Illegal e-waste exposed

Activists boarded the YM Success, pitched a tent on top of the containers and prevented the illegal e-waste from being offloaded. greenpeace urged the Hong Kong authorities to take action by refusing the entry of the container and to send it back to the US. ‘Toxic waste not welcomed here.’ The captain of the ship agreed not to offload the container until the Hong Kong authorities investigate the legality. Earlier this year, we asked the question, “Where does all the e-waste go?”. On this occasion, we were able to find out exactly where it was going – but this is only the tip of an enormous e-waste mountain, regularly and illegally entering mainland China “thanks” to loopholes in Hong Kong’s legislation. When workers in the so-called “informal” recycling centres break electronic devices up so they can recover valuable metals, they are exposed to the hazardous chemical substances contained in most electronic equipment. This toxic cocktail not only threatens human health; it also pollutes the water, soil and air of the surrounding environment. Electronics are increasingly becoming part of the “throw away” culture in many developed countries. Few electronic devices are designed to be upgradeable, and because they are made with hazardous materials – including toxic heavy metals, phthalates, polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants – recycling is not always a safe and easy option. Every year, some 20 to 50 million tonnes of dangerous e-waste are generated worldwide. While some can be accounted for in general household waste or landfills, some end up – often illegally, as is the case here – in the scrap yards and dumping grounds of developing countries in Asia and Africa. In the US it is still legal to export collected e-waste to Asia and Africa. In the European Union, e-waste is regulated by EU and national law. But, even in countries with regulations there is a surprisingly large amount of e-waste that is not captured by producer responsibility programmes or take-back schemes.