Waste like human excreta cause diseases when poorly dumped as the flies will carry the germ from the excreta to food and water. Hundreds of thousands of tons of used electronicsmainly from western europe and the united. Health seeking behaviours among electronic waste workers in ghana emmanuel asampong1, kwaku dwumabadu2, judith stephens3, roland srigboh4, richard neitzel5, niladri basu6 and julius n. The rich worlds electronic waste, dumped in ghana citylab. Various international development cooperation projects have been running. Electronic waste management and treatment technology 1st.
In 2010, blacksmith institute, in partnership with greenad ghana, the ghana health service, and the city university of new york school of public health conducted an assessment of the occupational and environmental exposures of electronic waste recyclers in agbogbloshie market. Ewaste describes electrical and electronic equipment or parts of it that have been discarded by the owner without any intention of reuse. Electronic waste e waste recycling workers in low and middleincome countries have the potential for occupational injuries due to the nature of their work at informal ewaste sites. And that is because, ewaste from almost every part of the world finds its way into the country, potentially poisoning its land and underground water sources with a cocktail of heavy metal chemicals such as cadmium, lead, barium, mercury, arsenic and polybromynated flame retardants.
The german government has unveiled a plan to help ghana deal with electronic waste at agbogbloshie, a major dumping site outside of the capital. Electronic waste management in ghana issues and practices. In august 2016, the president of ghana had signed the hazardous and electronic waste control and management act act 917 followed by the hazardous, electronic and other wastes classification, control and management regulations li 2250. Ghana has been cited as the country with the biggest e waste dumping site in the world.
Ewaste and the environment the case for electronics recycling legislation white paper goodwill industries international, inc. Electrical and electronic equipment eee including batteries as well as tires imported to ghana are in. In this area the poorest classes of accra have been spending years dismantling, recovering, weighing and reselling parts and metals extracted from the. Ghana to set up ewaste recycling plant ghana business news. Stress, health, noise exposures, and injuries among. The annual global volumes of e waste are rapidly increasing. Poisoning the poor electronic waste in ghana greenpeace. For locals, the hitech scrap is a valuable source of.
And that is because, e waste from almost every part of the world finds its way into the country, potentially poisoning its land and underground water sources with a cocktail of heavy metal chemicals such as cadmium, lead, barium, mercury, arsenic and polybromynated flame retardants. Electronic waste is considered any electronic device, appliance, or piece of equipment that has reached its endoflife. Electronic waste and the environmental justice challenge. Pdf electronic waste management in ghana issues and practices. Assessing worker and environmental chemical exposure. Pdf on jul 1, 2012, martin otengababio and others published electronic waste management in ghana issues and practices find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Health seeking behaviours among electronic waste workers.
Ghana e waste recycles from businesses, landfills, and households to ensure electronic waste is eradicated from ghana, africa. Waste management options in ghana, future strategy imani. Globally, ewaste constitutes more than 5 percent of all municipal solid waste and is increasing with the rise of sales of electronic products in developing countries. The agbogbloshie e waste site is located in the central business district of accra, ghana. Jan 30, 2014 environmentalists are worried about an extraordinary rubbish dump in the capital accra. Ghanas way towards sustainable ewaste recycling first. The basel convention, which came into force in 1992, bans the export of hazardous waste including ewaste from developed countries to developing ones for final disposal, recovery or recycling. Mar 05, 2018 in august 2016, the president of ghana had signed the hazardous and electronic waste control and management act act 917 followed by the hazardous, electronic and other wastes classification, control and management regulations li 2250. Annual global ewaste management gem network meeting, july 15. However, limited research exists on stress, noise, occupational injuries, and health risks associated with this work environment. Aug 04, 2008 our analysis of samples taken from two electronic waste e waste scrap yards in ghana has revealed severe contamination with hazardous chemicals. Environmentalists are worried about an extraordinary rubbish dump in the capital accra. Solid waste management challenges in urban areas of ghana.
