Do you know what happens to your old telly once it conks out and you chuck it away? Well, it gets dumped onto developing countries in Asia and Africa as 'second hand goods' where unprotected workers (often kids) dismantle computers and TVs in search of metals that can be sold. The remaining plastic, cables and casing is either burnt in an e-waste pyre or simply dumped. Let me take you on a virtual journey to the 'scrapyards' of Ghana where some of the electronic waste from the western world ends up.
If you've seen Disney Pixar's latest movie Wall-E, you'll remember the lovable robot drawing in toxic waste left behind by humans in his belly. But in Ghana it's the poverty-stricken kids drawing toxic fumes in their lungs by burning e-waste to scavenge for precious metals. Greenwashing spin doctors call this ‘'bridging the digital divide' by transferring 'second-hand' electronics to poor people in countries like India and China (pdf).
Now Ghana has a thriving legal second-hand electronics market where electricians cannibalise parts from defunct appliances to create workable ones. But still, the e-waste dumped in Ghana from the west is so unusable that the even the most opportunist scavenger cannot find anything of use in it. This is hardly bridging the digital divide as much as it is creating a digital dump in the developing world.
Burning of e-waste releases harmful chemicals into the atmosphere and inhaled by impoverished workers who are unaware of the health hazards associated with the fumes. There is no safety equipment on site and the heavy metals are allowed to settle on the toxic land and drain into rivers when the rains arrive. Our scientists found very high levels of toxic chemicals in the soil and water they tested. This water was openly being drunk by cows and goats whose meat would no doubt enter the food chain further spreading the toxins.
International manufacturers of electronic goods still use mercury, lead, phthalates and Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR) in their products. After years of campaigning, many companies are cleaning up their act but some like Philips and Sharp consistently deny their role in recycling their old products which eventually end up in the dumps in Ghana. So the next time my TV goes kaput, I might as well burn it in front of Philips' office and let them breathe in the lead and chlorinated dioxins instead of poisoning a child somewhere in Africa.
