Construction of $30M Ghana E-Waste Recycling Facility to Begin This Year

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The construction works on Ghana’s first full-fledged e-waste recycling facility is set to commence before the end of this year. The $30 million e-waste recycling facility will be built at Agbogbloshie in Accra. The announcement to this effect was made by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister, Ghana Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) during a public forum on the proposed e-waste legislation in Accra yesterday.

The Agbogbloshie E-waste Recycling Facility is implemented by METSI in partnership with the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and a couple of private entities. The EPA has already signed an agreement with Societe General De Surveillance SA (SGS), who will offer external services including inspection, verification, testing and certification. The construction is expected to be completed in about two years.

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Incidentally, Agbogbloshie area is considered as Africa’s e-waste dumping ground. Statistics released by METSI and EPA suggest that nearly 500 containers of used electronics are imported into the country every month. The country uses primitive methods, including burning, to deal with the e-waste piles, thereby releasing toxic pollutants that damage the environment. The establishment of the new plant is expected to recycle e-waste in an environmentally sound manner, protecting the surrounding environment and people from toxic pollutants.

The Parliament of Ghana had recently passed a legislation to streamline the collection, management and disposal of hazardous waste, electrical and electronic waste in the country. Under the Act, manufacturer or importer of electronic equipment is required to register with EPA and is liable to pay electronic waste levy, which in turn will cover the costs associated with collection and safe disposal of e-waste.