Don’t E-Waste it

You just bought a brand new laptop, and you’re busy trying it out, downloading programs, and setting up your new data. To one side sits the old laptop that you got when you were still a freshman at college. Even though it’s completely obsolete, you still can’t let go of it, so it sits there in the corner of the room or under the bed collecting dust. Enter Ecycle — a project aiming to give new life to old, unwanted electronic equipment. The above scenario is what happens to most of our old electronic equipment, and with prices of cellphones and laptops becoming cheaper, and their lifespan effectively decreasing, our electronic waste is increasing every year. So a group of six friends who were inspired by none other than a garbage can on the street launched Ecycle two months ago to address the e-waste issue. The group is composed of electronics engineers Mina Mourad and George Hany, architect Ahmed Ghareeb, medical representative for Danone Mostafa Radwan, pharmaceutical student Mina Eissa and the mysterious Mr. X, who prefers not to be known publicly and is responsible for all the legalities. While most environmental grassroots initiatives focus on the recycling of material such as paper or plastic, Ecycle decided to focus on a rather neglected, albeit quite crucial, field of recycling. “We all decided to collaborate on this initiative because we share a common love of electronics, and we’re aware of the benefits of recycling electronic waste,” says Eissa, who handles the public relations for the group and “anything else” that comes up. Ecycle officially launched on March 1, as they set up a booth to collect e-waste at Bikya Bookstore in Heliopolis during the store’s three-day anniversary celebration. They also started up a pick-up system on their website whereby Ecycle’s driver Abou Omar picks up users’ electronic scrap on his tricycle. E-cycling their way to a safer environment, Ecycle is still working on their first batch of e-waste. Eissa illustrates the process that each device goes through. For example, the first phase of recycling an old cellphone is the dismantling, whereby they detach the plastic cover, the battery, the grid and the screen until every piece becomes its own component. Each component is then either recycled or refurbished to be then utilized as spare parts for another device. That device using refurbished spare parts can range from another cellphone to an MRI machine. MRI machines, used to provide imaging of the heart, brain and muscles, cost an average of LE 3-4 million, and can sometimes stop working five to ten years after their purchase due to the malfunctioning of something as small as an integrated circuit (IC), a microchip used in most electronic devices. “Sometimes a whole machine can depend on one small spare part that is often not available,” says Eissa. Ecycle is reaching out to those in need of such spare parts, particularly in the medical field where it is most crucial as they often lack the resources to buy another machine altogether. Aside from benefiting the technologies that require maintenance, Ecycle is also contributing to the environment by eliminating a major health hazard. Electronics contain materials such as lead, mercury, copper and zinc. So when the devices break, these chemical compounds leak into their surrounding environment thereby causing major health hazards to the community around it. Courtesy Ecycle According to Eissa, electronic waste in Egypt is generally either burned or thrown into landfills in slums such as Manshiet Nasser, Mokattam or Dewei’a. Over time, harmful emissions start to affect the people who are living near these landfills. “There are major health risks because these emissions are dangerous,” says Eissa. “One of the main causes of cancer in Egypt is the toxins and chemicals found in pesticides, as well as toxins from lead and other components of electronic waste.” Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness among the public when it comes to this issue. “[People my age are] very attached to their electronic equipment,” says Eissa. “If [their] headphones broke five years ago, [they] still don’t want to let them go. I appreciate the sentimental aspect of it, but at the same time they don’t realize that this is hazardous.” However, Ecycle has witnessed great feedback from people so far; although from an unlikely audience. “You know who are most excited about this initiative?” says Eissa. “Mothers.” He explains that mothers are more than willing to let go of their husbands’ or sons’ old electronic devices, which are usually crowding up the house. As for donations of e-waste from big companies or corporations, the motivation is different. “Companies’ electronic waste is usually just sitting in a warehouse,” says Eissa. “I can give them an extra benefit, I can provide a way for them to be certified as an environmentally friendly company, and to reduce their carbon footprint.”  Independent by choice to gain the trust of companies in Egypt, Ecycle quickly realized that they need to keep the project independent and away from governmental institutions. As of today, Ecycle is self-funded by its six founders and they do not plan on generating profit from the initiative any time soon. “Recycling can be very profitable,” says Eissa. “But we’re not looking to make profit now, and would rather invest the money in the cost of operation or eventually be able to return some of it to the customer who provided us with the item.” “We’re very welcoming to other people who would want to start up similar initiatives, I’m not one to want to form a monopoly over this,” says Eissa. “This is a side project for us, and our main goal is to better the environment.”