Kathmandu valley, the largest EEE market of Nepal is experiencing emerging challenges with the rise of electronic waste (e-waste). Data from Nepal’s department of Environment shows that 18000 metric tons of e-waste were generated inside Kathmandu valley in 2017. While e-waste management is one of the biggest and serious issues, the Nepal government has not given the required priority to tackle the problem. The use of electronics has been growing and will continue to do so as technology advances but the lack of proper guidelines and regulations regarding proper disposal or reuse of electronic waste can cause serious problems by directly affecting human health, the environment and holding back sustainable development. The problem of e-waste has convinced different environmental agencies of various countries to innovate, develop, and adopt environmental solutions and a better strategy for E-waste recycling.
The main objective of this research is to analyse the e-waste recycling scenario in the context of Nepal and to use this data and understanding to design a digital solution as an intervention and instrument for co-constructing sustainability transitions in electronic waste recycling practices. This research conducts an intensive literature review, interviews with different stakeholders, questionnaire with a young user group and a virtual future workshop.
Using the Theory of Planned Behaviours, the researcher observed that although individuals have keen interest in recycling their electronic appliances, they are not being aided towards their recycling habits due to several different factors such as lack of proper facility, insufficient information etc. Although many of the participants in the research have great willingness to recycle, they are not able to do so because of the system where they are not given any educational awareness regarding the different forms of recycling and are not provided with the right means to do so.
The data collected from the various data collection methods had guided the design of the mobile application as a digital solution to improve the current problem in the practices of e-waste recycling.
The concept of the mobile application is based on the 3Rs of the sustainability practices: Recycle, Repair, Reuse. And the main features of the application are based on 5 Information system roles (i) Information element; (ii) Gamification element; (iii) Education Element; (iv) Communication service and (v) Trading platform.
This research starts with an attempt to understand the challenges of both the recycling companies and individuals based in Nepal, and based on the data collected throughout the research, ends with offering a solution in the form of a mobile app for e-waste management.