Abstract

The rapid growth of electronic waste (e-waste) has been identified as one contributor to health and environmental risks worldwide. The lack of awareness of the e-waste in the under-resourced villages in South Africa contributes to the environmental risks and health hazards that lead to challenges of climate change due to air and land pollution. It has been established that these villages lack the infrastructure for managing e-waste, which leads to e-waste being disposed in the open land and landfills or burnt or buried underground. Such practices expose communities to toxic chemicals because e-waste is composed of hazardous elements such as lead, mercury and beryllium. If these elements are not properly managed or disposed of, they cause significant danger to the environment and people’s health. This study aimed to assess the level of e-waste awareness and management in the under-resourced villages of South Africa, in particular in the Eastern Cape province. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and embraced a purposive case study method which is underpinned by the Social Capital Theory. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The study findings demonstrated that the villagers had a lack of awareness of e-waste’s impact on their health and also of the environmental hazards. The Social Capital Theory approach embraced collaboration between a researcher and communities; it resulted in the development of an e-waste awareness and management solution for the villagers and the local municipalities. This article reports on the e-waste awareness process and management.