From electronic waste to sustainable livelihood for the urban poor in Nigeria: a study of Lagos

Abstract

E-waste is a relatively new phenomenon that is of a growing concern in countries of the Global South. Rising population and rapid improvement in technology have resulted in increasing demand for new and old electrical and electronic appliances, speeding the generation of e-waste. This study investigates the challenges of e-waste management in the city of Lagos with the particular interest in the institutional and legislative frameworks that exist in its management and the different areas in which e-waste scavenging can contribute to sustainable livelihoods of the urban poor. Using desk study review and field-based data collected in eight study sites: Alaba international electronic market, Alakija scrap site, Ikeja computer market, Abule-Egba dumpsite, Olusosun landfill, Solous MRF, Owode-Onirin and Westminster market. The study found that Lagos State has detailed legislative and policy frameworks which can be effectively used to manage e-waste but it is hindered by poor implementation, enforcement and monitoring which is due to a weak institutional framework. Other factors such as financial, lack of space for storage and landfills, behaviour and lack of awareness, etc., also hinder the management. The highest stakeholders observed in e-waste management are from the informal sectors but recovery methods used in these sectors are crude and dangerous. It was observed that over 90% of the ewaste collectors were able to provide a sustainable living for their families while over 50% were able to as save and invest. In addition, soil samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons from four of the study sites. The physical, chemical and trace/heavy metals parameters were examined. The research found that the soil pH from two locations was lower than the stipulated standard which makes the soils acidic but all the chemical parameters were within the required limits. However, from the heavy metal parameters, Fe, Zn, Pb and Mn were found to be higher than the regulatory limits. The pollution load index of Cu and Cd were greater than 1 in two sites and the highest contamination factors of 6.09 for Pb was found at Owode-Onirin. It can, therefore, be argued that: (a) until the e-waste informal sector is integrated into the formal sector, e-waste collectors may not be socially recognised; (b) the heavy metal concentrations, pollution load index, contamination factors of soils and recycling activities will keep affecting the environment and may lead to severe health threat