Finding Ways to Curb the Flow of Zombie Appliances to Africa – Africa.com

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In many African countries, demand for cooling devices has doubled or tripled over the past decade, particularly as climate change brings ever hotter days, their governments say. But once the cast-off appliances are carted home, there is no guarantee they will come back to life and if they do, the cost to run them can be exorbitant, both for their users and the environment, environmental groups say. Africa is often the last stop for cheap, outdated zombie fridges and air conditioners discarded mostly from homes in Europe and then illegally resold. But some African countries are now pushing back against the trade, which can lead to heavy demands on limited power supplies and release now-banned coolants that act as important drivers of climate change. Ghana since 2013 has enforced a ban on imports of used cooling appliances and Rwanda approved a similar ban last year, along with regulations requiring new cooling equipment to meet minimum energy performance standards by next year.

SOURCE:THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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Finding Ways to Curb the Flow of Zombie Appliances to Africa - Africa.com