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Combating e-waste and recycling with purpose
You may have passed on one item, sold another for a negligible amount, or actually discarded what no one would even take if given for free. It's likely they ended up in a landfill somewhere.
Like many people, I found myself collecting devices that had long passed their useful life. Then one day, a writer sent me a story about a local company that collected 'waste electronic and electrical equipment,' a term that became the title of the piece, "Weee." That's how I found a home for a printer whose cartridges were no longer available.
I have learned a lot from being a features editor and receiving various submissions, but that particular one remained with me because it offered a practical solution to a silent disaster.
Since technology has become embedded in every part of our daily lives and companies release new products each year, a large amount of electronic waste is accumulating. When it's not out of necessity, it's consumerism that encourages people to upgrade without giving much thought to what happens to their old devices.
The issue is made worse by a lack of policies regarding e-waste management, particularly in developing countries. Kenya is only just beginning to establish regulations.
INVESTINGIN THE FUTURE
So when I heard about a Belgian company donating used computers to a school in Kibera, it caught my attention. They were achieving two goals at once: removing electronic waste from the environment and giving it a fresh start.
Close the Gap was the company’s name andBaron Olivier Eynde is the founder. Last Friday, he was present on site, opening a computer lab at the Peggy Lucas Centre, undeterred by its location in a slum.
I believe this project represents the idea that even in complicated fields, you can create something magical," he said. "And these are inspiring projects that can encourage other initiatives.
The project was carried out with the support of Hub.Brussels and the Belgian Economic Mission.
Hub.BrusselsCEO Isabelle Grippa stated that digital inclusion is a worldwide concern.
"It's an issue we need to address because it's the challenge of the future," she said.
And the best way to invest in the future is to provide children with digital technologies so they can handle the future more effectively than us.
The Belgian Embassy's trade counselor, Matthieu Labeau, described the project as "very close to our hearts."
"We have been collaborating with this school for a few years, with significant involvement due to a few champions and ambassadors who help connect with Close the Gap," he said.
I hope that Close the Gap will go further and construct more classrooms, but also that other companies will adopt this model.
The computer lab is among 10 innovation centers that Close the Gap intends to set up in Kibera, in partnership with an NGO named Ucesco: United Cultural Empowerment and Social Community Organisation.
Ucesco Africa's CEO, Kingsley Nyandika, predicted that the initiative would expand beyond Kibera.
"I'm hoping the seed we've planted here in Kibera is a chance for the entire community of this slum and for all counties in Kenya," he said.
EMPOWERINGYOUTH
Close the Gap collaborates with local partners such as Weee (Waste electrical and electronic equipment) and has recently opened a new upcycling facility in Nairobi.
Nairobi is undoubtedly the Silicon Savannah, where the number of devices is immense, the innovations developed by companies here are cutting-edge, and therefore the demand for a circular economy, such as replacing their IT equipment, is by far the greatest within the East African community.
But the company's mission extends beyond upcycling e-waste. It also strongly focuses on empowering individuals.
"Access to affordable devices can enable people to create dignified jobs for themselves. They can utilize the tools provided by this technology — connectivity, software, training, and guidance — to essentially become self-employed," Eynde said.
Close the Gap has provided significant assistance to Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).
"We also have an incubator and an accelerator, where young individuals can bring forward an idea related to a specific challenge or a disruption they've observed in their environment or way of life," he said.
Then, in collaboration with professional Kenyan coaches, we will assist in developing a minimum viable project and provide access to seed capital ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 (Sh650,000 to Sh6.5 million) per startup.
So far, of the 250 start-ups in their incubator, 25 have been recognized as ready for investment, with more than $500,000 (Sh65 million) invested in them.
And these represent self-sustaining ecosystems; they do not establish a reliance on external support. They are fully developed Kenyan businesses. They are fostering growth, enhancing people's lives, and achieving this through commercially viable methods.
That is the biggest effect of Close the Gap, which I am proud of,Eynde said.
***
Tom Jalio is the features editor at the Star and producer of the ‘Jalio Tales’ YouTube channelDemikianlah Artikel Combating e-waste and recycling with purpose
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