Urban Mining & Regenerative E-Waste Ecosystems: Visions towards Sustainable Entrepreneurial Futures for Informal Settlements and Recycling Communities

Abstract

In the face of the growing challenge of urban waste, especially within rapidly expanding informal settlements projected to house over 45% of the global population by 2050 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2022), innovative solutions are imperative. The thesis proposes a paradigm shift towards urban mining, emphasizing the significant value embedded in discarded electronics—where a tonne of circuit boards can hold ten times more precious metals than traditional ore (Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, 2022). The global distribution of off-shored e-waste has led to the emergence of informal settlements that depend on e-waste recovery to support livelihoods and income generation. These communities have become prime examples for urban mining, embracing circular economic strategies to find adaptive ways to repurpose e-waste. Accra, Ghana’s Old Fadama, home to one of the largest e-waste sites in the world, has become a vital economic hub for informal e-waste processing. With a population of over 100,000 dwellers, local and migrant workers have built resilient communities through innovative recycling practices, tech repairs, and DIY digital fabrication methods. However, they face imminent environmental risks, health hazards, and displacement threats.

Focusing on Old Fadama, the thesis will address the narratives of urban mining communities and look toward a systematic sympoiesis between economic, environmental, and social realities. By doing so, the thesis seeks to answer how we can foster nurturing and circular relationships for informal settlements and develop regenerative ecosystems for urban mining in the city environment. As an integrated field research, case study, and implementation, the thesis will: conduct key urban analysis for understanding e-waste sites and urban mining communities; identify technology interventions and policy recommendations that can improve local conditions; and utilize data-driven communication to advocate for new opportunities for urban systems tied to e-waste extraction through immersive multimedia as part of a public exhibition.

Using a novel methodology, the thesis adopts the learnings from the economic, physical, and community-based interventions observed in informal e-waste recovery processes. The thesis combines quantitative data from satellite imagery and remote sensing with qualitative insights gathered through crowdsourced GIS mapping, films, interviews, and creative capacity-building workshops. These combined insights aim to enhance urban models, nurturing the innovation potential already present within urban mining communities. The thesis research will contribute to the previous work of MIT City Science Group’s “Power of Without” initiative, a comprehensive roadmap for understanding and collaborating with informal settlements and proposing non-Western decentralized infrastructure solutions. The thesis aims to provide practical insights for implementing innovations in urban mining communities by developing sustainable e-waste recovery strategies and supporting micro-industries in cities, which could serve as a model for similar contexts globally.