Your electronic waste is another's toxic backyard

As kids are elbow deep in electronic waste, people in the Western world are upgrading their iPhone by the year. People in developing worlds however, are not only devoid of this working technology, but are plagued with it's waste.

What is E-waste? E-waste is electronic equipment that has reached the end of its useful life. It's your flat screen TV's, laptops, phones and not to mention their accessories such as cables, batteries, chargers and cords. According to Peppermint Magazine, Every Australian parts with an estimated 25 kilograms of electronic rubbish each year.

E-waste contains over 1000 different substances, many if which are toxic metals.

E-waste, violating international law, is often shipped to developing countries. Greenpeace states that, "Inspections of 18 European seaports in 2005 found as much as 47 percent of waste destined for export, including e-waste, was illegal.

In the UK alone, at least 23,000 metric tonnes of undeclared or 'grey' market electronic waste was illegally shipped in 2003 to the Far East, India, Africa and China.

In the US, it is estimated that 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling is being exported in this way. This practice is legal because the US has not ratified the Basel Convention."

These toxic materials are finding their way into peoples bodies; you can find a dangerously high level of lead in the bodies of people who live in these developing countries plagued with electronic graveyards on their streets.

So, how do we stop this?

Basel Action Network, a non-for-profit organisation focused on confronting the global environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade (toxic wastes, products and technologies) and its devastating impacts. Children in developing countries are exposed to hazardous toxins due to the mountain of E-waste on their doorstep.

There is a program underway, the E-Waste Stewardship Project, to ensure that exports of hazardous electronic waste to developing countries are eliminated and replaced with producer responsibility and green design programs/legislation.

The Australian Government reported that 88% of the 16.8 million TV sets and computers that reached the end of their lifecycle in 2007-08 were disposed of as hard rubbish, only 9% were recycled. In Australia, we have the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme involves a combination of government regulation and industry action to take responsibility for the collection and recycling of waste televisions, computers, printers and computer products.

According to the Australian Government Department of Environment, this scheme ensures that companies who manufacture these electronic items are responsible for the collection and recycling of them. They have been credited with doubling the recycling rate to 33%, equivalent to roughly 93,000 tonnes of e-waste.

Relying on the manufacturers is key, Mobile Muster is funded by 12 phone companies. MobileMuster is the Australian mobile phone industry's official product stewardship program. It's a free mobile phone recycling program that accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories.

Putting an end to this toxic wasteland epidemic in developing countries, it is up to the consumers, the manufacturers and governments to put a stop to the exporting of E-Waste to such countries. Change on the micro level, can bing about big change on the macro level.