- TotalEnergies in partnership with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE Centre), have launched collection points at TotalEnergies Gigiri & Ngong Road service stations for safe disposal of electrical and electronic waste (e-Waste) in accordance with NEMA waste regulations.
The introduction of an electrical and electronic waste management system at the TotalEnergies service stations resonates with the CSR in the network of their service stations where TotalEnergies has been initiating conversations with their customers about sustainability and social impact through responsible waste management.
According to research, Kenya is producing 51.3000 tonnes of e-waste annually. Only 1% is accounted for while the other 99% is still in people’s homes. The partnership between TotalEnergies and WEEE Centre is aimed to provide a safe, responsible & environmentally friendly way for people to dispose of their electrical & electronic waste.
“The commitment of TotalEnergies is to work with like-minded partners like WEEE Centre and to come up with innovative ideas that are about the impact for the consumers while creating awareness on matters relating to the environment and sustainable development goals.” Said Mr. Eric Franchini, TotalEnergies Kenya MD at the official launch event at their Gigiri service station.
WEEE Centre is present and active in 15 countries where TotalEnergies is present. One of the partnership’s key components is to create awareness among consumers across the country. This will help people understand the adverse effects of e-waste on the environment and public health and the responsible sound management of used and end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.
“If you don’t take care of the environment, the environment won’t take care of you. There are a lot of serious ailments in the world. More than 50% of these ailments are associated with e-waste and industrial chemicals. We are doing the right thing, not only for Kenya but for the world. We are proud to be associated with TotalEnergies to protect our environment.” Said DR. Musili, board chairman of the WEEE Centre.
Some of the examples of e-waste include TVs, mobile phones, blenders, power cords, toasters, printers, keyboards, batteries, and flashlights among others. Any equipment collected by WEEE Centre that has data is safe. WEEE Centre destroys the data safely through globally recognized and approved softwares, through the destruction of the magnetic fields of the device, and also through physical destruction of the data device.
This new initiative extends an existing partnership based on TotalEnergies’ donation of used computers for refurbishment & donation to schools and the safe disposal of their defective or end of life solar lanterns.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
