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05 September 2025 | Story Sandile Ndlovu | Photo Supplied
Sandile Ndlovu
Sandile Ndlovu, Assistant Researcher in the UFS Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures.

By Sandile Ndlovu, Assistant Researcher in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures at the University of the Free State.

 

 

When I bought my laptop in my first year of university, it was fast, reliable, and felt like an investment that would last. But when I reached the third and final year of my undergraduate studies, it was a completely different story as my trusted laptop took ages to boot up, the battery barely lasted an hour, and performing simple tasks felt like a test of patience. It’s as if my laptop knew graduation was near and had decided to retire early. As I found myself at a university that relies heavily on the use of electronic products, I couldn’t help but wonder: what happens to all our obsolete electronic devices? Early last year, I came across a statistic that left me stunned: South Africa's formal recycling efforts only recover between 7% and 12% of its total electronic waste output. The rest is either stored indefinitely, dumped in landfills, or handled by informal recyclers under hazardous conditions.

Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, refers to discarded electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. Between 2019 and 2022, the amount of e-waste generated increased by approximately 15,67%, growing from 53,6 million tonnes to 62 million tonnes. According to the Recycling of Waste and Scrap in South Africa 2023 report, e-waste is growing three times faster in South Africa than solid municipal waste. But why is this happening? Is it “just the way it is”, or is there something bigger going on? As a sociologist, I was immediately interested in understanding why e-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream. Are we buying too many electronic products indiscriminately, or is there more to the story?

One major driver of excessive e-waste generation is rooted in the capitalistic notion of “planned obsolescence”, which is the practice which sees manufacturers design products with short lifespans (in terms of functionality, necessity, as well as desirability) – in order to apply pressure on consumers to replace electronic devices frequently and arbitrarily. Despite this systematic issue with electronic products, a recent study of Gen Z (born 1997–2012) and Millennial (born 1981–1996) consumers revealed that 60% of adults don’t know what e-waste is, and 57% didn’t realise e-waste poses a threat to the environment and human health. This lack of awareness is concerning, as it may contribute to the discarding of e-waste in regular waste bins, with these products ultimately ending up in ordinary landfills, which could cause environmental problems such as atmospheric pollution through CO2 emission and ecological imbalance – all of which could seriously jeopardise environmental and human health and safety.

 

Challenges surrounding South Africa's e-waste management

While e-waste proliferation is not a uniquely South African problem, in the South African context, underdeveloped collection mechanisms and consumer hoarding within the broader e-waste management system do seem to prevent or deter effective recycling efforts, at least for those in underserviced provinces. For example, South Africa's E-waste Recycling Authority's (ERA) interactive recycling map only shows one Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment and Lighting (WEEE-L) drop-off site for the Free State and none for the Northern Cape. Consumers, including students, faced with limited options to properly dispose of their e-waste, often hoard their obsolete devices. This trend was highlighted in the findings of a recent ERA information campaign, which saw 164 tonnes of e-waste donated by 135 000 people in just two days. These challenges highlight the urgent need for better e-waste infrastructure, and the untapped potential of public engagement in e-waste collection initiatives. The question now is how can institutions of higher learning and the students studying at these institutions play a role in dismantling the barriers to e-waste management and drive meaningful change?

 

Institutions of higher learning as mediators in the e-waste management system

Institutions of higher learning are spaces where education, technological development, critical thinking, and environmental stewardship ideally converge. These are spaces in which we should question and dissect global consumer patterns brought about by unfettered capitalism, solely focused on the accumulation of profit and often to the detriment of environmental as well as social consequences. Also, by collaborating with electronic product manufacturers and recyclers to establish extended producer responsibility (EPR) initiatives, institutions could restructure the e-waste management network, developing sustainable practices and raising critical awareness. 

 

Universities can lead the charge in changing habits 

South Africa's e-waste management system requires a coordinated effort to establish permanent e-waste disposal points across all South African institutions of higher learning. This approach would not only improve the currently underdeveloped e-waste collection mechanism but also enable these institutions and students to manage their e-waste effectively. 

Given the vast number of electronic devices on campuses, which are indispensable “tools of the trade”, institutions of higher learning have the potential to significantly contribute to the amount of e-waste recovered in South Africa. Moreover, if these institutions normalise responsible e-waste disposal practices within their campuses, they can produce graduates who carry these environmentally conscious practices into their careers and daily lives. 

The challenge presented by the e-waste crisis is complex, but it also offers a transformative opportunity. The question is: Will stakeholders at institutions of higher learning, especially students, step up and become key mediators in the fight against e-waste? Is there enough urgency to convince our national institutions of higher learning of the manifold academic but also socio-environmental potential to start engaging responsibly and intellectually with this looming and complex crisis?

