E-Waste being illegally dumped in West Africa

The illegal trade in e-waste was uncovered last night through the BBC documentary series Panorama. Three non-working television sets were fitted with tracking devices and sent off to various recycling companies within Southern England to see exactly where our waste electronic equipment ends up after disposal. These television sets were tracked to Nigeria and Ghana where a large proportion of e-waste is illegally exported from the UK every year by proclaimed WEEE accredited recycling companies. The equipment lands up within the markets of these countries where it is broken down using various methods in order to retrieve the precious metals from components such as television sets and computers.

The illegal trade in non-working and faulty e-waste is growing rapidly. The WEEE Directive was introduced in 2007 to try and minimize the impact of e-waste on the environment by increasing recycling and reuse of electronic equipment. It is the responsibility of the recycler to ensure that all waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is processed for disposal within the UK. However there are costs involved in doing so and some companies continue to take the risk and attempt to break the law by trading this equipment through other avenues such as exporting to third world countries and making money from the illegal trade in the process.

E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, with more than 1 million tonnes being generated annually according to some estimates. That is enough to fill Wembley Stadium six times over. E-Waste can be hazardous to both people and the environment. Computers and TV’s are ending up in Africa where they are stripped by workers to remove the valuable components and metals. In the process, the workers are exposed to toxic fumes. As quoted on the BBC Website, “A confidential report obtained by Panorama suggests that 77% of e-waste from England and Wales ends up in West Africa, primarily Ghana and Nigeria”.

Last nights program is a big wake up call for companies across the UK to take notice on where their e-waste is going and who to trust with it. Everything from televisions to computer monitors should be recycled in the UK.

If you happened to miss the program, it is definitely worth a watch and can be viewed on BBC iPlayer at the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0116gw0/Panorama_Track_My_Trash/

17 May 2011