The Gauteng province’s department of e-government and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) have agreed to collaborate to launch the Gauteng E-Waste Management System to tackle the province’s mounting electronic waste problem.

The project, which will be launched on 1 March, was revealed by Gauteng premier David Makhura in his state of the province address on Monday.

The collaboration will see UJ supporting the provincial government to align with new legislation dealing with e-waste.

Asked for comment, a UJ spokesman said this will include ways to recycle obsolete, unused or unwanted electronic equipment, including data storage devices, securely and responsibly.

Gauteng MEC of e-government Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who is leading the e-waste project on behalf of the provincial government, said the province “aims to achieve a sustainable e-waste management solution that will ensure a clean, healthy and safe environment”.

News of the collaboration comes after new regulations for the end-of-life management of lighting and electrical and electronic waste recently came into full force. Companies that fail to comply face hefty fines and there’s even a threat of jail time.

As previously reported by TechCentral, the regulations were published in November 2020, with amendments made on 5 May 2021.

They came into full force six months later, on 5 November 2021.

Recycled

The idea behind the regulations is to ensure producers take full responsibility for the lifecycle of products, past the point where a consumer needs to dispose of them responsibly.

The hope is that the regulations will mean electrical and electronic products – most of them potentially harmful to the environment – don’t end up in landfills.