[Kictanet] Poor Nations Are Littered With Old PC's: Lets be careful!
Dorcas Muthoni
dmuthoni at kenet.or.ke
Mon Nov 7 10:00:38 EAT 2005
NB: Sorry for a very long posting
Kindly lets do our homework. Lets be careful about what we support lest
we shoot ourselves in the foot.
*
Definitions:
*
Old Computers: Computers that have reached the end of their useful lives
in an organisation/ A computer that has reached the end of its useful
life to the owner.
Second-hand/ Refurbs : Old or used computer equipment that has been
restored to working condition. Restoration involves repalcement of
hardware components with similar or newer ones.
*Facts:*
Most of the environmental concerns with computers lie with the monitor
(27% of the weight of a CRT monitor is due to its lead content),
specifically its cathode ray tube (CRT). Each color monitor contains, on
average, four to five pounds of lead, considered hazardous waste when
disposed off. Computers also contain other hazardous materials,
including mercury, cadmium (a known carcinogen), and hexavalent chromium
(shown to cause high blood pressure, iron-poor blood, liver disease, and
nerve and brain damage in animals).
In the US alone more than 315 million computers were expected to become
obsolete by the year 2004, containing an estimated 1.2 billion pounds of
lead, 2 million pounds of cadmium, 400,000 pounds of mercury and 1.2
million pounds of hexavalent chromium.
Imagine a worst-case scenario: Groundwater, (enough Kenyans draw
drinking water directly from rivers,) near a landfill becomes contaminated.
If you can contact NEMA or our renowned Mother Nature (Prof. Wangari),
let them know these and start preparing a law.
*Action:*
In US and Europe, laws have been passed to address disposal of
electronoc waste:
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in US and the Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive in Europe address
how computer equipment disposal should be carried out.
It is important to note that the RCRA rules regarding computer disposal
are restricted to landfilling. Disposal usually does not include
recycling, donations, or trade-ins. An organization, therefore, comes
under the auspices of the RCRA only if it chooses to throw away its old
equipment.Failure to comply, attracts high penalties from the authority.
*What does it take to comply:*
Did you know that implementing an in-house computer disposal program can
cost up to $400 per computer in the US?
1. Computer Storage - $360+
Many companies rely simply on storing a few retired computers a month
somewhere hoping that they’ll discover a viable solution for reuse or
disposal. In so doing, the company is paying a rental fee each and every
month on assets that are no longer producing any income. These
organizations may also be paying support and maintenance fees, software
license fees, or even leasing fees on unused equipment. Storing
equipment for up to 3 years results in an average cost of $360 per
device; and, when eventual disposal occurs, the organization will spend
another $200 — or more — in removal fees.
2. Computer Disposal - $320+
Laws and state regulations prohibit placing the plastics and toxic
chemicals found in computers and monitors in landfills. Organizations
have to manage the hard costs of safe disposal of computer equipment.
Alternatively additional payment to a third party for disposal or
recycling of outdated equipment is necessary. When all the costs are
totaled, an average of $320 is spent getting each computer out of the door.
3. Cascading (handing down/ employee sales) equipment - $275+
Older equipment replaced by newer equipment, and cascaded down the
hierarchy, will require upgrades to remain compatible with newer
applications or run the risk of creating an incompatible environment for
file formats and networking. Resale to employees means that, first
systems must be identified, removed from the enterprise network,
cleaned, tested, and priced, and the employees must be notified of the
sale. Upon completion of the sale, there must be a reconciliation of
equipment information with financial systems, a record of all sale
transactions, and review of the accounting — all real, hard costs. The
average cost for the two options is approximately $275+.
4. Donating equipment - $300+
Donations of equipment to schools or charities requires all of the same
hard costs associated with the administration of a sales effort. But,
added to that are the issues of selection of the charity, logistical
planning for pick up, disk wiping, maintenance of tax records and
licence records. Crucially, in a donation scenario, any residual value
of the equipment is lost. Thus, what began as a philanthropic effort,
turns out to be one of the most time consuming and costly disposal
alternatives; about $300 worth
5. Employing a recycler - $150+
The most cost effective disposal option is using a computer recycler
with a strong remarketing organization. While the disposal cost remains
the same — about $318 — it is offset by an average wholesale price of
approximately $200; resulting in a disposal cost of only $150 per device.
California faces a mounting bill for handling toxic waste from obsolete
computer monitors that could total U.S. $1 billion by 2006, according to
a study released by a coalition of environmental groups.