News Archive

Access to the Bloemfontein Campus
2015-04-02

Access Control Made Easy

The first phase of access control at the University of the Free State (UFS) was implemented in August 2014. The aim of this initiative is to tighten security measures on the Bloemfontein Campus.
 
Since November 2014, access control has been implemented at all five gates on the Bloemfontein Campus. These are:

  • The Main gate in Nelson Mandela Drive (Gate 1)
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive (Gate 5)
  • The gate in Wynand Mouton Drive (Gate 3) 
  • The gate in Furstenburg Street (Gate 4)
  • The gate in Badenhorst Street (Gate 2)

Here is some useful information about the access control system:

1. Remember your access card when you enter the campus

Dual-function cards (with distance reader compatibility) will make your movement through the gates more convenient. The university’s access system works automatically with remote or swipe action. Please make sure that you drive close to the reader or, better still, get the dual-frequency card to manage the distance between your vehicle and the remote card reader.

As of 23 March 2015, the extra security staff, who have been assisting at the gates since the implementation of access control on the Bloemfontein Campus, are no longer manning the card readers at the gates. Therefore, persons without cards will be able to enter the campus only at the one gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. They will be referred to the Visitors Centre, where a day visitor’s card will be issued to them. You will need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

Security will continue their normal duties at the guardhouses for the various gates on the campus.

2. Where do I get an access card?

You can apply at the university’s Visitors Centre front desk by producing your positive identification (ID book/passport/driver’s licence) and proof of payment for your access card.

You will then be directed to the Thakaneng Bridge where you will be able to collect your access card.

  • Go to the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge and pay your R65 for the dual-frequency card
  • Take your receipt, together with your existing card (if you have one), to the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge (next to Mellins Optometrists)
  • A new photo will be taken of you at the Card Office for your new card. Your new card will then be issued immediately.

Currently, there is a sufficient stock of the dual-frequency cards available at the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge.
 
Alternatively, you can apply online for your access card: http://apps.ufs.ac.za/cardapplication/application.aspx

Make sure you have the following documents ready to attach when completing the online form:

  • Copy of positive identification: ID/Driver's Licence/Passport
  • Signed declaration (http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/dl/Userfiles/Documents/00007/4668_eng.pdf) by your service provider/employer (if you are a service provider) or a letter of confirmation from your spouse/partner/relative/coach/relevant UFS staff member or student in cases where you have to visit, pick-up or drop off your spouse/partner/relative frequently on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Cost: R65 for a long-term card and free of charge for short-term visits and conference delegates. Pay at the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge or at Absa Bank, Account Number: 1 570 8500 71, Ref: 1 413 07670 0198.

3. Cutoff Date: 7 April 2015

After 7 April 2015, no pedestrian or motorist will be able to enter the campus without a valid access card. Persons without access cards will have to enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will then be referred to the Visitors Centre where you will have to apply for a day visitor’s card. It is important to note that no one will be able to enter the campus at the Visitors Centre without a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

4. Dual-frequency card simplifies access to the campus

It is important to have your card ready on entering the campus.

This card will simplify access to the campus considerably, as the card reader will read the card when it is held in a vertical position at the driver’s side window in the direction of the distance reader. Please do not place the card on the dashboard. There is an antenna wire in the card. If the card is placed on the dashboard, you are not exposing the card surface to the reader, and that might influence the antenna’s response to the reader.

Remember, the distance between the reader and the boom is only a few metres.  If you approach the reader at a ’high’ speed, you are not allowing the system to identify your card, match it to the entry in the database, check if you are ‘legal’, and then send a signal to open the boom. 

All five gates are equipped with distance readers. Within the next three weeks, two extra distance readers will also be installed at the Main Gate in Nelson Mandela Drive.
 
Please note that the dual-frequency card is needed only when you enter the campus with a vehicle and you want to activate the distance reader. All the older cards will continue to work at the tag readers. 

5. Use alternative gates

At times, some of the gates carry more traffic than others, especially with the peak morning and afternoon traffic. Gates with less traffic include:

  • The gate in Badenhorst Street
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive
  • The gate in Nelson Mandela Drive

You are welcome to make use of one of these alternative gates.

6. Pedestrians

No pedestrian will be able to enter the Bloemfontein Campus without a valid access card. If you have left your card at home or have lost it, you should enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will be referred to the Visitors Centre where you can apply for a day visitor’s card. You will still need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

7. More information

Email: visitorscentre@ufs.ac.za
Visitors Centre front desk: Tel: +27 51 401 7766 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Card Division: Tel: +27 51 401 2799 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Protection Services duty room: +27 51 401 2634 (24 hours)

 

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