Page 37 -

T
P
8 8 P a r t I : a r t I : T r e n d s a n d R e a s o n s t o G o G r e e nr e n d s a n d R e a s o n s t o G o G r e e n

Guiyu in the Shantou region of China, as well as Delhi and Bangalore in India, have
electronic waste-processing regions. Although these areas can be profitable for the
“companies” that import e-waste and extract valuable materials, the environmental and
personal costs to the workers are horrendous.

NOTE We’ll talk more about the problems in Guiyu as well as Lagos, Nigeria in Chapter 7.

Uncontrolled burning, disassembly, and disposal are causing environmental and health
problems, including health effects among those who extract precious materials.

The Recycling Process
E-waste processing generally involves first dismantling the equipment into these different
components:
• Metal frames
• Power supplies
• Circuit boards
• Plastics
Starting in 2004, the state of California added an electronic waste recycling fee to all new
monitors and televisions to cover the cost of recycling. The fee depends on the size of the
monitor.
Canada has also started being responsible for electronics recycling. In August 2007, a fee
similar to the California fee was added to the cost of purchasing a new television, computer,
or computer component in British Columbia. The law also makes it mandatory to recycle
those products.
An electronic waste recycling plant found in an industrialized country is able to handle
a lot of equipment and effectively sort the components in a safe manner. Material is fed into
a hopper, which is then sent up a conveyor and dropped into a mechanical separator. The
material is then screened and sorted. This automation limits the amount of human contact
with hazardous materials during processing.

Doing It Right
No one has a perfect grip on handling e-waste, but many countries need to be lauded for
their efforts. Some do a better job than others, but at the very least something is being done,
and it seems like there’s enough forward momentum for continual improvement.
The European Union Europe has taken the lead in the world of e-waste handling. In the
1990s, some European countries banned the disposal of e-waste to landfills. The result of
this was a new industry on the continent—e-waste processing.
Responsibly handling e-waste didn’t start with computers, but it has grown in scope to
include them. The first electronic waste recycling system was mandated by the Swiss in
1991. It started with the collection of old refrigerators. The movement has since snowballed,
and since January 2005 it has been possible to return electronic waste to the sales point and
other collection points free of charge.

NOTE In Switzerland, the total amount of recycled electronic waste exceeds 10 kg per capita per year.