Ghana, an E-Waste Graveyard

When you toss that old busted stereo or out-of-date analog television into the trash heap, where does it ultimately end up? Most likely in a poor community in a far-away country like Ghana, where electronic waste arrives on barges and sits in gigantic piles, contaminating the soil and water with toxic chemicals.

PBS Frontline investigated the e-waste disposal situation in Ghana, which has gotten so bad that some locals call the area “Sodom and Gomorrah”.

And, human health and the environment aren’t the only concerns that spring from this practice. It’s beginning to affect the very people who throw their electronics away in the first place, in the form of identity theft. Salvageable hard drives are sold on the street, many of which still contain personal information.

Watch:

Earth 911 reports that the U.S. is finally beginning to recognize how big a problem e-waste dumping really is – there currently aren’t any laws that prohibit dumping overseas, but a proposed bill would ban exports of certain types of electronics materials meant for recycling. The bill isn’t perfect, though – critics say it contains loopholes that make continued dumping inevitable.

Clearly, something needs to be done fast. We can’t continue to look the other way knowing that all of this waste is affecting poor communities all over the world.

Link [Earth 911]
Photo credit: Greenpeace

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