The Egyptian authorities have recently started negotiations with the telephone operator Vodafone Egypt. The company is being asked to help launch "e-Tadweer", a new mobile application dedicated to the collection of electronic waste.
The Egyptian Ministry of the Environment is consulting for the launch of e-Tadweer, a new mobile application dedicated to the collection of electronic waste. Minister Yasmin Fouad recently received a team from Vodafone Egypt, a subsidiary of Vodafone, a telecommunications group headquartered in Berkshire, UK.
The interview focused on Vodafone’s involvement in this digital e-waste management project. The telephone and internet operator is expected to contribute to the development of a public education and awareness programme, which includes the publication of short videos on the management of electronic and medical waste at home.
The e-Tadweer application will enable the collection of old computers, TV sets, mobile phones… The population will benefit from incentives in the form of vouchers that can be used to buy electrical appliances in shops owned by companies that support the implementation of the e-Tadweer mobile application. The electronic waste collected is destined for recycling. The mobile application was developed in the framework of cooperation between Switzerland and Egypt.
In requesting Vodafone’s intervention for this initiative, the Egyptian government also wants to build on the experience of the telephone operator that launched the “zero plastic” operation in Egypt. The aim of the project is to reduce the use of plastics in its services. The company wants to replace the standard credit card-sized SIM holder with a new half-size format. This would reduce the amount of plastic used to produce SIM cards by 50 per cent. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to reduce the use of all non-essential plastics. Vodafone plans to distribute its new half size SIM cards in the European market this year.
Jean Marie Takouleu
