Group items tagged

"The suburb of Agbogbloshie in Ghana's capital, Accra, has in recent years become a dumping ground for computers and electronic waste from Europe and the US. Hundreds of tons of e-waste end up here every month as countries in the West attempt to unload their ever increasing stockpiles of toxic junk."

Urgent action is needed to tackle the "mountains" of e-waste building up in developing nations, says a UN report. Good short summary of the problem. Global perspective.

Photo essay about the disposal of e-waste in Pakistan. Very powerful images of the pollution being caused. It also shows individual e-waste workers, giving a more personal insight than some other articles.

Photo essay about e-waste in Ghana. Audio is quite interesting and there are some powerful images of the e-waste "recycling" process. Also discusses the wider issue of the poverty that drives many of these adults and children to work in these conditions.

Photo essay showing how some UK councils are failing to ensure that e-waste is recycled or properly disposed of as required by the WEEE. The photo essay tracks a container from the UK to West Africa.

Although electronic waste can be harmful to people and the environment, banning it outright can have negative impacts, too.

The Basel Action Network, an American watchdog group that has sought to curb the export of toxic electronic waste from the United States, plans to begin a new certification and auditing program on Thursday for both recyclers and companies that generate electronic refuse.

Photos of e-waste from Basel Action Network

A mini-site on e-waste in Ghana. Includes video, interactive e-waste map, FAQ, image gallery, and discussion. The video (20 mins) can be watched online (as of Feb 2010).

Simple but effective site - it gives electronics manufacturers a rank out of 10 for their environmental policies, including take-back policies and use of toxic chemicals. Updated often, and allows you to track whether manufacturers have risen or fallen in the rankings. Last updated January 2010. (the links on the left of the page contain lots of useful information and multimedia about e-waste too).

Good overview. about 4 minutes Recycling old electronics keeps toxic components from contaminating the environment. Recycled improperly, however, they could end up polluting not only your area but also other countries.