(April 2016 – December 2017), Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is one of the fast-growing types of waste worldwide which includes discarded electrical or electronic equipment such as old televisions, computers, printers, mobile phones and lead batteries. High toxicity of e-waste, including lead, causes pollution and health problems if improperly disposed of through methods like incineration. On the other hand, e-waste contains important secondary non-renewable materials such as copper. Disposal of such valuable materials means that they are lost forever and cannot be regenerated. This fact is the pillar behind countries worldwide to mine for new materials.
In 2016 the Swiss Government one of the pioneer countries in the e-waste management, signed an agreement with the Egyptian Government represented in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) to launch the Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) Project in Egypt. The overall objective is to support the sustainable integration and participation of small and medium enterprises in the global recycling of secondary and non-renewable resources. The success of the first phase of SRI project was the result of an efficient multi-stakeholder process where all the concerned partners were fully engaged to support the objectives of the project and pave the way for an e-waste industry in Egypt. The electronic waste in Egypt represents a real opportunity for the country that should be seized in the most effective way in order to boost the economy and foster the e-waste industry. The highlight of the first phase of the project was the beneficial multi-stakeholder cooperation. The multi-stakeholder inclusive process was crucial for the success and sustainable continuation of the project. This has clearly raised awareness and transferred knowledge between all the different stakeholders of the project.
