A Greenpeace activist hangs a banner on a container ship recently arrived from the USA carrying toxic e-waste, Hong Kong, 14 June 2008.The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department and the Hong Kong Customs have agreed to the demand of Greenpeace and put the containers on hold as a direct result of the action.
Sign the petition
View the video
We urged the Hong Kong authorities to take action by refusing
the entry of the container and to send it back to the US. Banners
made our message clear: '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.
According to Hong Kong's Waste Disposal Ordinance, only
batteries and cathode ray tubes are banned from import, but there
is no clear legislation to guard against other electronic waste and
their by-products entering Hong Kong's ports. Irresponsible e-waste
traders exploit this loophole and the island has become a transit
point for e-waste destined for Mainland China as well as other
developing countries.
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.
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.
According to Hong Kong's Waste Disposal Ordinance, only
batteries and cathode ray tubes are banned from import, but there
is no clear legislation to guard against other electronic waste and
their by-products entering Hong Kong's ports. Irresponsible e-waste
traders exploit this loophole and the island has become a transit
point for e-waste destined for Mainland China as well as other
developing countries.
When workers in the so-called "informal" recycling centres (scrap yards) 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 programmes.
Ultimately, the principle of producer responsibility is key to
solving this problem. This principle requires that the
manufacturers of electronics devices take the financial and
management responsibilities for what happens to their own
end-of-life products. Companies like Sony, Samsung and Nokia have
introduced take-back schemes, but there are many other major
companies that still need to follow this example.
Some maintain that it is their customers' responsibility to pay
for the costs of recycling e-waste.
And, by phasing-out the use of toxic chemicals in electronics
devices at the design stage of a product's life, manufacturers make
it safer to recycle e-waste and reduce their own costs for dealing
with their end-of-life products. What greater incentive could they
want?
Manufacturers need to implement toxic-free design and bring
green electronics onto the markets, and introduce take-back schemes to
responsibly recycle or dispose of their products when they reach
the end of their life. For as long as electronics manufacturers
fail to live up to their responsibilities, e-waste will continue to
flow to places.
It's time to turn the tide.
Sign the petition
Write to Anissa Wang, Director of Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department, and demand that the Hong Kong Government amend the Waste Disposal Ordinance according to the Basel Convention. Ordinary people in China and other developing countries should not have to face the threat of toxic e-waste. Stop the illegal trafficking of e-waste through Hong Kong today.