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Technology and the E-Waste Crisis
Technology has seamlessly integrated into nearly every corner of modern life. We wake up to alarms set on our smartphones, grab breakfast from smart fridges, commute in electric vehicles (EVs), and spend our workdays in front of computers. From restaurant orders taken on tablets to crucial healthcare diagnoses, the reach of electronic devices is inescapable.
But what happens when these devices, which are essential to modern living, reach the end of their lifespan? When smartphones break, laptops become obsolete, or appliances fail, they often become electronic waste or e-waste.
Millions of tonnes of e-waste are generated globally each year. While some is recycled properly, an alarming amount is managed through unsound activities, stored indefinitely in homes and warehouses, illegally dumped, or exported overseas. In an ideal scenario, end-of-life technology would be handled by certified, responsible recyclers such as Mazuma Business. However, for devices like large household appliances (which many mobile recyclers don’t accept), the e-waste often ends up in places it shouldn’t, posing severe threats to the environment and vulnerable local communities.
But where does it actually go?
A significant part of the problem lies in the deceptive practice of exporting electronics and appliances under the guise of recycling. In 2016, a two-year investigation by the Basel Action Network (BAN), a Seattle-based e-waste watchdog group, exposed how some U.S. businesses are exporting electronics rather than responsibly recycling them.
In partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), BAN researchers placed 200 geolocating tracking devices inside old computers, televisions, and printers. These items were then dropped off nationwide at donation centers, recyclers, and electronic take-back programs, all enterprises that advertised themselves as “green,” “sustainable,” and “environmentally responsible.”
The results were shocking: About a third of the tracked electronics traveled overseas, some as far as 12,000 miles. The devices ended up in countries including Mexico, Taiwan, China, Pakistan, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Kenya. Most frequently, they crossed the Pacific to rural Hong Kong.
The Human and Environmental Cost
Once in these locations, these items are often processed by unlicensed and unregulated workers who lack the necessary protective gear and training. This unregulated dismantling exposes workers to dangerous toxins. During the investigation, BAN’s Jim Puckett noted workers breaking apart printers, resulting in them being covered in black toner ink, a probable carcinogen known to cause respiratory problems.
This dangerous practice is just one of many observed at international e-waste sites. Unsafe disposal practices include:
- Scavenging for valuable components.
- Acid baths or acid leaching to extract precious metals like gold and copper.
- Open burning or heating of plastics and wires to separate materials.
- Landfilling alongside regular municipal waste.
- Manual disassembly without proper tools or protection.
- Stripping and shredding plastic coatings, releasing microplastics and chemicals.
- Dumping on land or directly into water bodies.
When e-waste is recycled using these unsound activities, it can release up to 1,000 different chemical substances into the environment, including known neurotoxicants such as lead and mercury. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable due to their developmental status and higher pathways of exposure.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that in 2020, 16.5 million children were working in the industrial sector, a category that includes waste processing, highlighting the tragic cycle of exploitation. Whilst time has passed from these initial reports, the amount of e-waste continues to grow but it is still unclear exactly how much of this waste is processed safely and securely.
Exploitation and Community Contamination
The vulnerability of the workforce is exacerbated by their lack of official status. Many workers at these unregulated sites are migrants, often from mainland China, lacking the necessary documentation. This precarity makes the labor force susceptible to exploitation as they have no occupational protections or recourse for injury.
Workers sell the most valuable components to buyers, while the remaining worthless and toxic leftovers are indiscriminately dumped. A lack of oversight by local government agencies, like Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department, not only harms the facility workers but also the neighboring communities and the surrounding environment.
This organisation breakdown has led to devastating consequences, including frequent fires that only expedite the damage. These uncontrolled fires generate large plumes of toxic black smoke, containing dioxins, highly persistent, cancer-causing chemicals that remain in the environment and the human body for long periods. Such accidents can severely pollute water sources, forcing locals to refuse drinking from their traditional rivers.
As one local resident, Cheung, tragically recounted, “When I was young, I used to drink water directly from the river. Now I do not even dare drink water from the well.” He has since become an advocate for stronger regulations on junkyards. “I really hope that our land has not been contaminated,” Cheung said, “and that our village will not be plagued by cancer, like the ones discovered in mainland China.”
Taking Responsibility: Sustainable E-Waste Management
The journey of e-waste after it leaves our hands is complex and often devastating. It underscores the urgent need for consumers and businesses to prioritize truly responsible disposal.
Companies like Mazuma Mobile, Mazuma Business, and ICT Reverse provide peace of mind regarding the secure and safe disposal of qualifying devices. Look for recyclers certified by recognized bodies that ensure domestic recycling and adherence to strict environmental standards.
To combat the global e-waste crisis, we must support:
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Making manufacturers responsible for the entire life cycle of their products.
- Circular Economy Principles: Designing electronics to be durable, repairable, and easily disassembled for material recovery.
- Consumer Habits: Help the second-hand market by buying refurbished tech instead of new.
- Stricter Export Regulations: Closing loopholes that allow for the illegal shipment of toxic waste to developing nations.
By being mindful of where our technology goes and only using trusted parties, we can help break the cycle of illegal dumping, environmental contamination, and human exploitation caused by the global e-waste trade.
Dedication to breaking this cycle is one of the key foundations of Mazuma business practices. Our processes are built around providing a secure and environmentally friendly way for consumers and businesses to dispose of their redundant IT assets. By embracing the refurbished tech market, we find uses for spare parts in otherwise dead devices. We not only help the environment through these techniques but we actually get you paid in the process. What’s not to love?
If you or your business are looking to dispose of redundant business devices, Mazuma can help. With Mazuma Mobile we can give you a return on your personal devices and if you’re looking to dispose of your businesses old devices, get in touch with Mazuma Business today on 01524 481 340 or fill out our form on our Contact page.
Mazuma Business – Simpler, Smarter, Sustainable
References:
Tackling informality in e-waste management: the potential of cooperative enterprises. Geneva: International Labour Organization; 2014 (https://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/publications/WCMS_315228/lang–en/index.htm)
Balde CP, Kuehr R, Yamamoto T, McDonald R, D’Angelo E, Althaf S et al. The Global E-waste Monitor 2024. Bonn, Geneva: International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Institute for Training and Resources; 2024 (https://ewastemonitor.info/).
Campbell, Katie, and Ken Christensen. “Where Does America’s E-Waste End Up? GPS Tracker Tells All.” PBS NewsHour, 10 May 2016, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/america-e-waste-gps-tracker-tells-all-earthfix.
World Health Organisation. “Electronic Waste (E-Waste).” Who.int, World Health Organization: WHO, 1 Oct. 2024, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/electronic-waste-%28e-waste%29.
