The use of cloud technology to promote e-waste awareness for under-resourced villages in South Africa

Abstract

The rapid increase in electronic waste (e-waste) around the world has become a great concern. This is because e-waste contains hazardous elements such as mercury, lead, beryllium and many other elements. If these hazardous elements are not properly disposed of or treated, they pose a danger to the environment and human health. The danger associated with e-waste is caused by the hazardous elements leaching into the underground water, into the soil and polluting air when the e-waste is burnt. It has been observed that communities in the under-resourced villages of South Africa lack knowledge of how e-waste is managed. The observation has prompted the researcher to conduct this study to explore a possible solution that addresses the identified e-waste challenges. The study aimed to develop a cloud-based technology solution to promote e-waste awareness in the under-resourced villages of South Africa. The proposed solution is expected to mitigate hazardous dangers posed by the littering and mismanagement of e-waste. Based on the study aim, four research questions were drafted: i) How do people living in under-resourced villages manage e-waste? ii) What are the challenges and impacts posed by the disposal of e-waste on the ecosystem in the under-resourced villages? iii) What strategies of a cloud-based solution could be used to manage e-waste for the under-resourced villages? iv) What strategies could be identified and adopted in developing the cloud e-waste awareness solution? In answering the above questions and achieving the study’s aim, the study adopted a qualitative research strategy embracing a case study design. Two cases of under-resourced villages in the province of Eastern Cape were chosen for the study. The two cases studied are Village A and Village B. Village A and Village B are under Municipality C. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, co-design methods and document analysis. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect primary data while document analysis and co-design methods were used for collecting secondary data. Two theories underpinned the study, namely Social Capital Theory (SCT) and Activity Theory (AT). SCT was used to understand vital issues of the characteristics, lived experiences and nature of individuals, their contribution and what they want to benefit from. AT was used to identify strategies to adopt in developing the cloud e-waste awareness solution. Data was analysed separately for each case. The study found that people from the two locations (Village A and Village B) dispose of e-waste in landfills, fountains, nearby dams, and rivers and another disposal method is the burning of e-waste. The findings for both locations indicated that challenges and impacts posed by e-waste disposal on the environment include (1) lack of awareness regarding e-waste and its dangers to the environment and human health. (2) Contamination of food, water and air. (3) Lack of understanding of the impact e-waste has on farming. Different types of e-waste items identified in the under-resourced villages included refrigerators, electronic irons, electronic kettles, televisions, electronic stoves, washing machines, cell phones, car batteries, cell phone batteries, electronic hairdressers, radios, electronic cables, digital video discs (DVDs), electronic wall plugs and globes. However, it was found that people in this area are willing to learn about e-waste to better manage it. It was recommended that there should be incentives for handling and handing in their e-waste collected and disposed of from their homes. Interviewees further suggested that the e-waste topic can be presented when they have scheduled community gatherings. They further proposed that e-waste should be integrated as a topic for learners in the schools that are situated in both locations. The study noted that the municipality that oversees service delivery to the locations did not have an e-waste policy document. The findings also noted that the municipality lacks e-waste awareness programs. Based on the findings, a cloud-based solution to help curb and spread e-waste awareness for the two locations was developed. Through the Activity theory, the study findings noted the importance of acquiring the technical and non-technical requirements, governance and stakeholder collaboration to ensure effective execution of the cloud solution for the intended users. A prototype of the proposed solution is documented in the upcoming chapters. The proposed cloud-based solution is expected to mitigate hazardous dangers posed by the littering and mismanagement of e-waste. The contribution to the solution included villagers’ perceptions and experiences in designing of the proposed technology-based solution prototype. The adopted theory enabled the researcher to collaborate with communities in terms of their experience towards the development of the cloud-based solution. Practically the proposed cloud solution can be adopted by other provinces in South Africa and other African countries. In addition, the study adds value to the existing body of knowledge in terms of the introduction of a cloud-computing e-waste management system.