Saturday, November 14, 2009

A Brief Introduction: The Complex Web of E-waste Disposal

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, between 20 and 50 million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) is generated on a yearly basis worldwide [1]. This amount is growing at an alarming rate, making e-waste the fasted growing component of the municipal solid waste stream [2]. With the continuous growth of e-waste, important concerns have emerged over environmental and human health risks. Hazardous components include lead, mercury, cadmium, among others [3,4]. From a local perspective, the improper disposal of products has led to an accumulation of heavy metals in landfills [3]. Internationally, there are additional concerns.

In the late 1980’s, changes in environmental regulations led to a rise in the cost of hazardous waste disposal in industrialized nations. Subsequently, this led to a search for cheaper means of waste disposal, and hence the decision to ship hazardous waste to developing countries and Eastern Europe. Upon realization of this activity, great international outrage was heard leading to the adoption of the Basel Convention in 1992, which includes 172 Parties. Originally, an immediate ban was placed on the export of waste from OECD to non-OECD countries for final disposal. Then in 1995 an amendment was made banning the export of wastes intended for recovery and recycling. The last decade has been focused on enforcement of the convention and the reduction of waste generation [5].

Non-governmental environment organizations allege that between 50 and 80 percent of e-waste from Canada and the United States, destined for domestic recycling, is actually exported overseas [6,7,8]. This claim is particularly troublesome because Canada, unlike the United States, has signed and ratified the Basel Convention [5]. Marginalized populations in Asia and Africa typically receive this waste, after which the items are processed by hand using shredders, open fires, acid baths and broilers to extract valuable metals such as gold, silver and copper [9]. Consequently, toxic fumes and runoff threaten the health of workers and communities.

1 comment:

  1. Really good introductory piece, citing a wid reange of web sites, and international issues. It would be good to make links forward on these threads, as you develop the blog.

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