Namibia’s City of Windhoek has announced an ewaste recycling plan that it says is ready for roll-out.

Local company Transworld Cargo will be responsible for the recycling plan, with support from the city.

Business and organisational development manager Frank Gschwender says the company has been looking at ewaste recycling since 2011. “We have been looking at reverse logistics, which is not a field that is well developed in the country. Ewaste was identified as an open and available option in the niche logistics market.”

In early 2012, the company launched a pilot programme to see whether ewaste collection would be feasible in Namibia. “We needed to see if we could do it on a sustainable basis in view of small volumes, long distances and high transport costs. Now the market and all the processes have been tested, the permits have been received, we have our clearances and we are fully compliant, so we are ready to scale up what we have been doing for the past year.”

The challenge now is to create awareness and educate the Namibian market about the potential dangers of ewaste and the benefits of responsible handling.

Transworld Cargo has set up a material recovery and dismantling facility at its head office, in the southern industrial area of Windhoek. The company currently recovers 70% of the material collected, with 30% disposed of in the Kupferberg landfill.

This is in line with international standards, says Gschwender, adding that Transworld Cargo offers free collection for bulk mate- rial and that it has a drop-off facility at its premises. A few secondary schools have put up dedicated ewaste collection bins, while more partners for such collection points are being sought.

“We are looking for a local solution for computer plastics. In the Western Cape, roof tiles are constructed from this waste product, and we would like to see if we, or any entrepreneur, can do something with it here. Currently, we are disposing of it.”

Gschwender says in some parts of the world up to 95% of ewaste is recovered but that a 70% baseline recovery for a project that is a year old is “very good”. The company has partnered with Desco, in Germiston, Gauteng, and E-cycle, in the Western Cape, and also has a partner in Germany.

“Our target is to capture the full ewaste stream. We are operating in Windhoek and Walvis Bay and using our logistics fleet in a piggy-back fashion. “But now, with the plan approved, it is a whole new business for Namibian com- panies and government. While there is no data on ewaste, our research and extra- polations have shown that the country produces 2 000 t/y to 2 500 t/y, with Windhoek producing between 300 t and 500 t of the total. It looks like ewaste is around 5% of the solid waste stream in Namibia,” says Gschwender.
As with the kerbside recycling of household waste which is a private enterprise managed by Rent-A-Drum, it seems that, through the ewaste plan, the City of Windhoek has found a winning formula to divert waste from landfills without having to invest in new infrastructure and training through harnessing the capacity of the private sector that is already there.