Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Small Business Operator

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to function as a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Small Business Operator. A WEEE Entrepreneur starts-up and/or operates a small WEEE sector-related business. They collect, sort, containerise, store and prepare WEEE for transport. They also assess the WEEE, dismantle it and sell value fractions of WEEE to properly registered and compliant downstream WEEE facilities for final treatment and processing while paying them for the uptake of any depolluted components that require special final treatment such as incineration or land disposal. A WEEE Entrepreneur also direct hazardous waste to an appropriate and authorised downstream facility or service provider. A qualified learner will be able to: • Collect, record, assess, sort, containerise, store, and prepare WEEE for transport. • Test, assess, dismantle, and depollute ICT equipment to determine whether it can be reused, repaired, or refurbished or must be reclassified as WEEE. • Test, assess, dismantle, and depollute large and small household appliances (excluding temperature exchange equipment), and entertainment and consumer electronic equipment to determine whether they can be reused, repaired, or refurbished or must be reclassified as WEEE. • Operate a small WEEE sector-related business. Typical graduate attributes include proficiency, efficiency, and effectiveness in running a WEEE sector-related business or enterprise. Another significant attribute would be an appreciation of the significant level of responsibility involved in collecting, sorting, assessing, and dismantling and depolluting WEEE and determining whether it can be recycled or needs to be disposed of. The massive challenges posed by the accumulation of WEEE and the level of pollution of the environment require people who, through their chosen occupation, will alleviate such problems experienced by society.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Small Business Operator is intended for entry-level workers, school leavers, or career changers who want to gain foundational skills. If you have a passion for this field and want to turn that passion into a profession, this programme will give you the tools and credentials to succeed. It is also suitable for employers who wish to upskill their workforce to meet industry standards.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) which is listed by the South African government into eight (8) distinct categories and classified as hazardous (unless depolluted) comprises of, inter alia, computers, monitors, printers, white appliances (washing machines, dishwashers, electric stoves etc.) cell phones, televisions, video machines, microwave machines, toasters etc. Recent estimates suggest that at least 415,000 tons of WEEE are generated per annum in South Africa. However, of that, only about 35,000 tons of WEEE finds its way to formally registered recyclers where it is recycled in a legally compliant manner. Research confirmed that a large portion of WEEE generated in South Africa is stored and stockpiled in national and provincial government departments, business entities and households and asset disposal release strategies are currently developed by government to unlock some of these volumes safely now. Disposing of used or non-functioning WEEE has potentially a large negative impact especially if simply landfilled (which has been largely the case in South Africa) because while some types of WEEE are benign certain materials contained within components are toxic and hazardous and can be harmful to human health and the environment if not treated or managed in a compliant manner. It is for that reason that as of 23 August 2021 all disposal of WEEE to landfill has been banned entirely, creating even more pressure to build capacity and skills related to the alternative treatment options for WEEE. On the other hand, with global pressure rising to secure future resources required for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) manufacturing it is crucial that South Africa builds capacity to facilitate the optimal value extraction from WEEE. Finally, with the introduction of regulation in October 2021 that promotes the Extended Producer Responsibility principle, parties grouped under 'producer' are now obligated to finance the management and take back of WEEE and ensure that funds are used to also facilitate job creation in the informal waste sector integration. The solution lies in recycling and recovery of WEEE for the purpose of refurbishment or materials recycling rather than any disposal. This involves collecting and sorting WEEE, preparing it for transport it to recycling facilities where it can be tested for functionality, dismantled, depolluted, and prepared either for further downstream recovery of materials or any other required form of final treatment including disposal (but only of the WEEE recycling residuals). It is against this background that, the proposed qualification scope will create the possibility of WEEE Entrepreneurs emerging as Small, Medium, and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMME). These SMMEs will promote a culture of WEEE recovery and recycling and significantly enhance job creation. While WEEE entrepreneurship - at this level - in the rapidly-growing WEEE space has started, the training needs of WEEE entrepreneurs will have to be addressed in a formal qualification. WEEE entrepreneurs will have to be trained to recover and recycle the ever-growing amount of WEEE generated in South Africa and beyond safely and efficiently. To be successful and adequately skilled WEEE entrepreneurs require the requisite theoretical understanding of WEEE and the practical skills to start their own small business and to create efficiency in the safe, compliant, and financially feasible collection, transportation, testing, dismantling and recycling and authorisation for disposal of WEEE recycling residues. There are four registered qualifications in the waste recycling space - the Occupational Certificate: Collaborative Recycler at NQF Level 2, the Occupational Certificate: Materials Recycler (Paper and Packaging Collector) at NQF Level 3, the Occupational Certificate: Self-employed Re-cycling Materials Collector at NQF Level 1 and the Occupational Certificate: Small Re-cycling Business Owner at NQF Level 3. However, the focus of the four registered qualifications is solely on the paper and packaging sector and not on WEEE, in which equipment such as a PC can contain as much as ten different material types and whose metals can be comprised of up to 37 different elements. The Occupational Certificate: E-Waste Operations Controller at Level 4 has a significant relationship with this qualification and presents an opportunity for vertical articulation. There is also a Higher Certificate in Resource and Waste Management offered by the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). While it addresses waste and resource management, it does not mention WEEE per se nor does it address WEEE entrepreneurship. In essence, considering the size of WEEE generated annually in the country, the critical need for trained WEEE entrepreneurs, collectors and dismantlers created a huge demand for this qualification. And as the WEEE sector grows, the economy will grow and so will the need for skilled employees - the economic and social impact of the WEEE sector will be substantial. Typical learners include school leavers, those collecting and dismantling WEEE but in an informal and untrained manner, and those currently in employment without formal recognition of their competencies. WEEE Entrepreneurs can be employed as WEEE Collectors and Sorters, WEEE Manual Dismantlers and can become self-employed.

• Collect, assess, sort, containerise, store, and prepare WEEE for transport.
• Test, assess, dismantle, and depollute ICT equipment to determine whether it can be reused, repaired, or refurbished or must be reclassified as WEEE.
• Test, assess, dismantle, and depollute large and small household appliances (excluding temperature exchange equipment), and consumer electronics and entertainment equipment to determine whether they can be reused, repaired, or refurbished or must be reclassified as WEEE.
• Operate a WEEE sector-related business.