Greenpeace has just released a new report regarding the enormous amount of e-waste being sent to Ghana, located in Western Africa. The militant environmental group compared Ghana to India and China, where working conditions allow children to be exposed to toxic chemicals such as lead and mercury during the treatment of the electronics. The purpose of treating, or burning electronics is to salvage copper and other valuable materials which can be sold for profit.
Greenpeace continues to urge major electronics manufacturers such as Sharp and Philips to decrease and eventually phase out toxic materials in their products and to launch global recycling programmes designed to create a solution to the issue at hand.
Why has this issue been pushed to the forefront of environmental concerns when in fact it has been a problem for many years? Advocates for the environmental cause say it is getting more difficult to ignore the problem because people have been exponentially increasing their desire for the latest and greatest technological gadgets, from iPods to TVs and laptops. In addition, these products don’t last nearly as long as they once did.
The percentage of e-waste being sent to solid waste schemes is rising fast. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the number of computers that became obsolete in 1998 was estimated at 20 million, while the same items reached 37 million in 2005. In addition, an estimate of 2.25 million tonnes of e-waste, including TVs and mobile phones, has been generated over the past two years, with a staggering 82% being sent to landfills. Only 18% was submitted for recycling.
For more information, visit: greenpeace.org
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