Electronics Waste

Electronics waste has turned into a waste crisis, representing 8 percent of the global solid municipal waste stream. Mountains of electronics waste (e-waste) are snowballing at rates of over 50 million tons a year. Because much of the waste often ends up in incinerators or landfills, only a small proportion is currently being recycled. Take-back schemes have been introduced in several countries in the European Union (EU) and globally; however, many countries are slow to adopt suitable schemes, and some lack the capacity to deal with the vast quantities that are being generated.

Electronics waste, also known as e-waste, is defined as discarded electronic equipment such as televisions, batteries, mobile phones, and computers. The majority of e-waste can be mined for its raw materials (e.g., copper, gold, and aluminium) and harvested for components. Legal e-waste recycling markets are currently valued at over $6 billion per annum. The soaring rate of e-waste can be attributed to technological advances as old technology becomes obsolete, mass consumer trends, and products nearing the end of their shelf life.

The Basel Convention was agreed to in 1992. It is an international treaty that aims to control the movements and disposal of hazardous waste, including e-waste. Under terms of the convention, it is illegal to export e-waste; however, the growing international black market for electronics waste has led to increasing amounts of e-waste being illegally exported to developing countries under the pretext of a charity donation, or by being wrongly labeled as testing and working when in fact the opposite is true. Readily available processing facilities, low labor costs, and lax environmental regulations and enforcement make shipping e-waste to developing countries such as India, China, and West Africa an attractive solution for unscrupulous traders. As a result, these countries are turning into e-waste dumping grounds. Numerous investigations by environmentalists and regulatory bodies have highlighted that these countries are ending up as e-waste dumping grounds where e-waste is handled in often unregulated and primitive ways. Locals often work in poor and hazardous environments, often with no personal protection against exposure to hazardous components. In an effort to reclaim valuable reusable metals such as copper, gold, and aluminium, methods such as burning and the use of chemicals including cyanide and nitric acid are common.