Warning over surge in e–wastes

Sales of electronic products in countries like China and India and across continents such as Africa and Latin America are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years. And, unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health, according to a new report from UNEP. The report, 'Recycling � from E-Waste to Resources', used data from 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation � which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions. In South Africa and China for example, the report predicts that by 2020 e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 200 to 400 per cent from 2007 levels, and by 500 per cent in India. By that same year in China, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about seven times higher than 2007 levels and, in India, 18 times higher. The report says that China already produces about 2.3 million tonnes domestically, second only to the US with about three million tonnes. And, despite having banned e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries. Moreover, most e-waste in China is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold � practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.