Mismanaged electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) bears significant social and environmental risks in South Africa. Hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and toxic plastic additives pose serious potential health risks for people and the environment. The ‘R-Strategies’ are an extension of the age-old idiom ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ to include more specific ‘R’ words such as refuse, rethink and repair (see the ladder below for the full list). Adopting R-strategies that provide a suite of integrated management solutions for e-waste can help to identify and thus avoid significant social and environmental risks. These strategies, integral to the R-ladder, emphasise sustainable waste management and electronic waste solutions by focusing on reduction, reuse, repair, and recycling. Given its relatively low position in the hierarchy, “materials recovery through recycling” is not impactful enough to be considered a management solution based on Circular Economy-driven systems thinking.

What are R-Strategies?
R-strategies are steps within the waste management hierarchy. The waste management hierarchy gives preference to strategies that focus on minimising the social and environmental impact of waste. The South African National Waste Management Strategy of 2020 associates the waste management hierarchy with the three key principles of the Strategy: waste prevention, waste minimisation, and waste as a resource. The three principles seek to encourage a shift towards a circular economy by extending the life span of products and reducing waste.
The full R-ladder includes nine strategies:
- Refuse: Avoid generating waste by refusing products that are non-essential or unsustainable. Think along the lines: This is the best waste solution since waste is never generated. Hence it is truly prevented from the outset by you making the decision to REFUSE a product which would later inevitably become a waste problem.
- Rethink: Design and use products in innovative ways to minimise waste.
- Reduce: Use fewer resources and materials to lessen waste generation.
- Reuse: Extend the life of products by using them multiple times without significant alteration.
- Repair: Fix items to extend their lifespan instead of discarding them.
- Refurbish: Update or improve products to bring them back to a usable condition. For example: by only replacing certain faulty components of a product.
- Remanufacture: Rebuild products using a combination of reused and new parts to maintain functionality.
- Repurpose: Find a new use for items that no longer serve their original purpose. Stunning jewellery can be made by certain parts in e-waste, have a look HERE
- Recycle: Recover materials from waste to create new products, the least impactful R-strategy within the hierarchy.
In this article, we’re going to emphasise four of the nine R-Strategies—Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle—because they are key points of integration and cross over with the other 5 strategies linking the strategies together. These strategies align with South Africa’s National Waste Management Strategy goals by being highly actionable, prioritised for impact, and accessible.
Step 1: Reduce – Minimising E-Waste Production
What it means: Reducing e-waste is about more than just minimising the number of gadgets we own; it involves a holistic approach that includes consumer habits, corporate responsibility, and product design. By choosing to purchase fewer and better-quality devices, supporting sustainable brands, and advocating for electronics designed with longevity in mind, we can significantly decrease the global electronic waste footprint.
Electronic Waste Solutions:
1. Prioritise Quality Over Quantity
Opt for electronics that offer longer durability, upgradability of hardware and software and better performance rather than purchasing cheap new models frequently. This not only saves money in the long run but also reduces the waste generated from disposing of devices prematurely.
Choose to buy from companies that are transparent about their manufacturing processes and are committed to using recyclable materials and modular designs that can be easily dismantled for partial refurbishment. These practices make it easier to repair and refurbish products, extending their functional lifecycle greatly.
2. Advocate for Better Design
Encourage manufacturers to design for durability and reparability, reducing the necessity for frequent replacements. Engage in online forums and social media to discuss and promote brands that prioritise these values.
Example: Instead of buying a new smartphone each year, consider maintaining your current phone and replacing only essential components like the battery or screen when necessary. This approach can extend the life of your phone significantly.
3. Hold Producers Accountable
One powerful way to reduce e-waste is by addressing the reputational risks for producers involved in creating products with planned obsolescence—often referred to as “designing for the dump.” By making manufacturers aware that consumers know and disapprove of these practices, we can pressure them to take responsibility and shift towards designing products that are more durable and easier to repair.
Manufacturers should standardise the components of their phones as much as possible. A prime example is the widely used USB-C cable, which can charge any phone regardless of the brand. Just think about how much cable waste has been reduced since its adoption. Some manufacturers have even stopped including a charger in the box, knowing that most consumers likely already own one. This practice helps reduce electronic waste from the start and can significantly lower the overall cost of the product.
- Demand Energy-Efficient Products
Select devices that are designed to use less energy. This significantly decreases your electricity bills over the device’s lifetime. Eco-labels such as the Energy Star can help greatly to find certified electrical and electronic goods with proven superior energy efficiency. Electrifying your house with energy-efficient products contributes to mitigating climate change by reducing the amount of carbon released by your household. Big electrical devices such as fridges, geysers and stoves make a huge impact on energy demands in South Africa. Consider taking advantage of the government incentives, initiatives and rebates to transition your household to renewable energy sources.
- Choose Refurbished Electronics
Consider purchasing “pre-loved” electronics that have been refurbished and come with a warranty. This market is growing, with many reputable companies, such as RefurbSA and Just PCs, offering high-quality, restored devices that are both affordable and reliable.

