Environmental Injustice and the Forgotten Community: A Case Study of the Largest E-Waste Dumpsite in Nigeria

Digitalization worldwide has created a surge of e-waste, and a considerable amount of it is shipped from developed to developing countries, where e-waste is mainly handled by the informal recycling sector. This practice creates environmental injustice, a type of social injustice that occurs when a particular social group suffers from disproportionate exposure to environmental risks. However, information systems (IS) research has largely overlooked this social injustice issue and the communities afflicted by e-waste exports. To shed light on this forgotten community, we conducted an in-depth case study at Olusosun, the largest e-waste dumpsite in Nigeria. By analyzing interview data and visual materials, our study unveiled three dimensions of environmental injustice caused by e-waste exports. Based on our findings, we derived three implications for IS design and policymaking: (1) IS should be designed for e-waste recycling monitoring and collaboration; (2) electrical and electronic equipment should be designed for repairability and recyclability; and (3) awareness needs to be raised among users and e-waste workers.