WorldLoop Business Plan Created


WorldLoop has created a model for an integrated sustainable E-waste management System in the East African Community. The study was carried out during the year 2010 by Close the Gap with the support of Ecores/RDC consultants and the financial contribution of Belgian Technical Cooperation. With 40 million tons generated every year worldwide, E-waste is becoming a critical global issue. Uncontrolled discarding or inappropriate waste management can generate hazardous emissions, with various effects on health and environment.

This e-waste initiative consists of much more than a simple action towards current local legislations that are unfortunately most of the time not operational in developing countries. Through this model, the informal sector will be fully engaged into the program in order to prevent any uncontrolled and inappropriate dismantling processes that generate hazardous emissions with toxic impact on health and environment (burning, dumping, and storage).

This innovative project – mixing upstream (consumer) and downstream (informal sector) approaches – will allow the implementation of a recurring and self-supportive funding system where the decentralisation of collection, dismantling and recycling process will be key. It will also allow an extension of the solution to other e-waste types, next to ICT. Last but not least, this project will engage in a local sensitization concerning the environmental, social economic and legal impact of the e-waste question.

The basis of this e-waste sustainable model has been studied and evaluated in 2010. The results of this study will now be translated into a pilot phase that will be run in the East African Community (Kenya, Uganda, Ruanda, Burundi and Tanzania) between March and July 2011.