Towards a sustainable electronic waste management in Uganda: A stakeholder perspective

Abstract

The management of electrical and electronic waste (E-waste) requires a collaborative approach against unsustainable electronic waste management. This paper attempts to assess the role of E-waste actors in regard to E-waste management sustainability by evaluating their course of action. It proposes an E-waste management conceptual framework based on key stakeholders and validates it with 346 top government employees in strategic positions across 10 Ugandan cities. The study utilized Partial Least Square (PLS) technique, a statistical analysis method well-known under Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), for data analysis. The calculated and considered model explains 48.5% of the variance in E-waste management sustainability. The results demonstrate that E-waste handlers role (β = 0.102, t = 2.004, p<0.05), financial institutions role (β = 0.268, t = 2.024, p < 0.05), local government role (β = 0.249, t = 3.612, p < 0.05), role of media (β = 0.316, t = 6.637, p < 0.05), and producer role (β = 0.144, t = 2.845, p<0.05) have significant influence on E-waste management sustainability. However, consumer role in E-waste (β = -0.051, t = 0.838, p > 0.01) had an insignificant influence on E-waste management sustainability, although, its importance is discussed. The attention of policymakers and waste management planners is drawn towards strengthening the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), fast-tracking the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model as an E-waste management model and initiation of E-waste Web-based applications are some of the policy recommendations in this paper. This will ensure sound E-waste management practices for better public health and environmental outcomes.