Consumer Management of E-Waste Among South African Police Services
摘要
Modern society heavily depends on information and communication technology (ICT) for various facets of life, such as jobs, growth, and recreation. Nevertheless, the rapid advancement of ICT introduces new challenges. Electronic waste (e-waste) represents a significant challenge for humanity in the 21st century. E-waste refers to any electronic item that is thrown away and has a plug or battery, posing risks to both health and the environment due to harmful chemicals. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. The data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using the content analysis method. The findings show that there is generally a low level of awareness about the negative effects of e-waste on health and the environment. Furthermore, the most used disposal method was throwing away e-waste (70%) and donating functional devices to family or friends (50%). The least preferred methods were burning e-waste (40%) and selling (30%). The study also noted that the participants were unaware of responsible (formal) recycling as a proper disposal method. The study concludes that education about e-waste should be a priority for the participants as law enforcers.