6. Don’t Be Fooled by Electronics Marketing
Avoid falling for the latest marketing hype surrounding new tech releases. Understand that newer doesn’t mean better, and the latest features may offer little real-world benefit over last year’s model with newer version software often being plagued by technical glitches that still need many additional security patches to be released to function properly.
Community Engagement
Share your positive experiences with durable and repairable products on social media and tech forums. Highlighting brands that support these principles can influence others and put pressure on companies to adopt more sustainable practices.
Discuss the importance of choosing sustainable electronics at community events or through blogs and podcasts to raise awareness.
Statistics to Consider
The average lifespan of consumer electronics is often much shorter than their potential operational life. For example, many smartphones are replaced every 2-3 years despite having the capability to function well beyond this period. With proper care, a smartphone could last 5-7 years, substantially reducing the amount of e-waste generated.
Did you know that the process of making a new cellphone generates close to 1 tonne of waste? Holding on to your phone for at least 5 years rather than an annual upgrade makes a huge social and environmental difference.
Further Learning
Autodesk’s Design for Lifetime series is an excellent resource for understanding how products can be designed with an emphasis on longevity and minimal environmental impact.
Planned obsolescence for many different types of products is real and electronics are particularly the target of this typically well-hidden strategy. Watch this eye-opening documentary on Youtube called “The Lightbulb Conspiracy”

Step 2: Reuse – Giving Old Gadgets a New Purpose
What it means: Reusing electrical and electronic equipment means keeping them in use for longer by finding new ways to use them. This helps us cut down on waste and get the most out of the gadgets we already have.
Electronic Waste Solutions:
1. Donate to Help Others
Organisations like Taking Care of Business (TCB) in South Africa help people by teaching them how to fix and sell used electronics. This not only keeps old gadgets out of the trash but also helps people earn a living. TCB has places all over the country where they teach these skills. Learn more about TCB and their programme here.
2. Find New Uses for Old Gadgets
- Old smartphones can be turned into cameras for home security, music players for your car, or even GPS devices.
- Use an old tablet as a digital photo frame to show off your photos, or as an e-book reader.
- Give an old laptop a new life as a computer for watching movies or as a spare one for surfing the web.
Easy Tips
Check if it works: Make sure the gadget works well enough for its new purpose, or that you can fix it up without too much trouble.
Update it: Put new software on it if needed, so it works better for what you want to do.
Data sanitise it: Before you hand anything over make sure you delete all personal data and do a factory reset of the equipment
Help out: If you give a gadget to someone who’s not tech-savvy, show them how to use it.

