E-waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a term that is used loosely to refer to obsolete, broken, or irreparable electronic devices like televisions, computer central processing units (CPUs), computer monitors (flat screen and cathode ray tubes), laptops, printers, scanners, and associated wiring.

From 'Mining electronic waste for precious metals' Professor John Blacker and colleagues around the world are finding ways to reclaim valuable materials from discarded electronics. University of Leeds

This e-waste usually arrives at landfill sites where it is processed by hand by e-waste workers who extract the materials they can sell on, such as copper and silicon. Without access to sophisticated recycling technologies, the workers have no option but to do this by hand: stripping cables, hammering out components, or using chemicals or heat. It creates dangerous working conditions, and the money the workers make is small.

Professor John Blacker of the University of Leeds explains: “To separate the materials, e-waste workers have to burn components in open pots, or dip them in vats of acid. That results in toxic bi-products and smoke — and it’s rare that any protective equipment is ever provided. The acids and bi-products sometimes leach into soil and groundwater, which has a wider ecological impact on the whole community.”

From Determining Metal Content in Waste Printed Circuit Boards and their Electronic Components Article in Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems · March 2020

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest growing waste types [1]: with three times higher growth than municipal solid waste [2]. Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) industry consumes 30% of annual silver (Ag) production (6,000 t), 12% of gold (Au) (300 t), 15% of bismuth (Bi) (900 t), 19% of cobalt (Co) (11,000 t), 30% of copper (Cu) (4,500,000 t), 14% of palladium (Pd) (33 t), 50% of antimony (Sb) (65,000 t) and 33% of tin (Sn) (90,000 t) manufacture [3]. A large quantity of WEEE is traded illegally, and in 2011 only the legal trade of WEEE was estimated at 52 billion USD [4]. Common discarding of waste in landfills or open spaces, is highly damaging to the environment [5]. Despite the efforts to limit illegal waste streams by a legal framework, approximately 70% of WEEE in the world is discarded in China.

To watch

Blame Game documentary
Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia
The Digital Dump: Exporting Re-use and Abuse to Africa