Frontiers and prospects for recycling Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper reviews the frontlines and projections for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Nigeria. The paper identified the sources of WEEE, showed chemical characterization of some WEEE components and presented measures to minimize these wastes through recycling opportunities. It highlighted the perspective of WEEE trails and key reasons attributed to its generation. The potentials for innovation in WEEE recycling were further discussed in line with elements of sustainability and policy directions were proffered.

Distribution and potential risk of metals and metalloids in soil of informal E-waste recycling sites in Lagos, Nigeria

“…(Table 5), the soil samples collected at the informal e-waste recycling sites in Lagos, in most cases, were over 1,000 times higher than the concentration in the control soil. This may be linked to the burning and dismantling of Pb containing e-waste components such as rechargeable batteries, printed wiring boards and cathode ray tubes (Okorhi et al, 2017) with high levels of Pb. Exposure to Pb in a short-term could lead to convulsion or coma, vomiting, and diarrhea, while kidney and nervous damage, brain and blood disorder and death could result with long-term exposure (Jaishankar et al, 2014;Fu and Wang, 2011;Adeyi and Babalola, 2017;Okorhi et al, 2017).…”