Material flow analysis and risk evaluation of informal E-waste recycling processes in Ghana: Towards sustainable management strategies

Abstract

Informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling plays a significant role in e-waste management in developing countries, such as Ghana, where over 90% is handled by the informal sector. However, the informal treatment of e-waste poses a risk to human health and the environment due to the release of toxic pollutants. There is a lack of data on e-waste management and informal processing, and the material flows of output fractions and the fate of hazardous fractions are largely unknown. This hinders the development of appropriate management strategies. Herein, Material Flow Analysis (MFA) was used to investigate five important informal e-waste recycling processes, and risk analysis was used to evaluate environmental, economic, and health safety. On average of all assessed processes, 40.3% of the emerging fractions are landfilled or burned whereof the processing of ICT appliances (desktop PC, laptops and phones) (P1) contributes with 19.4%, CRT appliances (P2) with 11.7%, compressors from cooling appliances (P3) with 0.1%, microwaves (P4) with 1.3% and printers (P5) with 7.7 % to the landfilled or burned fractions. The risk assessment showed that there are considerable risks in environmental, economic and health safety for all processes. When considering the overall risk assessment across all categories, the priority for action to have the most substantial impact is as follows: P2>P5>P3>P1>P4. The key findings of this research focus on the assessment of the so far not known informal e-waste process workflows, the identification of emerging fractions, the remain of potentially hazardous fractions and the identification of the primary economic drivers in informal e-waste dismantling. Recommended action areas involve the incorporation of the informal sector, guided by the insights derived from the MFA and risk assessment. The results of this study are of importance for addressing the challenges faced by the informal sector and for making well-informed decisions when strategizing e-waste management infrastructure.