Together, the two legal frameworks set the background for a new and innovative strategy towards a. Hazardous and electronic waste control and management act, 2016 act 917 download file. E waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their useful life. Developed countries tend to generate a larger share of ewaste, with china being one of the largest producers.
Pdf health seeking behaviours among electronic waste. Electronic waste management in ghana issues and practices 153 however, larry summers, a former economist of the world bank in 1991, reportedly justifies the economic sense of the exportation of ewaste to developing countries. Pdf electronic waste management in ghana issues and. Ghana, ewaste, recycling, riskassessment, lead, worker exposure, hazardous waste, africa, air sampling. In ghana, a bill on hazardous waste including e waste activities that aims to internally align ghana s policies with the basel convention was passed by parliament in 2016. Ewaste has become a new and controversial global challenge. Environmental and health impacts of informal ewaste. Agbogbloshie is the worlds biggest ewaste dumpsite and is located close to accra, ghana. Ghana has been in the news for its informal treatment of e waste and related adverse effects on humans and the environment since a decade. Agbogbloshie is the worlds biggest e waste dumpsite and is located close to accra, ghana. Ghana, e waste, recycling, riskassessment, lead, worker exposure, hazardous waste, africa, air sampling. It is estimated that throughout the country only about 10% of solid wastes gen. Electronic devices are essential to business operations.
Written for researchers who are exploring this emerging topic, the book begins with a short, but rigorous, discussion of electric waste management that outlines common hazardous materials. Our analysis of samples taken from two electronic waste e waste scrap yards in ghana has revealed severe contamination with hazardous chemicals. There is hope that the bill will allow further regulations and restrictions on hazardous waste in the country. Near the slum called old fadama, the agbogbloshie site became known as a destination for externally generated automobile and electronic scrap collected from mostly the western world. In ghana, a bill on hazardous waste including ewaste activities that aims to internally align ghanas policies with the basel convention was passed by parliament in 2016.
While more electronic devices are part of the problem, they also can be a big part of the solution. Agbogbloshies ewaste area covers almost a square kilometre strewn with a wide variety of electronics and smoking fires of burning waste. Electronic waste ewaste is one of the fastestgrowing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. Germany supports ewaste disposal in ghana africa dw 19. Used electronics are the quickestgrowing source of waste and can have serious health impacts. Moreover, in ghana significant concentrations of fe, sb and pb in the urine of workers.
Electronic waste tvs, pcs, hifi systems, refrigerators defines the landscape of this former wetland. Electronic waste management in ghana issues and practices 153 however, larry summers, a former economist of the world bank in 1991, reportedly justifies the economic sense of the exportation of e waste to developing countries. Germany supports ewaste disposal in ghana africa dw. Tackling ewaste management in ghana world resources forum. Ghana has been cited as the country with the biggest ewaste dumping site in the world. Electronic waste, or ewaste, refers to computers, mobile phones and other devices after users have thrown them away. Perceptions of health and environmental impacts of ewaste management in ghana. The burning truth behind an ewaste dump in africa science. The aim of this study was to describe healthseeking behavior, and social and other factors affecting this behavior, among electronic waste workers at agbogbloshie, accra, ghana. G lobal trade in electronic waste ewaste is a robust and growing domain of scholarship and activism. Aug 05, 2008 the latest place where we have discovered high tech toxic trash causing horrendous pollution is in ghana. Humankinds insatiable demand for electronic devices is creating the worlds fastestgrowing waste stream.
Perceptions of health and environmental impacts of ewaste. None of the e waste we recycle end up in agbogbloshie, accra. There is little hard evidence to measure how much ewaste is dumped either globally or at agbogbloshie. In 2016, in ghana, the government adopted the hazardous and electronic waste control and management act 2016 act 917. Agbogbloshie is a slum in the heart of accra, ghana, that has achieved notoriety as one of the most polluted slums in the world by hosting one of the largest electronic waste dump in africa. Management of waste in ghana proper ways of waste management is explained using the waste management hierarchy. The west african country of ghana, currently undergoing intense economic growth, is an important centre for receiving, reusing, recovering and disposing of electronic waste. A complex adaptive systems perspective alice frantz schneider dept. The united states is the world leader in producing the most. Hundreds of thousands of tons of used electronics mainly from western europe and the united.
