Developing countries face the prospect of “mountains” of hazardous e-waste unless an formal and regulated collection and recycling chain is established, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) warns.

 

The UN agency says in a new report that global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tonnes a year, posing a threat to the environment and public health if it is disposed of through an effective recycling chain.

 

Purchases of electronic equipment - like PCs, laptops, printers, mobile phones, music devices, TV and refrigerators – is soaring, and much of the waste will end up in developing countries.

 

By 2020, waste from old computers in South Africa and China will have jumped by as much as 400% over the 2007 levels, and by 500% in India, the report estimates.

 

By that same year in China, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about seven times higher than 2007 levels and, in India, 18 times higher. China already produces an estimated 2.3 million tonnes annually, second only to the US, which has about 3 million tonnes.

 

Yet despite having banned e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries.

 

“Moreover, most e-waste in China is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold - practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities,” the UNEP said.

 

"This report gives new urgency to establishing ambitious, formal and regulated processes for collecting and managing e-waste via the setting up of large, efficient facilities in China,” said UNEP executive director Achim Steiner. “China is not alone in facing a serious challenge. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.”

 

However, he noted that e-waste was also an economic opportunity, containing valuable metals such as silver, gold and copper.

 

“Boosting developing country e-waste recycling rates can have the potential to generate decent employment, cut greenhouse gas emissions and recover a wide range of valuable metals.”

 

The manufacture of mobile phones and PCs consumes 3% of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year, 13% of the palladium and 15% of the cobalt, the report noted.