In its own small way, EDGE DPUB wants to raise awareness of the issue of electrical waste. The electrical devices, among many others, that are used to create and read e-books end up being thrown away and recycled. The recycling process, however, does not guarantee the complete disposal and reuse of these devices, their components or materials. In fact, a huge amount is exported to countries such as Africa, where they are disposed of in illegal dumping sites and people try to extract the metals in very rudimentary ways, causing serious health problems along with environmental and social issues.
On this page you can find reports published by specialised bodies and organisations with in-depth studies on waste management and some videos showing the places where e-waste is transported and the working conditions of illegal dumps where people are forced to work. Please, click the link in descriptions to open the documents in PDF.
E-waste is the fastest growing waste problem in the world. It is not only a quantitative crisis, but also one born of toxic ingredients that pose a threat to both occupational and environmental health. (PDF)
Increasing levels of electronic waste, and its improper and unsafe treatment and disposal through open burning or in dumpsites, pose significant risks to the environment and human health. This report provides the most comprehensive overview of global e-waste statistics following the guidelines that were developed by the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development. Please read:
The European Union has legislated Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management since 2002. This publication provides key statistics of WEEE flows, collection rates in the EU 27, Norway, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Iceland from 2010 to 2021 by integrating several data sources. (PDF)
Less than one in five electronic devices is recycled, wasting precious resources. How can we kick start a more sustainable production cycle? A look at new initiatives dealing with e-waste in France and Germany.
As more and more of us use and replace electronic devices, manufacturers have failed to offer solutions for how to deal with the resulting waste, and much of it is exported to a toxic dump in Ghana where scavengers do their best to salvage what they can.
Pakistan has become an illegal dumping ground for some of the 50 million tons of e-waste created each year. Karachi's poor earn a living from the toxic detritus, but the vicious cycle of consumption could prove fatal.
A powerful documentary about the dumping of toxic computer wastes on developing nations, specifically Guiyu, China. See also the book with the same title. Download PDF here.
An investigation for Sunday's Dateline in 2011, has found a mountain of old electronic equipment dumped in what were once picturesque wetlands in Ghana in West Africa.
Fraudsters in Ghana show how they use internet scams to steal thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims all over the globe.