Tunisian startup takes on e-waste challenge

Engineer turned social entrepreneur Sabri Cheriha hunches over a washing machine at a small depot in a suburb of Tunisia's capital, the unassuming home of a startup he launched to tackle the country's mounting electronic waste problem.

Cheriha said there were currently about eight million household appliances and nine million cellphones in use across Tunisia, but once these devices break down or are replaced, "there's no service to properly dispose of them".

The aim is to have "an environmental and social impact, but also an economic gain", Cheriha said, adding that refurbished products can be up to 60 percent cheaper in a country where the average monthly salary is around $310. While Tunisia has vowed to tackle waste in general, e-waste presents a particular challenge, and there is a lack of institutional avenues for dealing with it.