The Electronic Waste Journal presents this original research paper, e-Waste management in the United Arab Emirates, by Sethu Meenakshisundaram1 and Shweta Sinhai, students of Management Studies at the S. P. Jain Center of Management, Block 5, Dubai International, Academic City, P.O.Box 502345, Dubai, UAE.
Abstract
In 21st century, electronics have undoubtedly become an integral part of our daily lives. As a result, Electronic Waste (e-waste) or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has the dubious distinction of becoming the fastest growing waste type in today’s economy. Every year, 20 to 50 million tons1 of e-waste get accumulated around the world, which is estimated to touch 73 million tons by 20152.
In the UAE, there are no official statistics about e-waste collection, or how the waste is getting disposed of in landfills. This should be a huge cause for concern for not only environmentalists but also local citizens. A high per capita income of the UAE residents and a revived consumer electronic durables market in the UAE, valued at USD 2.80 billion (FY 20103), questions the current situation of the disposal of e-waste.
Though the re-cycling industry is in its nascent stage in UAE, it is slowly gaining momentum. However, there is a huge awareness gap between the e-waste recycling industry and the consumers who generate the said waste.
Our study focuses on exploring the behaviour of such consumers towards e-waste management and addressing the persistent problems faced by the e-waste recycling industry in the UAE and we propose a sustainable working model to bridge the knowledge gap.