WEEE in Africa: New Legislations and Waste Management Plans

The correct collection and treatment of used EEE becomes an important topic in an increasing number of African countries: Cameroon, Nigeria, Madagascar and this summer also Ghana, have already enacted WEEE legislations. However, official publication of the Ghanaian Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control and Management Bill, a precondition for its entry into force, is still pending. The Bill implements the Basel Convention and introduces the obligation for producers to register with the Environmental Protection Agency and to pay an eco-levy for EEE placed on the market. In South Africa, only recently a Legal Notice to the Waste Act was published, informing the public about newly drafted rules requiring the electrical and electronic and the lighting industry to prepare and submit industry waste management plans. This draft also contains the obligations for responsible parties to register with competent authorities. Four further African countries are currently developing management plans or legislation to cover the proper collection and treatment of WEEE: Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Tunisia.