Vodacom and Makro want people’s old phones, TVs, and broken computers

Vodacom and Massmart have ongoing campaigns to collect electronic waste from South Africans, including old phones, discarded cables, batteries and computers.

These companies have also offered rewards to South Africans who help with their collection initiatives, sometimes even including cashback for scrap.

Vodacom recently held a large e-waste collection drive in September, where it collected 2.27 tonnes of disused electronics and old computer equipment.

The mobile operator said it has engaged in e-waste collection over the years to protect the environment from pollution caused by improperly disposed electronic products. 

If not properly recycled, these devices can cause severe environmental damage and even harm human health. 

They contain toxic chemicals, which can leak out of them and leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater. 

Computer monitors and circuit boards contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium, while old batteries contain harmful acids. 

When these chemicals leach into the surrounding environment and the water supply, they slowly accumulate in the human body, damaging organs over decades.

In response, Vodacom launched the Turn Your E-Waste into Rewards challenge, aimed at preventing electronic garbage from ending up in landfills and potentially causing pollution.

The challenge was part of the RedLovesGreen programme, which sees Vodacom help customers repair, refurbish, resell or recycle unused electronic devices.

Vodacom offers store drop-offs for South Africans who want to properly dispose of their e-waste, as well as free home collection services.

The company then processes this e-waste, especially old and unused smartphones, which are repaired and restored by Vodacom personnel. 

Vodacom sells these devices as certified “Good as New” at considerable discounts to support recycling efforts.

MyBroadband reported that customers who take part can potentially receive a credit or a trade-in discount toward new devices or a contract upgrade.

Gauteng was leading in Vodacom’s September e-waste collection drive, with customers from South Africa’s richest province helping collect 1.3 tonnes of e-waste.

Meanwhile, 609.9 kg of e-waste was collected in KwaZulu-Natal and 307kg in the Western Cape as part of the programme.

South Africans could get rewards for recycling old electronics

Vodacom said that the 2.27 tonnes of e-waste it collected from locals came from just 114 homes, showing the scale of unrecycled electronics hidden across the country. 

Takalani Netshitenzhe, external affairs director at Vodacom South Africa, said that the campaign showed that locals are willing to embrace sustainable behaviours.

“The competition formed part of Vodacom’s ongoing partnership with Circular Energy to make responsible e-waste recycling more accessible through convenient home collections,” Vodacom said.

Meanwhile, Massmart, the owner of Makro, Game and Walmart South Africa, revealed that its e-waste initiatives have collected 1,800 tonnes of unwanted hazardous material since 2008. 

“Massmart’s e-waste collection programme enables customers to dispose of unwanted electronic products safely through dedicated collection points at Makro stores,” the company said.

“Since its launch in 2008, the initiative has helped divert significant volumes of electronic waste away from landfill and into responsible recycling processes.”

Massmart offers 6-metre-tall green-painted e-waste collection containers outside of Makro stores nationwide. Customers can dispose of their unwanted e-waste at these containers.

“Every mobile phone, appliance, cable or electronic device that is recycled rather than discarded helps reduce environmental impact,” said Viratha Hariram, Massmart senior manager of sustainability.

“We are grateful for the way that customers continue to embrace this programme, and we are proud to have now collected over 1,800 tons of e-waste since its inception.”

Massmart has supported collection drives by the E-Waste Recycling Authority in the past, where customers who dropped off unwanted e-waste were rewarded with Makro vouchers.

Massmart recently said it did not plan to offer additional cash for e-waste initiatives in the coming months.