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eWaste Initiative

What is e-waste?

The use of electronic equipment has increased rapidly in recent decades and has penetrated nearly every aspect of modern life. Electronic waste, commonly referred to as ‘e-waste’ is any refuse created by the discard of these electronic devices as well as substances involved in their manufacture or use. E-waste is a major concern in areas of wireless technology and computers, which are readily discarded due to rapid technological changes and their low average lifespan.

Why should we be concerned about e-waste?

Electronic products are complicated assemblies containing dozens of compounds that have adverse effects on human health and the environment. If these are improperly disposed in landfills at the end of their useful life they leak into water bodies and create serious effects to both aquatic and terrestrial systems. The amount of e-waste discarded globally has sky-rocketed recently; with 20-50 million tons generated every year and only 10% of this being recycled. The rest is either stored or disposed of in landfills. Improper disposal of this waste can release hazardous chemicals and heavy metals into the environment, making certain areas toxic.

What are the toxins found in e-waste?

An average computer may contain up to 1,000 toxins including, lead, mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals that are known to cause damage to the nervous system, the brain, the kidneys, and can cause birth defects and cancer. It is estimated that up to 40% of heavy metals in landfills come from electronic equipment discards. Below are 4 major heavy metals found in e-waste and their health effects:

  • Lead (Found as solder on printed circuit boards and in television and computer monitor glass)   Lead damages the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems and kidneys in humans. It has negative effects on fetal development and on nursing infants.
  • Mercury (Found in all fluorescent lamps, printed circuit boards, laptops and LCD screen backlights)  If leaked into water bodies, mercury converts to methylated mercury in sediments. The toxin can then accumulate in living organisms and travel up the food chain. Mercury can adversely affect a baby's growing brain and nervous system. Adults can suffer organ damage, mental impairment, and a variety of other symptoms.
  • Cadmium (Found in chip resistors and semiconductors)  Cadmium is carcinogenic. It can induce various types of cancer.
  • Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) (Found in printed circuit boards and some plastics)  These toxins may increase the risk of cancer (digestive and lymph systems) or cause endocrine disruption. These materials are considered bio-accumulative, which means they concentrate in fatty tissues where they can have severe, negative impacts on fetal development and on nursing infants. 

 

It is roughly 25 times more beneficial environmentally to reuse computers than end-of-life to recycle them at 3 to 5 years of age according to the US EPA Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator. 

You can see this comparison here:  COMPARISON PDF.

September 2008 News

Work of eWaste Researchers Posted:  Over the past several years, we have been gradually building capacity to make a difference regarding the appropriate disposal of computer equipment - once it is no longer reusable.   You can see eWaste research papers by our 19 volunteer researchers at the "Environmental Docs"  link at http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/env_docs .  They are in both Spanish and English (thanks to Kathryn McFarland and her translating team!) .   WCE volunteer eWaste Researchers can also see part of your work at the e-waste site for Latin America and the Caribbean at:  http://www.reciclemos.net.  I will be meeting next week with Peter McFarren to explore next steps for the website and to be sure that we have a plan on how to keep this excellent site up to date. 

Updating eWaste Consoritum:  The work of our 19 volunteer researchers is guided by the 18 experts from global environmental organisations on the WCE eWaste Consortium in researching toxins computers and their appropriate disposal. They guide our work  raising public awareness about responsible disposal of computer waste and assisting pilots of computer recycling centres in select developing countries.  WCE is currently updating the membership of our advisory eWaste Consortium.  You can see our current list of members of this Consortium at this url: http://worldcomputerexchange.org/eWaste_consortium.

New eWaste Manager:  It has been a pleasure over the past few months to work with a very helpful volunteer, Denboy Kudejira, our new eWaste Manager who succeeds Jack O'Donnell who continues as our Chicago Chapter Coordinator and Regional Manager for Latin America.  Denboy is from Zimbabwe and is a graduate student at The Heller School at Brandeis University near Boston who is now on internship in Burkina Faso.  His resume is attached for your information.  He will be very helpful as we take on the next phase of our eWaste initiative.  Over the past few months, Denboy developed a foundation grant proposal for WCE's next phase of the eWaste initiative. Click here to see his RESUME.   You can reach him at eWaste@WorldComputerExchange.org

eCorps Teams Include eWaste Researchers:  Denboy also worked some with one of our volunteer eWaste Researchers, Nicholas Sundire, with developing a brief recycling plan for the eventual disposition of 850 WCE computers that have just arrived in Kaduna, Nigeria.  Nicky just returning from Kaduna, Nigeria to his home in Zimbabwe.  He spent two weeks during August 2008 in Nigeria with ten other WCE tech volunteers to help with networking as part of our new eCorps Initiative.  http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/volunteers-to-nigeria   We hope to hear about next steps we should take in West Africa based on his work there. WCE hopes to have a volunteer WCE eWaste Researcher  as a member of each of our eCorps teams.

Identify Recyclers:  Over the next few months, we welcome your help to Alicia Holliday on the ongoing work of identifying recyclers in Latin America and the Caribbean.  We aim to set up a process to identify how to check them to see if they are responsible in their practices.

What is WCE doing about e-waste?

Phase 1 eWaste Work in Latin America:  In 2006, WCE wrote a successful $200,000 proposal to IDRC for Quipus Cultural Foundation to develop and disseminate materials to raise awareness about toxins in computers for the public in Latin America and the Caribbean. WCE provided Quipus with some early content and consulting help in developing the materials and WCE developed their dissemination plan.  You can visit the resulting website at:  http://www.reciclemos.net   Click here to read the successful PROPOSAL that WCE wrote for this project.

Phase 2 eWaste Work in Latin America:  Some of our eWaste Researchers are currently inventorying recyclers currently in operation in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Please let us know if you wish to help or if you know of any.  We are also looking for funding to do a much more widespread public awareness raising media campaign about recycling.

Phase 1 & 2 in another region:  WCE offers our global grassroots network to offer consulting help to countries, entrepreneurs, and donors seeking to establish responsible computer recycling operations in developing countries.  We are now seeking our next region in which to begin working.

Support to eCorps Teams:  Each WCE eCorps team of tech volunteers includes someone charged with doing field work to help the WCE Partners that they are helping to develop a responsible plan for recycling computers we send - once the computers are dead. 

Support of Programme Officers:  WCE is developing training and marketing materials about the responsible recyling of dead computers for use by WCE' 190 Programme Officers and by our 90 eCorps volunteers

Carbon Footprint:  WCE is experimenting with improving how computer reuse groups present the environmental case for reuse.  WCE is working with groups in Nepal, Ghana, and Nicaragua to develop sustainable computer labs that depend on renewable energy. 

Cell Phones:  WCE is exploring having our chapters become involved in collecting cell phones for sale to recyclers.