Gangs of criminals,
posing as computer recycling firms, are dumping hundreds of
containers full of broken computer equipment in the developing
world every week.
Up to 900 containers a week are arriving in Africa and Asia from
Western Europe and the US, according to e-waste experts.
The practice is exposing workers hired to extract valuable
materials from the waste to toxic materials including mercury and
lead. Children are among these workers.
It has alarmed the Environment Agency, which is working with
border police to tackle the problem. It carried out 170 unannounced
inspections of suspected sites and 130 port inspections in the
first half of 2009, resulting in 11 arrests.
"Many
unscrupulous operators are exporting [the equipment] under the
guise of re-use, rather than facing the high cost of recycling them
legally," said Gary Griffiths, head of sustainability at recycling
firm RDC and chair of the electronic waste advisory group.
"Criminals who are paid to take equipment from businesses can
either pay £3-5 per unit to have it legally recycled, or receive
£2-3 per unit by selling it on to a third party in Africa or Asia
illegally under the category of second-hand goods," he said.
Data mining danger
Dumped IT also presents a "huge data issue", Griffiths said,
with criminals mining the IT they receive for personal details that
can be used in identity fraud or spam lists.
The UK government says it is unable to stop the practice because
of the exponential surge in volumes of incorrectly classified waste
being exported.
Catalina McGregor, the government's deputy champion for green
IT, said, "I could write the best policy in the world and there
would still be dumping because it's a lucrative industry. It
doesn't matter how pretty the paperwork is, it's still going to
happen."
Photo courtesy of
Greenpeace/Natalie Behring-Chisholm