*New industry:*
The problem has created a boom for PC recycling businesses in US and
Europe (remarketers) that resell or dispose of these systems. They
dispose by:
*Reuse*. The term “reuse” refers to giving (or selling) computers to
someone or some other organization to use. Donating computers to
charitable organizations and schools provides a company with tax
benefits that may exceed the expected realizable value from selling the
computers via a secondary market.
*Recycle.* Depending on where it is done, recycling computers can be
simple or difficult. Computers contain many metals that can be recycled.
In Africa for example it could be extremely difficult to recycle.
*Trade-in.* Most major computer manufacturers (e.g., Dell, Gateway,
HP/Compaq) have trade-in programs. Individuals who donate their used
computer to the manufacturer gets a cash refund.
If an old equipment still holds significant value, a remarketer can
resell this equipment and share the profits with you. They can also help
with employee purchase programs. A remarketer will handle donation of
your equipment to a needy charity or developing country, even refurbish
your equipment and redeploy it to another site. The remarketers provide
these services and more for a fraction of what it would cost to do it
yourself.
To verify that disposal was done according to the law, the remarketers
present a “Certificate of Disposal” providing evidence of services to
the companies.
*Receiving old computers:
*
Organisations are advised to have the recipient of the used computer
equipment sign an agreement accepting responsibility for its proper
disposal. This is necessary whether it is sold, given to an employee, or
donated. In the event of future litigation, this documentation supports
the position that the recipient has accepted responsibility for the
equipment’s disposal. This is where Africa will be trapped.
*Africa as an ideal market:*
Africa accepting old computers makes it an ideal target for dumping.
This can earn the remarketers millions of dollars. The law for example
in the US does not cover donated computers abroad but those that are
disposed within the country. Safe disposal costs are not incurred since
the equipment is leaving the country. But how do the computers get to
Africa anyway?
Talk to someone bringing old computers: (*These are estimates*)
A computer unit comes at a cost of about $50
1. Organize and pay for shipment (costs about $40 )
2. Arrange and pay for transport from the port to the refurbishment
center costs about $10.
3. Unpack the containers: Contain a lot of junk,some containers have
even been found to contain materials not related to computer equipment,
lack of compatible hardware components, going to a store the components
are no longer being supplied, takes enough time to assemble a complete
working unit.
4. Assemble one working computer unit ( this usually involves picking
bits and pieces from about 8 assumed computer units)
5. Arrange for delivery to schools
Since most of the organisations carrying out refurbishment are NGOs and
Non-profits, they have donor funded budgets for salaries and operations.
This takes care of salaries and wages of technical staff and the rest.
Africa is indeed going to save the Europe and North America billions of
dollars. Before you know it, another clause will be in WTO agreements
requiring that we abind by a certain computer equipment disposal law. We
shall of course not have the the infrastructure to safely dispose all
the WORLD'S COMPUTER WASTE. THE CRISIS WILL BE HERE WITH US.This will be
10 to 15 years to come. The youth (leaders of tomorrow) will be dealing
with this crisis above HIV/AIDS, famine, poverty, wars etc. Heaps and
heaps of absolete computer equipment waiting to be safely disposed.
Scanty computer hardware industry. We are already quite challanged by
our environment. Control over dumping in Kenya for example is a big
challenge. Environmental degradation is a rampant.
*What happens to the schools:*
When schools receive the refurbs, they pay about $250 per unit. They
take care of their networking. These costs are either met by the schools
directly or through some donor fund. The schools either sign a
maintainance contract with the supplier or take care of their problems
whenever they occur. Most suppliers indeed supply the computers with
pirated software. Free and Open Source Software is also being used.
In most African countries, Kenya included, goverments have not made
clear policies for ICTs in schools. This means that it is up to the
schools to know how best to use the facilities. In most cases, capacity
is limited or non-existance. Also, the hidden costs associated with
computers start bitting into the schools budgets. Maintance costs go
high and soon out of the initial 20 computers, a school has only 10
working units. Teachers have to take up the role of maintainance in
order to deliver using the facilities. The teacher's core business is to
deliver the curicullum. Maintainance eats into their core business which
is teaching.
When the end of useful life comes for the refurbs, it will be the
responsibilty of the schools to take care of the safe disposal. The
NGOs/Non-profits will be gone. When a book is supplied to a school, and
after two years the syllabus changes, it becomes the responsibility of
the school to know where to take the book if there is limited space in
the library.
