Co-design, with two South African villages, of a prototype for an e-waste management mobile app

Abstract

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains toxic elements that, if not carefully disposed of, can harm the environment and human health. It is imperative that e-waste is handled in a correct, safe manner. The study engaged with two rural South African villages, Mantunzeleni and Mpeta in the Eastern Cape Province, to determine their current e-waste disposal practices and to co-design a cloud-based mobile application (app) for improved e-waste management. Twenty-six participants, 13 from each village, participated in the study. A focus group discussion with participants explored the communities' existing e-waste disposal behaviours, which were found to be harmful to the environment. Participants were then introduced to, and guided through, the co-design process, which resulted in development of a prototype cloud-based mobile app that would, if implemented, allow households to request the collection of e-waste items by the local municipality. The authors argue that, because of the co-design process, the app (if implemented by the municipality) will be well-suited to the needs of, and widely used by, the two target communities, who will feel a sense of ownership of the technological solution that they helped to create.