|
A man stands on top of a mountain of garbage at Dandora dumpsite, Nairobi, Kenya, 05 December 2019 (issued 10 December 2019). Many slum dwellers scavenge in a hazardous environment of Dandora for a living where they make average of 200-400 Kenya shillings (2-4 US dollars) a day. According to Seth Munyambu, the Quality Environment manager of the WEEE Center (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) which is the only legally registered e-waste recycling company in Kenya, the company processes 240-280 tons of e-waste per year, less than one percent of the total amount of 44,000 tons generated annually by the country. While the facility has the capacity to handle 75 tons monthly, only 20-25 tons are received from disposers. Much of the e-waste in Nairobi ends up in dumpsites such as Dandora where people scavenge for valuables including e-waste which are rarely disposed in proper manners. 'Awareness among the public and the law specifically addresses the e-waste are the key', Munyambu says. A 2019 United Nations report says some 50 million tonnes of e-waste is being thrown away each year, posing a serious threat to the environment and human health worldwide. The UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) is currently taking place in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Dai Kurokawa/EPA/EFE)
|
