Class 7: 10-18/2/14 MAG/English Conversation: E-Waste the New Waste

·         Electronic waste (e-waste) now makes up five percent of all municipal solid waste worldwide, nearly the same amount as all plastic packaging, but it is much more hazardous. Not only developed countries generate e-waste; Asia discards an estimated 12 million tons each year.

·         E-waste is now the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream because people are upgrading their mobile phones, computers, televisions, audio equipment and printers more frequently than ever before. Mobile phones and computers are causing the biggest problem because they are replaced most often.

·         Interesting Facts:

• The average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005.

• Mobile phones have a lifecycle of less than two years in developed countries.

• 183 million computers were sold worldwide in 2004 - 11.6 percent more than in 2003.

• 674 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2004 - 30 percent more than in 2003.

• By 2010, there will be 716 million new computers in use. There will be 178 million new computer users in China, 80 million new users in India.

How much waste is generated per country?

Waste per person per year (measured in kilograms):|

Australia 450
Austria 550
Belgium 470
Canada 380
Czech Republic 280
Denmark 670
Finland 450
France 540
Germany 640
Greece 430
Hungary 460
Iceland 730
Ireland 750
Italy 520
Japan 410
Korea 390
Luxembourg 660
Mexico 320
Netherlands 600
New Zealand 400
Norway 700
Poland 260
Portugal 450
Slovak Republic 300
Spain 650
Sweden 470
Switzerland 660
Turkey 360
United Kingdom 620
United States 740

That makes an average 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed worldwide every year.

We then discussed an article given in class:

Toxic 'e-waste' dumped in poor nations, says United Nations

Millions of tons of old electronic goods illegally exported to developing countries, as people dump luxury items

John Vidal

The Observer, Saturday, December 14, 2013

Edited for use.

Millions of mobile phones, laptops, tablets, toys, digital cameras and other electronic devices bought this Christmas are destined to create a flood of dangerous "e-waste" that is being dumped illegally in developing countries, the UN has warned.

The global volume of electronic waste is expected to grow by 33% in the next four years, when it will weigh the equivalent of eight of the great Egyptian pyramids, according to the UN's Step initiative, which was set up to tackle the world's growing e-waste crisis. Last year nearly 50m tons of e-waste was generated worldwide – or about 7kg for every person on the planet. These are electronic goods made up of hundreds of different materials and containing toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and flame retardants.

Once in landfill, these toxic materials seep out into the environment, contaminating land, water and the air. In addition, devices are often dismantled in primitive conditions. Those who work at these sites suffer frequent bouts of illness.

An indication of the level of e-waste being shipped to the developing world was revealed by Interpol last week. It said almost one in three containers leaving the EU that were checked by its agents contained illegal e-waste.  "The explosion is happening because there's so much technical innovation. TVs, mobile phones and computers are all being replaced more and more quickly. The lifetime of products is also shortening."

Although it is legal to export discarded goods to poor countries if they can be reused or refurbished, much is being sent to Africa or Asia under false pretences, says Interpol. "Much is falsely classified as 'used goods' although in reality it is non-functional. It is often diverted to the black market and disguised as used goods to avoid the costs associated with legitimate recycling," said a spokesman. "A substantial proportion of e-waste exports go to countries outside Europe, including west African countries. Treatment in these countries usually occurs in the informal sector, causing significant environmental pollution and health risks for local populations," he said.

The European Environment Agency, which estimates between 250,000 tons and 1.3m tons of used electrical products are shipped out of the EU every year, mostly to west Africa and Asia. "These goods may subsequently be processed in dangerous and inefficient conditions, harming the health of local people and damaging the environment," said a spokesman.

A new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that the US discarded 258.2million computers, monitors, TVs and mobile phones in 2010, of which only 66% was recycled. Nearly 120million mobile phones were collected, most of which were shipped to Hong Kong, Latin America and the Caribbean. The shelf life of a mobile phone is now less than two years, but the EU, US and Japanese governments say many hundreds of millions are thrown away each year or are left in drawers. In the US, only 12million mobile phones were collected for recycling in 2011 even though 120million were bought. Meanwhile, newer phone models are racing on to the market leaving old ones likely to end up in landfills.

The failure to recycle is also leading to shortages of rare-earth minerals to make future generations of electronic equipment.