Mapping of informal sector involved in e-waste collection

Mapping of informal sector involved in e-waste collection

The report is an output of work done within the framework of the Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) project being implemented by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Sciences (EMPA) as mandated by the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland. The main objective of this task is to map the informal sector involved in WEEE collection and dismantling, to identify and design a platform that could integrate the material flow (sales) from informal sector and households to formal sector, and to allow financial transfers. The geographic scope of the mapping is the Greater Cairo Area (GCA).

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The scope of work was implemented through a survey of the informal sector to identify their needs and the challenges that they face; the survey supported a study that focused on the informal sector that collect, dismantle and deal with the fractions of the WEEE in the GCA. The objective of this study is to:

  • Support the WEEE informal sector to develop its work and plan for formal small enterprises that may be establish in the future
  • Recommend interventions that may boost the sector activities towards being environmentally friendly and protect the workers in the sector
  • Identify the steps, needs and the methodology required to transform this sector to formal one
  • The study used a combined methodology including site visits and in depth interviews with key collectors and dealers of the sector.
Authors

Dr. Fathya Soliman, Mounir Boushra

Year

2017

Program

Recycling Initiatives