A non-governmental organisation, E-Waste Recycling Foundation (ERF), has called for automation in the collection, sorting and recycling of e-waste in the country.
The foundation made the call at the 2022 Edition of the Lagos E-Waste Handlers Capacity Enhancement Programme (LEHCEP) on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, in Lagos.
Dr Godwin Igharo, Deputy Director, Central Research Laboratory, University of Benin, urged the government to engage the informal artisans involved in e-waste collection in technology-based recycling as it is more environmentally friendly and constitutes less health risk compared to manual handling of e-waste by the informal artisans and recommended public enlightenment on environmental and health education on e-waste handling and disposal methods.
Also speaking, Dr Ifeanyi Ochonogor, the Foundation’s President, said the initiative in tackling the looming e-waste crises in Nigeria is a step in the right direction for building capacity and consensus in the e-waste management sector.
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According to him, the e-waste handling system in Lagos state is still very informal with its attendant risks occasioned by the manual and irresponsible handling of e-waste by the collectors and handlers.
He said that the task before society is to bring dignity to the work the artisans do in ridding the environment of hazardous wastes as the artisans are often marginalized by society.
He regretted that the challenge of the ERF has been a paucity of funds, adding that in the coming years the foundation will become independent and weaned from enjoying funding from its parent company, E-Terra Technologies.
Ochonogor called for partners and well-meaning Nigerians to come on board the ERF to take it to the next level.
Story adapted from environnewsnigeria.
