Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre business development manager Arthur Mwangi warned that the waste will increase as the government seeks to invest more in the digital and electronic space.
He said mobile phones were a leading source of electronic waste that must be handled effectively to reduce risks of careless dumping.
Mwangi said there is a need for the country to put in place effective systems and plans to manage the expected increase in e-waste.
WEEE centre, an electronic recycling facility, has set up its sixth e-waste collection centre in Eldoret. This has been done in partnership with Eldoret National Polytechnic and several other institutions in the region.
“We are pleased to open the sixth facility in Eldoret to serve the region even as we plan to have collection units in all the 47 counties,” Mwangi said.
He said WEEE centre, which was set up in 2012 and licensed by Nema, had been working with stakeholders, including institutions and individuals, on management of e-waste in the country.
Mwangi spoke during the commissioning of the e-waste collection centre by University of Eldoret deputy vice chancellor Prof Phillip Raburu at Eldoret National Polytechnic. WEEE and the college had signed an MoU leading to the establishment of the collection centre.
He said electronic waste is a growing concern and even though the government was doing a lot in digital milestones which will lead to more electronic and digital equipment imported, little was being done in managing electronic waste.
“If not well taken care of, e-waste will get into the wrong hands in the informal sector where people expose themselves to dangerous or hazardous waste unknowingly,” Mwangi said.
The manager said as much e-waste is a challenge, it has benefited those involved as collectors and agents, adding that e-waste can be used for training and research by local institutions, he said.
Eldoret Polytechnic deputy principal Emmanuel Meres said they had been using a class at the college as a collection centre, but the partnership with WEEE will lead to better handling of e-waste.
“As a college and a research centre, we look forward to having a recycling firm at this polytechnic so that we do not have to take the waste all the way to Nairobi,” Meres said.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
