Good news about vouchers for e-waste

The E-waste Recycling Association (ERA) says it has plans to host another event through which it could offer incentives in exchange for handing over old appliances and devices.

It held a similar event with Makro in October 2023, where participants could stand to earn up to R2,400 in Makro vouchers over two weekends.

MyBroadband asked the ERA and Makro owner Massmart if they planned to host a similar event in 2024.

“Yes, something similar is in the works,” said ERA marketing manager Grant McPherson.

However, he added that the ERA can’t share further information until a later date. It also never confirmed whether the next event will be with the same partner.

It should be noted that last year’s event was to raise awareness for International e-waste Day, which falls on 14 October.

The ERA may wait until closer to this date to share further information.

Makro owner Massmart told MyBroadband that it hasn’t held any similar events since the one it hosted in partnership with the ERA in October 2023.

“Our programme remains South Africa’s longest-running, retailer-led e-waste recycling initiative and has now collected over 1,550 tonnes of e-waste,” it said.

“We also intend to pilot e-waste bins at selected Builders Warehouse stores in the coming months and remain open to the prospect of collaborating with our partner to incentivise customers in the future.”

Through the event in October 2023, participants could earn up to R600 in Makro vouchers per day, making it possible to earn up to R2,400 in Makro vouchers over the four days.

The initiative aimed to create awareness about the growing volumes of electronic waste. The ERA explains what types of products are considered e-waste on its website.

“A good rule of thumb is, if it is battery-powered or powered by electricity, it is likely to be considered e-waste,” it says.

In a campaign post for the event, the ERA listed numerous eligible product types across various categories: small, medium, and large appliances, as well as ICT equipment.

Participants could get R100 vouchers for small appliances, while eligible large appliances landed them a R300 voucher.

ICT equipment like hard drives, keyboards, mice, and medium-sized appliances like microwave ovens and air fryers were eligible for R200 vouchers.

Specialised electronic products will get a voucher based on an in-store assessment.

The initial plan was for the event to run over two weekends, but the ERA suspended it after the first weekend, cutting the potential voucher earnings from R2,400 to R1,200.

The ERA said it had seen an overwhelming response to the event on its first weekend, resulting in it distributing all of the allocated vouchers.

“Over 12,500 people participated in the campaign last weekend, turning up in their droves across the country with trolleys filled with electronic waste, and they received vouchers in exchange,” it said.

At a minimum voucher value of R100, this indicates that at least R1.25 million worth of vouchers were distributed.

However, some participants took to social media to report that they received the maximum of R600 worth of daily vouchers. Therefore, the figure was likely closer to the maximum of R7.5 million.

A few days later, the ERA promised to hold another, similar event “soon”.

“Due to the overwhelming response this past weekend on our e-waste drive, we are unfortunately unable to offer any vouchers to customers this weekend,” the ERA said.

“But we promise to make it up to you, and we will be hosting another weekend soon for you to responsibly pass on your old electronics and appliances.”