Tech survey winner: e-scrap recycler from South Africa

Congratulations to Giulio Airaga of Desco Electronic Recyclers, based in Johannesburg, South Africa! He is the lucky winner of our recent tech survey and received a special Christmas gift, namely a GoPro camera.

Airaga is marketing manager at Desco, a family-run business started by his father in 1992. Its headquarters are in Gauteng where a staff of about 200 employees processes 5000 tonnes per year. Besides offering e-scrap collection and recycling services, Desco also provides data destruction solutions.

Airaga recalls his father getting him invovled in recycling by teaching him how to dismantle and repair electronics when he was a teenager. In turn, he is now eager to help raise awareness and inspire youngsters with an interest in recycling.  

South Africa currently generates an estimated 6.2 kilograms of e-scrap per inhabitant annually – less than 15% of end-of-life products finds its way to the nation’s recycling plants.