E-CYLING E-WASTE: THE WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA IT AND ELECTRO-MECHANICAL INDUSTRY

Abstract

ABSTRACT An average of 500,000 tons of obsolete Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipments (WEEE) are dumped into Nigeria monthly with its associated health and environmental hazards. E-waste includes computers, entertainment electronics, mobile phones and other items that have been discarded by their original users. While there is no generally accepted definition of e-waste, in most cases e-waste consists of expensive and more or less durable products used for data processing, telecommunications or entertainment in private households and businesses. Dumping of e-waste in Nigeria has negative health consequences such as leaching toxins into the soil, air and groundwater which later enter into crops, animals and human body systems causing contamination and pollution. Medical experts have warned that exposure to these substances can cause damage to blood and nervous systems, DNA, immune systems, kidneys and can lead o respiratory and skin disorders and lung cancer and can interfere with regulatory hormones and brain development. This is bad news for Nigeria and Africa who accept over-used PCs that have very short life as gifts which is a subtle way of dumping the unneeded WEEE by the advanced West. No serious awareness has been created by government or industry on the dangers WEEE pose for Nigeria nor has there been any documented regulatory policy on e-waste. This paper will examine the inherent dangers of WEEE dumping in Nigeria, discuss e-cyling as a means of curbing the menace and suggest strategic policy trust for Nigeria and Africa.