Electronic waste management in schools: a case of Surabaya City, Indonesia

Along with technology development, schools in Indonesia have been facilitated with electronic equipment, which potentially generate electronic waste (e-waste). A number of government regulations concerning management of the waste have been passed. Yet, the implementation is unknown and may vary among schools as generators. This study aims to identify e-waste type and generation, and to compare its management conditions in state and private schools. Twelve state and private schools of three different levels were selected in Surabaya City. E-waste types, quantities, and management condition were observed and measured from the stored unusable equipment in each school. The results showed that 83% of the schools generated e-waste of IT and communication device category. Depending on the number of students and school levels, the annual e-waste generation varied from 3 to 24 units/school, or 12.25 to 115.40 kg/school, or 0.032 to 0.161 kg/student. E-waste handling in all schools has not complied with regulated criteria for specific solid waste management. Different from that of the private schools, e-waste in state schools is subject to government asset management regulation for removal. The mechanism involves e-waste collection by municipal authority service, followed by auction procedure.