Most electronics such as computers, monitors, laptops and televisions contain materials that are too toxic for normal land fills.  When these appliances become broken and irreparable, they must be disposed of properly so that ground water and soil don’t become contaminated.  Unfortunately, the law is frequently ignored and toxic materials wind up in Africa where they are simply tossed on a dump.

According to The Independent, tons of toxic waste is winding up in African countries like Nigeria in violation of British law.  Broken and irreparable electronics are supposed to be “dismantled or recycled by specialty contractors”.  That isn’t happening.  The above picture taken by The Basel Action Network shows e-waste piled up in a Nigerian neighborhood.

Instead, this e-waste is being sold to dealers who offer 3 pounds for a television and 1 pound for a computer, undercutting the specialty contractors.  After purchasing the broken electronics, these dealers stuff them into shipping containers and send them to Africa where they wind up in toxic dumps where children as well as adults scavenge for anything that might be sold.

The Independent, along with, Sky News and Greenpeace did their own investigation.  Using a television broken beyond repair, they outfitted it with a satellite transmitter.  The television was then traced along its final route.  Where it went was Lagos, Nigeria.

Although roughly 450,000 tons of e-waste is disposed of properly in Britain, approximately 500,000 tons of e-waste winds up going to Africa where it is not disposed of safely.  Asia also sends its e-waste to Africa.  Why pollute your own country if you can send it elsewhere?

When the investigating team looked further into this issue, they found that at least one third of the shipping containers of e-waste being sent to Africa were composed of items that definitely could not be recycled.  The non recyclable e-waste was supposed to never leave Britain.

Of course, all of this could be avoided.  As Martin Hojsik of Greenpeace said:

Companies can stop this illegal toxic trade now by ensuring their goods are free from hazardous components. It is critical they and governments take full responsibility for the safe recycling of their products and put an end to the growing e-waste dumps that are poisoning people.

Companies are beginning to produce nontoxic electronics, but usually at a price much higher than an equivalent item with toxic parts.  Most people can’t afford to pay the difference.  Until manufacturers price environmentally sound electronics at the same or lower cost of the toxic equivalents, the issue of increasing toxic waste is not going to disappear anytime soon.

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Entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 1:09 pm under Green Technology, Science and technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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