The illegal trade in e-waste is highly lucrative. It is possible to extract more gold out of a ton of electronic circuitry than from a ton of gold-bearing rock. But illegal dumping is putting at risk charities and other organizations that donate second-hand equipment to the developing world.
Since the introduction of the Basle Ban outlawing the export of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries in 1992, computers have become an everyday item. Consumers and businesses are replacing their kit at an increasing rate, creating a new waste mountain.
Six years ago the EU produced the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive, which introduced new curbs and restrictions on the movement of e-waste. The directive, which came into effect in Britain in January last year, heavily regulates the movement of e-waste for recycling and bans its export for disposal. It also introduced a scheme under which the cost of properly disposing of electronic equipment put on the market after August 2005 must be picked up by the producers of the waste - manufacturers, retailers, branders and importers.
But DanWatch, a partner organization of Consumers International, has evidence that computer equipment from British companies and even local authorities is being dumped in West Africa.
"We filmed children as young as 6 searching for metal scraps in the earth, which was littered with the toxic waste from thousands of shattered cathode ray tubes," said Benjamin Holst, co-founder of DanWatch.
"A whole community is virtually living and working in this highly toxic environment, which is growing every day."
Properly functioning computer equipment is exempt from the WEEE rules about export. In fact, the regulations encourage refurbishment and re-use of computer equipment. But there is no regime that checks computer equipment destined for re-use before it is shipped overseas.
Regulating waste in England and Wales falls under the remit of the Environment Agency.
"Our position would be that genuine reuse of working equipment is generally a good thing," said Adrian Harding, the agency's policy advisor.
