Report names U.S. and China as worst e-waste culprits
Monday, April 20, 2015, 10:45 AM - It's the price tag attached to our quickly evolving times: e-waste is the fastest growing stream of waste and a new report has found that the United States and China are the worst when it comes to disposing of this waste well.
The two countries were the top contributors in 2014 to the record-breaking amounts of cellphones, keyboards, computers, television sets among many more. Canada was better but still managed to rank 16th worldwide when comparing kilograms of e-waste per inhabitant. Part of the reason that Canada fared better is because e-waste legislation was present in nine out of 13 provinces and territories. This accounted for 94 per cent of the populations.
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"The 41.8 megatonnes weight of last year's e-waste is comparable to that 1.15 million 40-ton 18-wheel trucks—enough to form a line of trucks 23,000 kilometres long, or the distance from New York to Tokyo and back," the report said. "Less than one-sixth of last year's e-waste is thought to have been diverted to proper recycling and reuse."
Toxins in the e-waste are associated to many health problems including impaired mental development, cancer as well as damage to the liver and kidneys.
The problem has been escalated by a boost in sales in electronics as well as a shorter life cycle of many electronics. The bulk of the waste is no longer computers as it was once thought, but small equipment like vacuum cleaners, microwaves, toasters, electric shavers and video cameras.
Image courtesy of Greenpeace
But where does it go?
Much of the world's e-waste is getting dumped in West Africa, according to a European Commission and U.N. studies. Most of the countries in the region do not have recycling facilities instead disposing of the products in assigned areas.
In January, the communication technology company Ericsson began a campaign to shed some light on the issue.
"Raising awareness and preventing e-waste from ending up on the streets is part of Ericsson's social responsibility," said Freddrick Jejdling, head of sub-Saharan Africa operations at Ericsson. Jejdling told PC World that the campaign aims not only to create awareness, but also to help ensure that e-waste is treated in an environmentally friendly way.
Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast are among the countries worst hit in the region.
Something to keep in mind as Earth Week kicks off on Monday.
Sources: CBC | PC World | United Nations University
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