UFS researcher calls on South African universities to lead national e-waste recycling effort

SOUTH AFRICA – A researcher from the University of the Free State (UFS) is urging universities across the country to take a more active role in tackling South Africa’s escalating electronic waste crisis.

Electronic waste, discarded electrical and electronic equipment, is now the world’s fastest-growing waste stream.

Globally, e-waste volumes jumped from 53.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 62 million tonnes in 2022, an increase of nearly 16%.

The situation is even more concerning in South Africa, where e-waste is growing three times faster than municipal solid waste, according to the Recycling of Waste and Scrap in South Africa 2023 report.

Despite these rising volumes, only 7% to 12% of South Africa’s e-waste is formally recycled. The rest is stored in homes, dumped illegally, or processed by informal recyclers who often work in hazardous conditions without protective equipment.

According to the UFS researcher, planned obsolescence, the designing of devices with shorter lifespans, is a major contributor to the growing waste stream.

Compounding the problem is widespread ignorance: a recent survey of Gen Z and Millennial consumers found that 60% of adults cannot define e-waste, while 57% are unaware of its environmental or health dangers.

As a result, many devices end up in household bins, leading to pollution, toxic emissions and long-term ecological damage.

Infrastructure gaps deepen the challenge

South Africa’s e-waste disposal infrastructure remains limited, particularly in regions such as the Free State and Northern Cape, where the E-waste Recycling Authority (ERA) lists either one or no official drop-off points.

With so few disposal options available, many people, including students, resort to hoarding unused or broken devices.

An ERA-led awareness campaign recently highlighted the severity of the situation: in just two days, the initiative collected 164 tonnes of e-waste from 135,000 people.

The UFS researcher argues that universities, with their large, tech-dependent populations, are uniquely positioned to champion responsible e-waste management.

Institutions can collaborate with manufacturers and recyclers to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs, install permanent campus collection points, and integrate environmental stewardship into academic and social life.

By normalizing responsible disposal habits among young adults, universities could help shape a generation that carries sustainable practices into workplaces and wider society.

While the e-waste challenge is daunting, the researcher believes it offers a “transformative opportunity” for South Africa.

The pressing question now is whether the country’s institutions of higher learning will rise to the occasion and take the lead in the national e-waste transition.

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