Where does e-waste end up?

Many old electronic goods gather dust in storage waiting to be reused, recycled or thrown away. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that as much as three quarters of the computers sold in the US are stockpiled in garages and closets. When thrown away, they end up in landfills or incinerators or, more recently, are exported to Asia.

Landfill

According to the US EPA, more than 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste ended up in US landfills in 2000. Toxic chemicals in electronics products can leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, impacting nearby communities and the environment. In many European countries, regulations have been introduced to prevent electronic waste being dumped in landfills due to its hazardous content. However, the practice still continues in many countries. In Hong Kong for example, it is estimated that 10-20 percent of discarded computers go to landfill.

Incineration

This releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the air and ashes. Mercury released into the atmosphere can bio accumulate in the foodchain, particularly in fish - the major route of exposure for the general public. If the products contain PVC plastic, highly toxic dioxins and furans are also released. Brominated flame retardants generate brominated dioxins and furans when e-waste is burned.

Reuse

A good way to increase a product's lifespan. Many old products are exported to developing countries. Although the benefits of reusing electronics in this way are clear, the practice is causing serious problems because the old products are dumped after a short period of use in areas that are unlikely to have hazardous waste facilities.

Recycle

Although recycling can be a good way to reuse the raw materials in a product, the hazardous chemicals in e-waste mean that electronics can harm workers in the recycling yards, as well as their neighbouring communities and environment.

In developed countries, electronics recycling takes place in purpose-built recycling plants under controlled conditions. In many EU states for example, plastics from e-waste are not recycled to avoid brominated furans and dioxins being released into the atmosphere. In developing countries however, there are no such controls. Recycling is done by hand in scrap yards, often by children.

Export

E-waste is routinely exported by developed countries to developing ones, often in violation of the international law. Inspections of 18 European seaports in 2005 found as much as 47 percent of waste destined for export, including e-waste, was illegal. In the UK alone, at least 23,000 metric tonnes of undeclared or 'grey' market electronic waste was illegally shipped in 2003 to the Far East, India, Africa and China. In the US, it is estimated that 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling is being exported in this way. This practice is legal because the US has not ratified the Basel Convention.

Mainland China tried to prevent this trade by banning the import of e-waste in 2000. However, we have discovered that the laws are not working; e-waste is still arriving in Guiya of Guangdong Province, the main centre of e-waste scrapping in China.

We have also found a growing e-waste trade problem in India. 25,000 workers are employed at scrap yards in Delhi alone, where 10-20000 tonnes of e-waste is handled each year, 25 percent of this being computers. Other e-waste scrap yards have been found in Meerut, Ferozabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai.

(C)UNEP

 Source: Greenpeace

Dumped Electronic Items Could Poison The Soil

Registered recyclers in the UAE are calling for compulsory recycling of yesterday's must-have electronic gadgets, known as e-waste, which if dumped in landfills can leach poison.

As few retailers have a ‘take-back' policy for broken, unwanted electronic goods, coupled with the fact most residents expect a financial reward for their environmental stewardship, the overall concept of recycling — e-waste or otherwise — needs improvement.

Enviroserve, a Dubai-based electrical goods recycler, has already processed 260 tonnes of e-waste this year compared to the 300 tonnes of e-waste for 2009 alone. "Around 40 per cent was mobile phones," said Zornitza Hadjitodorova, e-Waste Division Manager at Enviroserve. They have now launched a home pick-up service for old electrical items to be recycled.

Charity drives often collect old computers for poor nations on the assumption it will help inhabitants "catch up." A few of these hand-me-downs arrive in a usable condition after some refurbishing, but more often the recipients wind up footing the bill for their disposal, reports have shown.

"There is a huge moral aspect in trading old electronic waste. Some companies collect and ship in bulk without sorting through what works and what will collapse within months. We do not trade so we know where it's going," she said. "There needs to be a legislation on obligatory recycling, and more sorting at the plant by waste management companies," added Hadjitodorova.

A Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry 2009 report showed a huge growth in smart phones, 3G mobile handsets and big screen LCDs. But where can you throw away old equipment?

Rashid Karkain, head of environment planning in the environment department at Dubai Municipality, said e-waste is classified as hazardous waste.

Electronics contain toxic substances such as mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and beryllium that pose a hazard to both humans and the environment.

Dubai Municipality is planning to compile a report on how to minimise waste in Dubai. Although not complete yet, research has shown that the majority of e-waste is reusable.

Currently 17,000 waste containers are collected from the streets and dumped at landfill. "It is not easy or practical to inspect each and every container," he said. While e-waste from residential areas is not a threat or problem, it still happens that it gets dumped in landfill, he said.

When old TVs and computers are improperly discarded they can shatter and release dangerous amounts of lead into the ground or water table. Extreme care must be taken to dispose of electronic goods in an ecologically sound manner.

The municipality has a free service to remove bulky waste from homes, however a Gulf News survey of branded electronics stores in the UAE found only two of six actually offer to responsibly dispose off obsolete electronic goods.

Plug-Ins Electronic's Go Green programme will take back most electrical items in exchange for a Dh20 voucher. A customer service agent said TVs, DVD players and even microwaves are taken back.

At Sharaf DG, while the company itself does not recycle, clapped-out computers are refurbished and then donated in collaboration with Dubai Municipality.

No ‘take back' or recycling initiatives exist at Jacky's, Jumbo Electronics, LG Lifestyle or Harman Kardon.

Where to recycle e-waste

* Plug-Ins take electronic waste to be recycled in exchange for Dh20 vouchers.

* Sharaf DG will accept old computers, refurbish and donate them. Computers should be brought to Times Square branch.

* Enviroserve offer free home pick ups of 50kg of electronic waste call 800 33232

* Dubai Municipality refurbishes old computers and will pick up bulky waste call 800 0900

Dangers of e-waste

Up to 38 separate chemical elements are incorporated into electronic waste items

* Lead is toxic to the kidneys, accumulating in the body and eventually affecting the nervous and reproductive systems. Children's mental development can be impaired by low-level exposure to lead.

* When burned, PVC produces dioxins, some of the most hazardous carcinogens known.

* Brominated flame retardants have been linked to fetal damage and thyroid problems.

* Barium produces brain swelling after a short exposure. It may cause weakness in muscles as well as heart, liver, and spleen damage.

* Hexavalent chromium damages kidneys, the liver, and DNA. Asthmatic bronchitis has been linked to this substance.

* Mercury is known to harm developing fetuses and is passed through the mother's milk to newborns. In adults it can cause brain and kidney damage.

* Beryllium causes acute or chronic beryllium disease, a deadly ailment affecting the lungs.

* Cadmium is a carcinogen and long-term exposure leads to kidney and bone damage.

-(Source: National Geographic)