Award-winning: Recycling of electronic devices

Africa has the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market. Mobile phone communication contributes to faster and better exchange and information between people, while it improves access to, for example, financial services and health care. On the other hand it will lead to an increase in waste electrical equipment such as mobile phones in Africa in the coming years, while recycling systems based on international standards are still rare.

This is why DEG co-finances a project aiming at establishing a sustainable and profitable recycling system for waste electrical equipment, using funds from the develoPPP.de Programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Private partner is the technology group Hewlett-Packard (HP). In cooperation with East African Compliant Recycling (EACR), a local company specialised in waste management, HP implements a recycling system for e-waste in Kenya. Further partners are Kenyan authorities and the University of Northampton. The British daily "The Guardian" has honoured the project with the "Sustainable Business Award" in the category "Collaboration", being an example of innovative collaboration between partners from the private sector, government and research.

Environmentally-friendly disposal

A recycling facility to dismantle electronic appliances such as television sets, computers and mobile phones, is already in operation in Nairobi. The electronic devices are supplied by currently five collection points. The collectors bring the electronic devices and other reusable materials, such as plastic, to the collection points in return for a fair wage. The recycling facility in Nairobi and the collection points moreover lead to increased job creation. The operators doing the collecting receive the necessary equipment and training for dealing with the e-waste. Only a professional disposal of waste electrical equipment ensures that no hazardous chemicals are released.

Recycling of valuable materials

Professional recycling can turn waste electrical equipment into a valuable resource. Valuable metals including gold, silver, copper and palladium can be recovered from recycled mobile phones. These recovered materials are fed back into the material cycle to ensure the project's financial viability.

Since early 2013, DEG has been co-financing the investment project within the scope of the develoPPP.de Programme with a total of around 197,000 euros. The private partners' contribution is comparable to DEG's amount.