Global Toxic E-Waste Dumping

Migrant child from Hunan province sits atop pile of unrecyclable computer waste imported from around the world. Guiyu, China. © Basel Action Network 2001

Most “Recyclers” Don’t Recycle Our E-Waste - They Export It To Developing Countries.

Currently, a large portion of the hazardous electronic waste collected for recycling in the U.S. is actually exported to developing countries. There the products are dismantled and separated using such crude and toxic technologies that workers and communities are exposed to many highly toxic chemicals.  

In countries like China, India, Viet Nam, and Pakistan, workers in e-waste yards (working with few health and safety protections) actually “recycle” very little of these products – they use hammers, acids, and open burning to reclaim some of the metals and dump and burn the rest.

In one e-waste processing region in China, more than 80% of the children have lead poisoning, the water is unsafe to drink, and the workers have extraordinarily high levels of toxic fire retardants in their bodies.

Waste traders can make more money by exporting toxic e-waste to countries where workers earn extremely low wages (a few dollars per day) and where health and safety laws are very weak, or are not enforced.

The Myth of Reuse: Waste traders sell non-working units under pretense of reuse.

Reuse of working electronics is certainly the best option whenever possible. Because other countries have more vibrant markets for used equipment, used working units can be sold in other countries, prolonging their useful lives.  But a significant amount of non-working, unrepairable computers, TVs, and monitors are exported from the US by waste trade brokers claiming to be selling equipment for reuse. Instead they are dumping this waste on developing countries, with limited or no recycling infrastructure.  

Nigeria Reuse Market Flooded With Trash E-Waste

Lagos, Nigeria has a vibrant reuse market and a skilled workforce for refurbishing used electronics. But as much as 75% of the electronics in the containers they receive from the U.S. and Europe cannot be resold or refurbished because they are scrap or very obsolete.  

Instead, they are tossed into unregulated dumps – and then burned when the piles get too big, emitting deadly dioxin and furans.  All of this happens right next to residential areas, exposing residents to toxic fumes on a regular basis.

More info on Nigeria: "Digital Dump - Exporting Reuse and Abuse to Africa," by the Basel Action Network, 2005.

GAO Report Finds US Laws Don’t Stop Export Problem

In September 2008, the federal The Government Accountability Office released a exposing how practices by unscrupulous electronics recyclers result in toxic electronic waste being dumped in developing countries in Asia and Africa. The report finds that the US has inadequate laws to stop toxic e-waste from being exported to these countries, and that the EPA doesn't enforce the few laws that do exist. Read report

Resources on the E-Waste Export Problem

Reports, Films, and Photos:

Link to report on Asia "Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia, by the Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.

Link to report on Africa "Digital Dump - Exporting Reuse and Abuse to Africa," by the Basel Action Network, 2005.

Link to narrated slide show on e-waste dumping in Guiyu, China by Chien-Min Chung.

Link to report and film (Hidden Flow) about e-waste dumping in Ghana and Nigeria, by Consumers International, April 2008

Greenpeace International released a film and report on e-waste dumping in Ghana in August 2008.

Link to report "Recycling of Electronic Wastes in China and India: Workplace and Environmental Contamination," Greenpeace International, August 2005