Step 3: Repair – Fixing Devices Instead of Discarding Them
What it means: Instead of throwing away your broken gadgets and buying new ones, fixing them can save you money and help reduce e-waste. This step is all about getting more life out of the electronics we already own.
Electronic Waste Solutions:
1. Find Reliable Local Repair Services
Start with trusted local repair shops rather than disposing of your devices.
- Some shops, like PartServe, offer specialised services for a wide range of electronics, ensuring quality and affordability.
- For specific needs like PC and laptop parts, Universe Direct provides a great selection at competitive prices.
- Just Eco refurbishes electronics with a focus on environmental responsibility, offering another layer of value by keeping electronics functional and eco-friendly.
2. Learn to Do Some Repairs Yourself
Learning basic repairs can vastly extend the life of your devices. Online platforms like iFixit provide free repair guides that empower you to fix everything from smartphones to laptops. iFixit is a global community that advocates for the right to repair, providing tools, parts, and repair knowledge directly to the consumer.
Simple fixes like changing a battery or replacing a cracked screen can make your devices last much longer. There are lots of great tutorials online that can teach you how to do these repairs yourself.
Check out YouTube channels like Learn Electronics Repair, CINOTechnology, and Tronicsfix for step-by-step repair guides.
3. Support Repair-Friendly Brands
Choose brands like FairPhone, Nokia, and ShiftPhone, which are designed with repairability in mind. FairPhone, for example, uses conflict-free minerals and aims for longevity and repairability in their phones to reduce their environmental impact. They are transparent about their manufacturing processes and actively seek to improve working conditions and reduce waste. However, it’s important to note that FairPhone and ShiftPhone are not currently available in South Africa, creating a significant gap in the market for phones with these sustainable and repairable features.
Further Learning
A study highlighted by the Right to Repair Coalition found that 50% of broken electronics can be repaired, but only 30% actually are, due to restrictions on repair parts by manufacturers. By supporting and demanding repairable designs, consumers can fight planned obsolescence.
The article “Overcoming Premature Smartphone Obsolescence amongst Young Adults” discusses how rapid consumerism leads to ‘throw-away society’ practices, with devices often replaced due to minor issues or slight advancements in technology. This planned obsolescence not only wastes resources but also places unnecessary burdens on the environment.
Why it matters: Repairing your electronics keeps them out of the environment and our landfills. It also reduces the demand for new resources. Let us challenge the norms of a throw-away society by valuing longevity and sustainability in the products we use daily.

Step 4: Recycle – The Final Step for Unusable Electronics
What it means: Recycling is crucial once your electronic devices can no longer be used, repaired, or repurposed. It ensures that valuable resources are reclaimed and harmful substances are properly handled to protect the environment. However, it is one of the least preferred waste management strategies in our hierarchy and must not be relied upon as our first call to action.
Electronic Waste Solutions:
1. Use Certified Recycling Centres
Make sure to take your old electronics to certified e-waste recycling centres. These centres have the right tools and methods to safely break down electronics and recover useful materials like metals, while properly handling toxic components.
You can find local certified recyclers by checking directories like ours, which list drop-off points at retailers that are regularly serviced by legitimate recycling operators.
2. Participate in Recycling Programmes
Many communities, schools, and workplaces host e-waste collection events, especially around days like International E-Waste Day. Participating in these events can make recycling easier and more accessible.
This global event sees organisations from dozens of countries coming together to promote e-waste recycling.
3. Organise Community Recycling Drives
Consider setting up your own e-waste recycling drive in your community, church, or school. It’s a great way to raise awareness about the importance of e-waste recycling and can make a big difference in how your community handles electronic waste. Feel free to reach out to us if you need any advice on how to approach this.
4. Follow Local Laws
It’s important to adhere to your local municipality’s waste management by-laws. These laws are designed to ensure that e-waste is handled in a way that minimises environmental impact and maximises the recovery of valuable materials.
Example: By taking your old laptop to a certified e-waste recycler, you help recover important materials like gold and copper, and you ensure harmful substances like lead and mercury are disposed of safely. You also avoid e-waste being informally dismantled on the pavement, leaving potentially harmful fractions that run off into stormwater drains.
Why it matters: Recycling electronics is more than just a responsible choice—it’s a necessary step to ensure that we’re not wasting valuable resources or harming our planet. Electronics contain both precious materials that can be reused and hazardous substances that need to be handled with care.
- Recycling helps
- Conserve Resources: Valuable materials like metals can be recovered and reused in new products, reducing the need for new resources.
- Protect the Environment: Proper recycling prevents toxic chemicals from leaking into the ground and water, protecting wildlife and human health.
- Support the Economy: Recycling creates jobs in the growing green technology and recycling sectors.
Getting Involved: Being proactive about recycling can lead to broader changes in how we view and handle e-waste. By participating in or organising recycling initiatives, you contribute to a culture that values sustainability and responsible waste management.

