NEW DELHI, India — Got your hands on a brand new cellphone, computer, wide-screen TV? If yes, do you know where the old one went? In all probability, to one of many ‘recycling yards’; usually small-scale operations carried out in cramped brick rooms, on rooftops, in narrow lanes and dusty workshops tucked out of sight. A Greenpeace report released today provides a snapshot of the electronic waste recycling industry, and the nature of contamination it exposes workers and the environment too.
A boy winces at the smoke rising from the computer motherboards being melted over open fires in a recycling yard in Delhi.
The Greenpeace report, 'Toxic Tech: recycling electronic wastes
in China and India' conclusively proves that toxic chemicals,
including heavy metals, are released into the workplace and in many
cases, into the surrounding environment, during each stage of the
e-waste recycling process. From workers tearing components apart
with bare hands, to circuit boards being dunked in acid baths, the
impacts are not limited to the narrow spaces of the workplace.
"Samples collected by Greenpeace from and around recycling
facilities at Seelampur, Zafarabad, Shastri Park, Mayapuri ,
Buradi, Kantinagar and Brijgang establish that heavy metals,
including lead, cadmium, acids and organic contaminants were being
released to the environment due to inadequate waste management
practices," said Ramapati Kumar, Toxic-Trade Campaigner, Greenpeace
India.
The report release follows close on the European Directive on
Waste from Electrical and Electronics Equipment (WEEE) coming into
effect on 13th August 2005. The directive, which regulates the
handling of e-waste in the EU region, has yet to be implemented in
many EU countries.
According to Dr. Kevin Brigden, a Greenpeace scientist, who
collected and analysed the samples, "Concentrations of lead in dust
samples collected from some workshops in China were hundreds of
times higher than typical levels of household dusts. The levels of
lead in dusts collected from similar Indian workshops were
approximately 5-20 times background levels. The data reinforces the
need for the electronics industry to eliminate, at source, the use
of harmful substances in their products."
The good news is that companies are beginning to respond, albeit
slowly. Samsung, Nokia, Sony and Sony Ericsson have made
commitments to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals such as PVC
and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in their products. LG
Electronics is the latest to join the list of companies in
committing to substitute these harmful substances with safer
alternatives This clearly proves that it is possible to make
electronic equipment without the use of these hazardous substances
and still remain profitable.
Other companies like Dell, IBM/Lenovo, HP, Siemens, Acer,
Toshiba, Panasonic, Fujitsu-Siemens and Apple have failed to commit
to a similar substitution of harmful substances.
If you'd like information on manufacturers who have substituted
hazardous chemicals with safe alternatives, check out the
Greenpeace guide on how to
'Substitute with Style'.
Now that clean products are becoming available, the next time
you're tempted to reach for the latest gadget to hit the shelves,
choose wisely! So that the planet may live well.
View the
scientific report
Visit the
e-waste campaign
View the
e-waste video
View the
e-waste in India slideshow
See the related
Press Release
Read
LG takes up the challenge...