*In Conclusion*
If we are going to have 1 million old computers coming to Africa or
Kenya, it means that the containers will have to deliver about 1.5
million or more in order assemble the parts that will be missing and to
better the specifications.
The remarketing/"disposal" industry in the Europe and US will *generate*
about:
1,500,000 * 400 (levy for originating company, tax benefits, sale to
African refurbishment centers) = $600,000,000
Africa will *loose* (worth of local computer hardware industry):
1,500,000 * 100 (purchase of old computer, shipping, delivery from port)
= $150,000,000
NB: Computers have not been refurbished and are yet to go to schools,
utilization has not started, full capacity to use is not even guaranteed
KINDLY NOTE THAT THIS WILL OPEN UP KENYA and AFRICA FOR ALL THE OLD
COMPUTERS, INDEED IT WILL KICKSTART THE OFFLOADING OF OLD COMPUTERS TO
AFRICA
*What i would like to bring out is this:*
Donors fund these projects. Donor funds, in most cases amount to
goverment loans payable over a long time. Therefore Kenya and Africa
will be loaned the money to acquire old computers and pay for what it
takes to deliver the computers to schools. If then the donors goodwill
is to support positive development in Africa and economic growth why
invest in a process that is going to eventually destroy the continent?
If an investment fund of $150 million was granted to Dell/HP or even a
Chinese company (these being examples) in a public-private partnership
to invest in Africa, i believe they would willing come since the
computers will be sold at a cost with returns. This would spur and
develop the industry, create jobs, get new computers and all that comes
with a new industry. 10 years down the line, we could be speaking a
different language. Glad about something; having earned mileage in this
effort to close the so called "digital divide".
Indeed many companies are already assembling new computers (clones) in
Kenya and this kind of approach will grow and enhance Kenyan businesses
hence sustainable development.
However, with the old computers, 10 years down the line, we will be
weeping at the overwhelming heaps and heaps of e-waste, that we borrowed
money to acquire, are paying back with interest. Further, concerning
disposal of the waste, the developed countries will be telling us they
have technology to safely dispose e-waste, but at our cost. At this
point we shall go back to the same donors and ask for money to get all
these waste out of our countries with a lot of environmental degradation
already done. And the African debts will continue to grow, with or
without debt relief. How shall Kenya and Africa ever exit this vicious
cycle?
This is what i would like to trigger in the minds of everyone listening.
As Kenyans we have the responsibility to define our destiny which is
wholesome for all our people. Lets take a leaf from the west, who always
plan with the future generations in mind.
AT THIS POINT, I WOULD REQUEST YOU WHO HAS READ THROUGH UP TO THIS POINT
AND UNDERSTANDS THE PERTINENT ISSUES THAT I HAVE RAISED TO TALK TO THOSE
AROUND YOU AND GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES AT STAKE. SPREAD THIS
MESSAGE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN FOR THE SAKE OF THIS CONTINENT.
THOSE IN POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE, I PRAY THAT YOU INTERVENE. I HAVE
NOTHING AGAINST OTHERS BUT AFRICA HAS TO TAKE CONTROL OF HER DESTINY AND
MORE SO THE ONE THAT PLACES HER PEOPLE FIRST.
KENYANS, LETS SAVE OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE AND GERMINATE A HARDWARE INDUSTRY!
TO ALEX: Please consider retracting your call!
Dorcas Muthoni
Sent In my individual capacity
Alex Gakuru wrote:
> I ask of Americans currently using the 63 million computers to 'dump'
> all of them in Kenya and pay a small dumping fee per computer.
> Reasoning:
> 1. They are using them today so why cant we use them for the next 5
> years ( 2010 MDGs?)
> 2. The newspaper does not offer an alternative beyong the 'dumping'
> health scare
> 3. In Kenya 10,000 pcs are purchased every month in a population of 31
> million. When shall Kenya have 15 million people connected to the
> internet?
> 4.What about those old 386s stilll in circulation? should be dump into
> the sea?
>
> Americans, please dump all the computers in Kenya. The little dumping
> fee shall be used for Universal Access Fund to transport them to
> Mandera, Loki, Kajiado, Bondo, Nanyuki, Nandi, Turkana...... the rural
> folks need internet not just the economic gems in Nairobi and Mombasa.
> Many Kenyans long ago made child's play out of Schroedingers' equation
> and their intelligence should not be under-estimated. They are
> innovative enough to develop solar, wind power. Technology Should NOT
> be a preserve of a handful of city-based CEOs.
> Gakuru
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