Practical Tips for Implementing These Strategies
For Households
- Electrify your household with energy-efficient electrical and electronic equipment
- Check your appliances, light bulbs, televisions, stoves, and washing machines for their energy efficiency rating. Do not discard if there is a poor rating, but use responsibly and repair or replace with energy efficiency in mind.
- If you live in an urban environment you are more likely to have a higher energy demand due to access to electronics and reliable energy supply, take responsibility for this access and recognise the role you play in protecting the environment.
- Create a Home Electronics Hub
- Set up a specific spot in your home to keep old electronics and parts thereof that need to be fixed, donated, or recycled. This could be a shelf in the garage, a box in the closet, or a corner in your basement.
- Every six months or so, organise a family cleanup day to sort through this area. Decide what can be fixed, what should be donated, and what needs to be recycled.
- Teach and Learn About E-Waste
- Talk to your kids about why it’s important to cut down on e-waste. Kids often know more about technology than adults and can come up with creative ideas for reusing old gadgets.
- Encourage your kids to show you and other family members how old devices can be repurposed or improved instead of buying new ones.
- Participate in Local Recycling
- Keep an eye out for e-waste recycling events in your community. These events make it easy to safely dispose of unwanted electronics and can be a fun, educational outing for the whole family.
- Some recycling events even offer the chance to pick up refurbished gadgets for a fraction of the cost.

For Businesses
- Establish a Sustainable Asset Acquisition and Disposal Policy
- Develop a clear policy for managing e-waste within your company. This policy should encourage employees to reuse and recycle electronics and provide guidelines on how to do so.
- Ensure there are easy-to-access areas for employees to leave their unwanted electronics, and schedule regular collections.
- Educate Your Team
- Offer training sessions or workshops about the importance of sustainable electronics disposal. Explain how proper e-waste management can help the environment and potentially save the company money.
- Include tips on how employees can extend the life of their devices through proper care and minor repairs.
- Partner with Recycling Experts
- Collaborate with certified e-waste recyclers who can ensure that your business’s electronic waste is disposed of responsibly.
- This partnership could include regular pickups from your office locations and may even provide data destruction services to protect sensitive information.
- Support for Repairs and Maintenance
- Keep a list of trusted repair services and make it easily available to your staff. Encourage employees to opt for repairs rather than replacements for malfunctioning devices.
- Consider having a repair expert visit the office periodically to fix any company or personal devices. This can prolong device life and reduce waste.
Engage with us
To wrap it up, the R-strategies, reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle, are simple, effective ways to handle our electronic waste. By adopting these steps, we can lessen our environmental impact, save resources, keep our gadgets going longer, and do our part for the planet. Each strategy gives us real actions we can take to make a big difference. Let’s keep pushing these good habits in our daily lives for a cleaner, more sustainable world.
We invite you to share your own experiences and tips on reducing e-waste in the comments below or join our discussions on social media platforms. Explore our resources, find certified recyclers that fit your needs, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to learn more about e-waste. Together, we can make a significant impact.
Further Resources
For more information on local electronic waste solutions and to find certified recyclers in South Africa, check out these resources:
- eWASA: Visit eWASA for a map of members including e-waste recyclers across the country.
- Circular Energy: Learn about their e-waste collection services at Circular Energy.
- ERA: Find more recycling options and drop-off points through ERA.