E-waste

Donating your redundant goods to charity is a great way to get what you no longer need into the hands of those without, and this is extremely true of electrical equipment. However, with e-waste as the fastest growing domestic waste stream in the world, donating your technology can come with its hazards.

Conducting any research into the e-waste crisis sees you peppered with images of CRT monitors piled high amongst rusted printers – many imported from the UK and US via the Port of Tema, in the Southeast of Ghana. 

Most of these will be either from charity donations that could not be used in practice or, more likely, e-waste shipped under the guise of donations to circumnavigate the Basel convention by claiming used electronic waste is “repairable”. 

The outcomes of this mass exodus are particularly dire for human and environmental health. Agbogbloshie: the world’s largest e-waste dump in Ghana being the most extreme example. 

But there is still a genuine need for IT equipment to bridge the digital divide with only 44% of schools in Ghana with access to computers - so how can we donate without contributing to the problem? 

In May 2024, Techbuyer hosted Harriet Adjabeng – a MSc student in Sustainability and Consultancy at the University of Leeds to conduct research into best practice for donating IT equipment to Western Africa. Being from Ghana herself, Harriet understands the challenges and opportunities posed by charitable work in the region. Here are the key takeaways from her work:  

Diligence is Key When Choosing Partner Organisations 

Doing your research is key when looking at who you are going to be working with: Charities and community organisations are required to be registered with the Registrar General’s Department in Ghana. The legitimacy of schools can be checked by visiting their listing on the Ghana education directory. 

There is an ocean of NPOs and Charities to choose from and vetting them is important but time consuming – luckily, Harriet has done the work and recommends several organisations working across the region. 

Charities that guarantee responsible end of life practices for used IT equipment can help divert this technology from landfill when no longer usable. 

Communication is Critical to Achieving Success 

Ensuring that your donations have the desired impact means asking the right questions: 

  • Does the recipient of your donations have the necessary infrastructure to use it?  
  • Are you sending it somewhere with a reliable connection? 
  • Are teachers sufficiently trained in how to assist learners in using equipment and do they have the ability to repair faulty devices? 

Communicating and addressing these questions to stakeholders is a vital step in ensuring donations can best meet demand. 

Think About the Scope of Your Project 

There is a myriad of options when it comes to charitable interventions, but they aren’t all for everyone. Your organisation will need to decide how much you are willing to commit in terms of time and resources, and choose an appropriate project: 

Don’t commit to building an IT laboratory from the ground up if you don’t have the personnel, finances or expertise to achieve this – however, if donating redundant equipment that is both usable and of good quality, is something you can do, explore this option. If you are capable of donating equipment (but not able to spend the time training digital literacy) make sure you send devices with relevant user manuals and with software preinstalled to ensure that this hardware is usable for the intended use. 

Knowledge sharing and partnerships are important 

We are making the findings of this project accessible to all; to help other organisations do their bit to bridge the tech skills gap, without exacerbating the e-waste problem. 

To learn more about Harriet’s research please see here for a recording of a presentation on her findings.