Disposal of E-waste (Electronic Waste)

1 Introduction and Background 1.1 Established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN's five regional commissions, ECA’s mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development. 1.2 Whilst delivering on this mandate, ECA deploys assorted electric and electronic equipment, critical for operational activities. When it is damaged or obsolete, this equipment becomes an e-waste , a hazardous waste stream due to the presence of toxic metals such as mercury and lead, and other hazardous substances. 1.3 ECA has its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Large quantities of e-waste are generated continuously. An environmentally sustainable long-term recycling/disposal solution must be found, in line with the requirements of the UN Secretariat Environmental Policy, ( business and environmental licences/permits for e-waste management (collection, storage, handling, transportation) from relevant national authorities and legal compliance with local applicable laws and regulations, policies and procedures 2 Purpose and Scope 2.1 ECA is seeking a potential vendor that is, fully qualified and licensed companies with solid local and regional experience and proven financial capacity to re-process e-waste, ensuring application of the highest environmental and social standards in order to achieve responsible and documented “end-to-end” e-waste handling through to final disposal. 2.2 The objective of this Request is to develop long-term agreements (LTA) with one or more companies providing on-demand recycling and disposal services for e-waste in order to prevent accumulation at ECA premises.   3. Description of services 3.1 The scope of works includes responsible, environmentally-friendly and documented end-to-end e-waste handling, including transportation from Addis Ababa to the contractor’s facilities, through to final disposal. Contractors must take all e-waste types. for e.g. (IT Hardware, Telecoms equipment, Household appliances, Gym equipment, Solar Photovoltaic) 3.2 Processing steps will include a) pre-sorting, b) dismantling, c) separation, d) recovery/recycling (definitions provided in footnote). Inspection and reporting will be conducted by ECA on these aspects for verification. 3.3 Companies should have the capacity to refurbish and recycle as much material as possible and dispose of the un-recyclable fractions in licensed facilities appropriately designed for e-waste (within or outside Ethiopia); 3.4 Bidders are requested to provide a clear chain of custody for all materials, especially in relation to the flow of downstream material recovery, so that: a) End-to-end waste management can be achieved and documented; b) The risk of harmful substances entering the informal sector and causing environmental and health hazards is minimized. to prevent inadvertent human health and environmental hazards.