E-waste management in Qatar

According to a survey, despite of remarkable progress in the management of waste and e-waste, there’s much still needed to be done. The population of Qatar is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that, if e-waste management is not improved, then e-waste will increase to 45,708 tons by 2026. People in Qatar have lack of awareness when it comes to e-waste. There are also not enough facilities to manage the e-waste. Qatar does not even have manufactures for the material recovered from e-waste. Therefore, they collect and export the e-waste to countries where it is utilised such as Singapore.

What exactly is e-waste?

According to the Recycle Coach:

“E-waste, or electronic waste, encompasses electrical and electronic equipment that’s outdated, unwanted, or broken. That means everything from smartphones to end-of-life refrigerators. Basically, anything that runs on electricity that you’ve decided to get rid of. Globally, we only recycle 10% of our e-waste, a number that’s as shocking as it is depressing. As for the 90% we don’t recycle, it ends up getting landfilled, incinerated, or illegally traded.”

What are some examples of e-waste?

TVs, copiers, fax machines, stereos, mobile phones, DVD players, gaming consoles, laptops, PCs, fridges, air conditioners, washing machines, dishwashers, batteries and so much more are some examples of e-waste.

What are the harmful effects of e-waste?

E-waste can have harmful toxins and chemicals like cadmium, lead, mercury, polyvinyl chloride, beryllium, brominated flame retardants, etc. It can release them into the environment if not disposed properly.

According to Your Story, these chemicals can cause a number of health problems like:

Reproductive issues
Developmental problems
Damage to the immune system
Interference with regulatory hormones
Damage to the nervous system
Kidney damage Hamper’s brain development in children
May lead to lung cancer
Chronic beryllium disease
Skin ailments
Cadmium accumulations on liver and kidney
Asthmatic bronchitis
DNA damage
Muscle weakness
Endocrine system disruption

E-waste and battery management facilities in Qatar

Seashore Recycling Centre

Seashore Recycling Centre deals with the e-waste management. They collect used electronics from the bins and then send them to their scrap processing yard which is located in the Doha’s industrial area. They can also collect from your residence if the appliances are in large number. At the scrap processing yard, they process the scrap through segregation, sorting and removal of waste items and then recycle them.

Details:

Types of e-waste collected: TVs, laptops, PCs, tablets, fax machines, copiers, fridges, ovens, air-conditioners, electrical home appliances, etc.
Price: QR 25 per collection (non-members); Free (registered recycling members)
Location: Gate 148, Street 11, Zone: 81, New Industrial Area, Doha – Qatar
Tel: +974 3331 6990
Fax: +974 4436 124
Website: http://seashorerecycling.com/

Power Waste Management and Transport Company W.L.L.

Power Waste Management also collects old and discarded electronic devices. They deliver the products to scrap dealers instead of recycle them by itself.

Details:

Types of e-waste collected: TVs, laptops, PCs, tablets, fax machines, copiers, fridges, ovens, air-conditioners, electrical home appliances, etc.
Price: QR 450 per trip
Location: Barwa Commercial Avenue, Block No. between 53 & 54, Doha – Qatar
Tel: +974 4448 2678 / +974 4451 5453
Website: http://www.pwmtqatar.com/

Al Haya Waste Management

Al Haya works for safe disposal of industrial and office waste as it is the part of Al Haya Enviro Company. They will collect your discarded electronics by a van. You need to provide all the needed documents and pay bill generated by them based on the weight of your disposal. They export it to Singapore after sorting it.

Details:

Types of e-waste collected: TVs, laptops, PCs, tablets, fax machines, copiers, fridges, ovens, air-conditioners, electrical home appliances, etc.
Price: Free for individuals; QR 4 – QR 5 per kilogram for companies
Location: Al Khaleej Street Doha – Qatar
Tel: +974 4443 7496
Fax: +974 44319312
Website: www.alhayaqatar.com

Rassas Battery Recycling Factory

This recycling factory is Qatar’s first factory to get Environmental and industrial licenses to treat Lead Acid Batteries in accordance with the UN BAT Norms and first battery recycling plant that is privately owned. They recycle the waste into billions, ingots, gypsum, lead metal grids, lead paste powder and plastic polypropylene pellets.

Details:

Types of e-waste collected: lead-acid batteries
Location: Mesaieed Industrial City MIC, Doha – Qatar
Tel: +974 4435 1835 / +974 4435 1698
Mob: +974 3388 7151
Website: https://www.shailholding.com/rassas-battery-recycling-factory/

Al Meera Consumer Goods Company

Al Meera along with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment introduced a used battery collection initiative, in November 2019. Individual and companies can dispose their old batteries in the bins that are located at various Al Meera branches. They export these batteries by sea for regulated disposal.

Details: