QF’s e-waste recycling journey from Doha to Singapore

Qatar Foundation hopes that its recycling campaign will encourage all residents to think sustainably when it comes to disposing of e-waste.

Every year, countless electronic devices are discarded by their users, and the resulting accumulation of huge amounts of electronic waste is becoming an increasing challenge for consumers and companies alike. In an effort to help tackle the issue, Qatar Foundation’s Health, Safety and Environment (QF HS&E) team are inviting people to come to Education City and hand in their e-waste for recycling until January 31, 2022.

“E-waste should never be disposed of in landfills or buried underground due to its high ability to filter toxins, which leads to groundwater pollution, and represents a serious danger to humans, animals, and plants,” said Aisha Ghani, Environment Specialist QF HS&E.

“Storing electronic waste incorrectly at home may lead to a fire, so this waste must be stored safely and in a way that ensures chemicals and toxins do not leak out, It is also preferable to return all electronic devices to be disposed of to the supplier, sell them, or donate them to charities. And if this is not possible, they should be sent for recycling.”

Ghani explained that electronic waste contains chemicals harmful to the environment, such as mercury, lead, and beryllium, and that mishandling of the disposal of electronic devices leads to these chemicals leaking into the soil, water, and air, which can harm the long-term health of humans and animals alike.

“Modern electronics can contain up to 60 different elements” she said. ”For example, a mobile phone includes more than 40 elements, including basic metals such as copper and tin, and precious metals including silver, gold, and palladium.

“Most e-waste contains elements such as plastic, aluminum, tin, and other materials that can be recovered and reused.”

Through QF’s e-waste recycling drive, collection boxes have been in place at Education City from the first week of October and will remain until Jan 31st, 2022, at Multaqa (Education City Student Center), the Manufactury building (Texas A&M University at Qatar), and the Lulu Express Housing Lot.

“Since there is no facility in Qatar to recycle e-waste, the contractors will collect it and then ship it to Singapore, where there is a complete recycling unit to help separate plastic, copper, aluminum, and other precious metals from the waste,” said Ghani.

“After arriving at the recycling site, hazardous components that require special treatment such as batteries and Freon are removed, and then the units are separated into more homogeneous groups based on the materials – manually, mechanically, or in a way that combines the two.

“After the separation and decomposition phases, more homogeneous groups of materials are then processed through the refining process. This can be done chemically, by heat, or by metallurgical processes. And finally, all components that cannot be sold or used as secondary raw materials are disposed of through such means as incineration or burial.”