012 NYK Vega 1x 40 ft and 1x20ft (MOAU 772496-3 and UNIU 205536-0)

Japan

9 10 Jan 2013 MV Marivia 2x40 Ft (ECMU 987085-8 and ECMU 989451-0)

UK

10 19 June 2013 Euro Cargo Salermo 3 Trucks - Discharged at the Port of Luanda for repatriation

Belgium

Source: NESREA 16

Africa’s e-waste volumes (UNU Monitor, 2014)

Direct import

+

Local generation

1.9 Mt (out of global total of 41.8 Mt)

1.7 kg/inh (out of global average of 5.9 kg/inh)

• Comparatively low (but fast rising) volume and generation rate

• Very low capacities for ESM

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Managing the total e-waste

• No e-waste specific management policies, legislation, guidelines, manuals, etc • (guidelines in South Africa; Uganda-2012 policy, 2016 guidelines/strategy)

• Material life cycle mainly one of import, use, collection, refurbishment, dismantling, crude recycling, dumping of residues

• Informal sector dominates the collection, refurbishment, dismantling, recycling, and dumping

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Managing the total e-waste /

• Informal sector of above average capability at refurbishment

• Recycling involves open burning to retrieve copper, and smelting to obtained lead

• Very poor resource recovery (most precious metals not recovered)

• Crude recycling and dumping pollutes air, water and soil

• Children and women often engaged

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Material Life Cycle of EEE in Africa (photos by EMPA)

Import Consume Collect Refurbish

Dismantle Recover Lead Recover Copper Dump

Photos by Empa 20


• Most countries have no infrastructure for formal ESM of recycling process.

• Few small pilot plants in some countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania)

• Proposed plants in some (Nigeria, Ghana, south Africa)

• Supports from UNIDO

• Yet no recycling standards, certification schemes in all countries.

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• No established Extended Producer Responsibility scheme in any country

• EPR schemes under proposal in several countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, etc)

• Lack of local producers/manufactures hampers the scheme

• Importers and distributors of EEE to bear the responsibilities

• Ghana proposes an E-waste Trust Fund to be derived by annual leveis on importers, distributors and local manufacturers.

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• E-waste African Alliance to the rescue?

• Alliance of five OEMs (Dell, HP, Philips, Nokia and Reclaimed Appliances [UK])

• The Goal: developing and scaling up practical solutions to the e-waste problem in developing country (active in Nigeria, Kenya, SA, Ghana)

• The Key Principles:

establishment of recycling standards,

involvement of the informal sector,

fair competition in the recycling business, and

regional solutions for effective e-waste recycling solutions

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Managing the total e-waste.

• Proposals for national and sub-regional pilot plants (Nigeria, South Africa, etc) – to serve smaller countries

• But Bamako convention and several local guidelines (Nigeria, Uganda) prohibit e-waste imports

• Implies detriment to effective raw material sourcing for major recycling plants!

• Locally appropriate profitable business models need to be developed in Africa for the ESM of e-waste.

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Summary of challenges/recommendations for

African countries

• Most African countries do not have specific e-waste management policy. This is important.

• African country have not yet domesticated the relevant Basel and Bamako conventions into local legislations. This needs to be done.

• Countries need local regulations and guidelines for managing e-waste, through control of imports, collection, refurbishment, recycling, disposal, etc.

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African countries /

• Cooperation with relevant international organisations needs to be strengthened, and new ones established, to support effective intelligence and enforcements networks. Lack of funding has hampered the effective of existing ones (WANECE, EU-Africa network)

• Need to work together to have regional and sub-regional approaches to solving the e-waste problem. Presently, many diverse options.

• Human capacity building needs to be intesified. Apart from regulators and enforcement agencies, attention needs to be extended to policy makers, prosecutors, judiciary and legislators.

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African countries

• Standardisation and certification schemes need to be established for e-waste recycling solutions. Economic incentives need to be provided for investors in recycling schemes.

• Locally appropriate business models need to be developed for collection and recycling solutions.

• The informal sector needs to be properly organised and integrated into the solution of the e-waste problem

• Technical and financial infrastructure need to be provided to make possible the environmentally sound recycling of e-waste. The “best of two worlds” approach may be best solutions for now.

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African countries.

• African countries need to establish credible EPR / take back / producer responsibility schemes. Locally viable models have to be developed.

• OEMs need to be encouraged to do more for African countries.

• Guidelines that ban cross-border movements of e-wastes even among African countries may hamper growth of regional recycling plants. Need for revision.

• Sites already polluted with e-wastes need to be “cleaned up”

• Improved awareness raising among the citizenry, on the hazards and benefits derivable from e-waste, is vital.

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THANK YOU

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CHALLENGES OF WASTE SHIPMENTS AND INAPPROPRIATE E … · •Success story recorded in Nigeria •Group consisted of representatives of: NESREA enforcement agency ... 7 6 Dec 2012

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