Gathering Electronic Waste in Tanzania: Labor, Value, and Toxicity

Discussions of waste and electronic discard management often view micro-scale ingenious activities around unregulated recycling centers in the Global South only as a source of pollution. Gathering Electronic Waste in Tanzania: Labour, Value, and Toxicity goes further and explores the complexities of electronic waste management. Samwel Moses Ntapanta examines the materialities of electronics and e-discards, toxicity, and the sociocultural and economic fabrics of e-waste management in Tanzania. He traces the lifecycle of electronic goods beyond their discard in the Global South: from the importation of used goods to cycles of repair, and from the collection of ’scrap’ to repurposing materials for manufacturing. Through the concept of gathering, Ntapanta provides insight into the effects of unregulated mechanisms to address the e-waste problem. He argues that understanding this connection between informal workers and the economy at large paves a path for better waste regime models, reduced violence, and environmental justice for workers and marginalized communities.

Samwel Moses Ntapanta is post-doctorate research fellow in the Department of Anthropology at Aarhus University.