What to Do With Old or Broken Appliances in SA

What to Do With End-of-Life Appliances in South Africa

Right now, dozens of home appliances are going rogue. Washing machines whine in protest, fridges dribble dirty water on floors, and dishwashers come to a burning stop. Sadly, every shiny new gadget we buy must eventually meet its end. But what do we do with these husks of technology once they no longer serve us?

Putting them on the pavement and hoping for the best might be a popular answer, but it’s not always a good one. Sending broken appliances to a registered e-waste recycling company is a far better option.

Three Reasons Why You Should Recycle Old Appliances

Broken washing machines, fridges, dishwashers, and freezers are considered e-waste, which has been banned from landfills in South Africa since 2021. Here’s why you should recycle end-of-life appliances:

1. It prevents toxic chemicals like refrigerants and mercury from polluting the environment.
2. Recycling keeps valuable materials like metal, hard plastics, and glass in circulation. This is good for the economy.
3. Supporting local recycling businesses helps create jobs in the waste sector.

What About Electronics and Smaller Devices?

Large appliances are not the only things you should recycle – microwaves, toasters, kettles, laptops, screens, and TVs are suitable too. In fact, the latest e-waste statistics show that small equipment is the biggest contributor to e-waste worldwide. Many of these items contain metals that can be recovered and used to make something new.

How the Appliance & Electronics Recycling Process Works

Recycling is all about recovering valuable materials from waste. The first stage is dismantling the appliances or electronics into seven different groups of materials:

1. Ferrous metals (metals that contain iron, for example: steel)
2. Non-ferrous metals (eg: copper and aluminium)
3. Plastics
4. Copper cabling
5. Glass and monitors
6. PC boards
7. Packaging

Once the machines have been dismantled, the waste reclaimers sell items from each of the seven groups to specialist recyclers that can extract further resources from them. These resources become secondary raw materials manufacturers can use to make new products.

Where To Recycle End-of-Life Appliances and Electronics in SA

• Electronic Cemetery. This Durban e-waste recycling company collects electronics and appliances, refurbishes what it can, and recycles the rest. Their staff can collect the items from your house or workplace for a small fee. Free collections are available for pensioners, charities, and those who genuinely can’t afford it.
• Pick ‘n Pay. Lightbulbs and batteries are not the only items you can recycle at Pick ‘n Pay now. This year, the retailer rolled out a new recycling programme that allows people to drop off larger electronics and appliances in selected stores. Pick ‘n Pay sends the collected items to E-Waste Africa for recycling.
• E-Waste Limpopo. This family-owned business can help you recycle appliances in Limpopo. You can give them a call to organise a pick-up or drop off your items at their warehouse in Polokwane during business hours. E-Waste Limpopo also employs and supports local waste pickers in the area.
• eWASA. The EPR Waste Association of South Africa represents hundreds of retailers, recycling companies, and community organisations nationwide. It has over 1,000 drop-off points to help consumers recycle appliances, electronics, lighting, batteries, and more. Get in touch to find a registered e-waste recycler near you.

Look for Certified Recyclers

When you dump broken electronics and appliances on the pavement, they often end up in informal recycling yards. However, a recent Johannesburg study found that only 3% of waste pickers have been trained to dismantle e-waste safely. Registered recyclers, on the other hand, must uphold high health and safety standards and process e-waste in an environmentally sound way.

If you want to use a registered recycler while still supporting waste pickers, consider an eWASA-accredited company. We work closely within the guidelines of the National Environmental Waste Act, which requires the integration of informal reclaimers.

Other Options: Donation, Repair, and Refurbishment

Sometimes, you can get a few more years out of a seemingly broken appliance with the right repair techniques. Before throwing something away, consider calling a professional for advice. Once they’ve diagnosed the problem you can decide if you still want to replace it–some repairs are much cheaper!

If the problem is fixable but you still want a new machine, consider donating the old one to someone in need. Many charity groups will accept old appliances in working or repairable condition. For example, Taking Care of Business is a South African NPO that accepts broken washing machines, fridges, kettles, microwaves, and more, using them to teach repair skills in underprivileged communities.

The third option for end-of-life appliances and IT tech is refurbishment. Refurbishers are skilled professionals who can return used devices to almost-new condition through repairs and parts replacement. Selling or donating used equipment to refurbishers gives it a second life and allows more people to make use of the technology before it is finally recycled. 

Find a Registered Appliance Recycling Company Near You

Recycling is the most eco-friendly way to deal with broken appliances that cannot be repaired. It keeps e-waste out of the environment and helps us recover valuable materials we can use to build a circular economy. To find a drop-off point for old appliances, organize an e-waste collection, or connect with local recyclers or repair companies near you, get in touch with eWASA today.