A sociotechnical analysis of interventions to promote safer working conditions in informal e-waste recycling settings

Informal recycling of electrical and electronic waste is a significant source of income for some families in the Global South. When workers implement unsafe practices, they are potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals that can negatively impact the environment and their health. Although this is a problem that has been studied for years, technological interventions that aim to reduce risks in informal contexts are rarely analyzed in light of social criteria. In this paper we evaluate intervention strategies through a model built on the Engineering and Sustainable Community Development (ESCD) criteria. We find that, in general the interventions lack a thorough process of workers’ participation since the early stages of design, which could inform projects, minimize harm within the communities, and promote long-term sustainability of interventions. In light of these findings, we recommend that future technological interventions implemented in informal e-waste recycling settings be designed based on the model presented.