Ewaste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their useful life. Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. Managing the environmental and regulatory challenges 2 because of the complexities of identifying, handling and disposing of ewaste, companies may choose to work with experts that can help develop and manage effective risk management ewaste strategies. E waste describes electrical and electronic equipment or parts of it that have been discarded by the owner without any intention of reuse.
Instead our mission is to help restore agbogbloshie, accra e waste dump to a beautiful area in accra again. Assessing worker and environmental chemical exposure risks at. Agbogbloshie is a nickname of a commercial district on the korle lagoon of the odaw river, near the center of accra, ghana s capital city. In 1994, the site was a small area for people fleeing violence in the north of the. In ghana, the increasing quantities of ewaste have creaavenueted where the. Government policy and initiatives on ewaste in ghana. Electronic waste e waste recycling workers in low and middleincome countries have the potential. Stress, health, noise exposures, and injuries among electronic waste recycling workers in ghana katrina n. Electronic waste, also called ewaste, various forms of electric and electronic equipment that have ceased to be of value to their users or no longer satisfy their original purpose. Our analysis of samples taken from two electronic waste ewaste scrap yards in ghana has revealed severe contamination with hazardous chemicals. Electronic waste ewaste products have exhausted their utility value through either redundancy, replacement, or breakage and include both white goods such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwaves. Developed countries tend to generate a larger share of e waste, with china being one of the largest producers. Apr 12, 2018 waste management is an essential public service which potentially can have serious impacts on public health and environmental quality in any human settlement.
Electronic waste or e waste in the united states refers to electronic products that have reached the end of their operable lives, and the united states is beginning to address its waste problems with regulations at a state and federal level. In ghana, the increasing quantities of e waste have creaavenueted where the. International journal of environmental health research. This study examines electronic waste dumping as a global health problem, using the agbogbloshie slum in accra, ghana, one of ewastes most well known destinations, as a case study. Waste management is an essential public service which potentially can have serious impacts on public health and environmental quality in any human settlement. The annual global volumes of ewaste are rapidly increasing. Informal processing of electronic waste in agbogbloshie, ghana. In ghana, the waste arrives via the port of tema, 20 miles to the east of the agbogbloshie dump. Electronic waste or ewaste in the united states refers to electronic products that have reached the end of their operable lives, and the united states is beginning to address its waste problems with regulations at a state and federal level. The places where this discard shows up are often described as digital dumping grounds, hightechnology slums, and struggling informal economies and ecologies marked by toxic substances, contentious state oversight, local corruption, and poverty. How to tackle the challenges posed by ewaste china al.
Jan, 2016 the burning truth behind an ewaste dump in africa. The question, he argues, is whether secondhand electronics are being exported to ghana as ewaste or to supply a demand for cheap electronics that can help the country bridge the digital divide. The key to success in terms of e waste management is to develop ecodesign devices, properly collect e waste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e waste by suitable techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise awareness of the impact of e waste. Weak e waste regulations and limited use of safety measures for e waste workers in accra, ghana, foster an exploitative environment within the industry, and pose health risks for those working and. Government policy and initiatives on ewaste in ghana by. Electronic waste ewaste recycling workers in low and middleincome countries have the potential. The majority of the worlds ewaste is recycled in developing countries, where informal and hazardous setups for the extraction and sale of metals are common. Electronic waste management and treatment technology applies the latest research for designing waste treatment and disposal strategies. Computers, televisions, vcrs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products. This study evaluated injury experience, noise exposures, and stress risk factors. Feb 20, 2019 hazardous and electronic waste control and management act, 2016 act 917 download file. Electronic waste is one of the fastestgrowing types of waste worldwide.
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