Publication:

Fate of e-waste in households in Enugu West Senatorial District of Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria

Background E-waste, is the waste generated from used electrical and electronic devices that are no longer fit for their original intended use. Currently e-waste comprises more than 5% of total municipal waste flow, equivalent to 20-50 million tonnes annually worldwide. In 2014, Nigeria generated about 219 kilo tonnes of e-waste. The study aimed to increase public awareness on the need for proper management of e-waste because of its hazardous nature.

Methods This was a cross-sectional study in Enugu West Senatorial District of Enugu State comprising Oji-River, Ezeagu, Udi, Awgu and Aninri Local Government Areas with a population of 980,988. An adaptation of the UNEP, EMPA and Basel convention questionnaire, administered to 400 households was used for data collection.

Results The potential e-waste generation in the study area was 0.05 kg per inhabitant. 76% of the households were aware of the hazards of e-waste. 64% were willing to give out their e-waste to waste collectors. Only 26% of the e-waste were collected with the general waste. The correlation between awareness of the hazards of e-waste and willingness of the households to give out their e-waste was positive, moderate, and insignificant (r= 0.43, p=0.47).

Conclusions Although 76 per cent of the households were aware of the hazards of e-waste, with 64% willing to give out their e-waste, only 26% of the e-waste were eventually collected together with the general waste. There is a need to create a separate e-waste collection system.