In a bustling suburb of Tunis, a small depot houses an ambitious startup aiming to solve Tunisia’s mounting electronic waste problem. WeFix, founded by engineer-turned-social entrepreneur Sabri Cheriha, offers a unique all-in-one service for collecting, repairing, and recycling electronic devices.
With approximately 8 million household appliances and 9 million cellphones currently in use across Tunisia, the lack of proper disposal services presents a significant environmental challenge. Cheriha recognized this gap and launched WeFix to address it head-on.
The startup’s approach is multifaceted, focusing on environmental and social impact while also providing economic benefits. By refurbishing products, WeFix offers consumers savings of up to 60% compared to new items – a substantial difference in a country where the average monthly salary is around 1,000 dinars ($310).
WeFix has made impressive strides in waste reduction, avoiding 20 tonnes of e-waste in 2023 and 80 tonnes in 2024. Cheriha projects handling 120 tonnes in the current year. The startup’s impact extends beyond these numbers, as Cheriha explains, “When we talk about ‘avoided waste’, we’re also considering the resources needed to manufacture a single washing machine – 50 or 60 kilos of finished product require over a tonne of raw materials.”
Tunisia generates an estimated 140,000 tonnes of e-waste annually, with households responsible for about 80,000 tonnes. The absence of an official recycling system for household e-waste underscores the importance of initiatives like WeFix.
Waste management expert Walid Merdassi suggests that the government should require manufacturers and retailers to accept used machines and encourage local recycling companies to extract valuable materials like gold, copper, and platinum from processed devices.
Despite challenges in scaling up nationally, including difficulty finding skilled workers due to emigration, Cheriha remains optimistic. He hopes to expand WeFix to Morocco in the future, continuing the mission to reduce e-waste and promote sustainable consumption.
