ZEMA and ZICTA collaborate to support industry on e-waste in Zambia

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JOINT PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

LUSAKA, June 11, 2020

ZEMA AND ZICTA COLLABORATE TO SUPPORT INDUSTRY ON E-WASTE 

Electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) contains toxic materials harmful to human health and the environment.

Inappropriate management of this waste stream which is hazardous remains a challenge in Zambia.

To address this, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA and Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) are promoting effective eco-friendly e-waste management and disposal practices in the country.

As part of this collaboration, ZICTA and ZEMA are today witnessing the collection of e-waste from Lafarge Zambia Plc, Chilanga by TCH E-Waste Limited, one of the licensed e-waste facilities in Zambia.

An estimated 15 tonnes of e-waste is being collected for purposes of recycling components of this waste locally as well as export for onward processing.

ZEMA Corporate Affairs Manager, Irene Lungu Chipili said:

“In line with the provisions of the Environmental Management Act (EMA) No.12 of 2011 and subsidiary legislation, ZEMA regulates hazardous waste which includes e-waste in the country.

When e-waste is disposed of at non-hazardous landfills, their toxic materials seep into groundwater, affecting both land and aquatic life.

And when it is burnt, resultant toxic chemicals are released, polluting the air and presenting a high risk to human health and the environment.

For these reasons, safe disposal of e-waste is important.

The Agency takes this opportunity to appeal to individuals and corporate bodies in Zambia to emulate La’farge Zambia Plc and utilise licensed waste collectors for e-waste and other hazardous waste streams. This is key to managing various e-waste and safeguarding our environment and human health”.

And ZICTA Manager Corporate Communications, Ngabo Nankonde said:

“The growing volumes of end-of-life (EOL) and near end-of-life of ICT equipment around the globe is becoming a matter of concern because ICT equipment is characterised by high demand and a relatively short life-span.

Failure to close the loop on e-waste such as computers and other ICT equipment could lead to significant adverse environmental impact.

Therefore, recognising the rapidly emerging and serious threat posed by e-Waste, it is essential that we collaborate and manage e-Waste.

According to the ZICTA 2018 National ICT Survey, 48.9 percent of all the households across the country had disposed of some electronic or electrical items which were damaged or were no longer useful to the households.

The Survey also indicated that mobile phones represented the highest volume of disposed electronic waste with 34.8%, followed by radio with 17.4% and television with 10.1%.

When it comes to how people disposed of this waste, 20.2% of individuals put away electrical or electronic waste, 14.3% of individuals gave away their devices while individuals who either threw away their e-waste in a landfill or in a trash accounted for 11.4% and 6.3% respectively.

As the regulator of ICTs, we encourage the adoption of green ICTs and technologies as well as computing practices that are efficient and effective with minimal or no impact on the environment.”

ZEMA and ZICTA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2016 to enhance sensitization and enforcement efforts on e-waste.

As regulatory Agencies, we remain committed to supporting industry in the management of e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner. We will continue collaborating with industry and subsequently, raise awareness on the dangers of e-waste to the environment and human health.

Issued by:

 

Irene Lungu Chipili Ngabo Nankonde
Manager, Corporate Affairs Manager Corporate Communications
Zambia Environmental Management Agency ZICTA

Contacts:
ZEMA – Irene Lungu Chipili – Phone No. 097 774 4299 – Email: iglungu@zema.org.zm
ZICTA – Ngabo Nankonde – Phone No. 097 778 3411 – Email: nnankonde@zicta.zm

About ZEMA

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (“ZEMA”) is a statutory body established under the Environmental Management Act (“EMA”) Number 12 of 2011 whose mandate is to do all such things as are necessary to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment, and the prevention and control of pollution. The EMA has three subsidiary legislation namely; Environmental Protection and Pollution Control (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 28 of 1997; Environmental Management (Licensing) Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 112 of 2013; and Environmental Management (Extended Producer Responsibility) Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 65 of 2018.

About ZICTA

The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) came into existence following the enactment of the Information and Communications Technologies Act Number 15 of 2009. It is mandated to regulate the provision of electronic communication services and also monitor the performance of the ICT sector in terms of levels of investment, cost and quality of service among others things. Furthermore, ZICTA has the mandate to administer the Postal Services Act and Electronic Communications Transaction Act of 2009.
All in all, our mandate is centred around technical regulation, economic regulation and consumer protection in the ICT as well as Postal and Courier sectors.