In spite of the present economic climate, which is widely viewed by many prominent economists as the worst recession in the post-war era, the general public's voracious appetite for the latest technology gadgets appears to be unaffected, as evidenced by a report from Apple Inc claiming its net profit has jumped 15 percent in the same quarter versus a year ago. As reported in the New York Times on 23rd April 2009, according to Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer, the quarterly result is the best non-holiday earning in the company's history. By all accounts it appears that people are acquiring more and more computers and electronic equipment. While this is certainly good news for the electronic industry, what tends to be overlooked is that this boom comes at a cost. This cost is the disposal of non-decomposable, hazardous electronic waste.
What is E-Waste?
Commonly known as e-waste, electronic waste is loosely defined as a surplus of, or discarded computers, cellular phones, and entertainment and household electronic items such as television sets and refrigerators. These items can sometimes be reused, resold or recycled or simply disposed of. E-waste is by far the fastest growing part of the garbage stream and is a pollution threat to the environment and a health risk to people, especially those directly involved in the industry of processing it. E-waste contains more than 1,000 different toxic materials such as mercury, lead and cadmium. If not treated or handled by the strictest standards and guidelines, these poisons can infiltrate soil, water and air, and can cause immeasurable harm to the environment.
Noble Intention or Dirty Business
Countries around the world are frantically tackling the issue of e-waste. But treating e-waste costs time and money. When compliance with the e-waste regulations appeared economically unsound, or sometimes simply out of desperation or sheer ignorance, a number of countries handled their untreated e-waste by either dumping them in landfills or shipping them to developing countries under the pretext of helping the poor to bridge the digital divide.
Millions of used computers land on the shores of countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and Nigeria every year. While some of these items can be resold at affordable prices, a large proportion are simply non-functional refuse, much to the frustration of the local community, according to a BBC report. These useless computers are often piled up in various locations, forming iconic e-waste monuments that nobody knows what to do with. Sometimes the local community (including the children of the community) dismantle the items to salvage parts for sale. It is often the case that these people are uninformed as to the impact of e-waste on the environment and the risk their health is exposed to. The methods adopted in handling these computers and discarded electronic good are usually at the expense of safety and environmental consequences. For example one common method is simply melting the plastics and burning away metals in open fires, thus releasing carcinogens and neurotoxins into the air.
Instead of help being provided to these countries on the technology front by giving them affordable products and internet access, they are receiving useless machines, which in reality just offload environmental responsibilities. As stated by Jim Puckett of environmental NGO, the Basel Action Network, ultimately, this "noble intention" is not bridging the digital divide but is, in fact, creating a digital dump laden with hazardous substances in some of these developing countries. This is a sentiment was shared by Jim Puckett of environmental NGO, the Basel Action Network during an interview in a BBC report.
Basel Convention
Such dubious and unconscionable approaches in disposing e-waste have led to an outcry for regulations. Most markedly is the Basel Convention of the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal ("Basel Convention"). This is an international treaty which was set up in 1992 which is designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations. In the same year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became a member state. Today, there are a total of 172 members states sharing the common goal of protecting human health and preserving the delicate balance of the environment against the adverse effect of the hazardous waste.
This treaty, however, does not eliminate the shipments and disposal of hazardous materials between nations entirely. An investigation report published by BBC in March 2004 revealed that with the keen assistance of grey market traders and corrupt officials, both companies and foreign governments are flouting the treaty and e-waste is still being dumped into developing countries.
Concerted Efforts
The world's annual volume of e-waste is expected to exceed 40 million tonnes in the near future, a figure provided by the United Nation in June 2007. This is a monumental figure and our planet does not have the resources to cope with this colossal volume. Turning a blind eye will only accelerate and exacerbate the problem to an epidemic proportion. While time is still on our hands, many believe that solving the e-waste issue is still attainable. With private and public partnership, we can turn back the e-waste clock to a sustainable level.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment ("WEEE") Directive that became European Law in 2003 is one such positive step in tackling the e-waste issue. The directive requires manufacturers to take back unwanted electronic goods and to ensure they are recycled based on stringent guidelines. Many countries are contemplating setting up similar take-back programs. Many computer manufacturers are also now creating products with fewer toxic materials and in some cases, biomass-based materials so that the equipment can be more easily reused, recycled and decomposed in landfills.
Investment in greener products can pay off down the road. As consumers' awareness and concern for environmental responsibility grow, catering to demands for greener products translates into higher sales, as reported in a recent article in the New York Times, "Panning E-Waste for Gold". A proactive investment in greener procedures can also help stave off regulatory fines as well as avert shareholders complaints and lawsuits.
With the concerted efforts from government and corporations, tackling the e-waste issue can be done without compromising on the ethical value.
The Local Front
An emerging market, such as the UAE, places great emphasis on technology to help transform the vision of the UAE to attainable reality in break-neck speed. However, it could be argued that the heavy reliance of technology comes at a price. This price is the sheer volume of e-waste generated and the methods adopted in disposing of it. There are no actual or approximate figures showing the amount of e-waste being discarded in the UAE annually but it is safe to assume that it is a significant amount. If this assumption is an accurate indicator of the huge amount of e-waste generated in the UAE, there is an urgent need for better coordinated, thoroughly structured and adequately funded publicity campaigns to drum up awareness.
Some such efforts can be seen through the local municipality and organisations such as Emirates Environment Group ("EEG") and Abu Dhabi Energy Company PJSC ("TAQA"). TAQA is in partnership with EEG and carries out the "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" Campaign educating the public through creating awareness on the importance of protecting the fragile environment. In 2008, an organisation known as EnviroFone launched a campaign to protect the environment from harmful toxins found in mobile phones and accessories under the patronage of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. At the time, Emirates Business 247 reported a total of 65,000 mobile phones collected in this campaign.
Suggestions
In addition to the above initiatives, the Government could enact laws such as the WEEE, and laws such as the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2008 ("ROHS"). These laws impose a ban on importing new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than acceptable levels of hazardous substances. The government could also implement internationally recognised guidelines for e-waste recycling and conduct random audit on the private recycling plants to ensure the guidelines are duly followed. If compromised, trade license should be withdrawn coupled with steep fines for non compliance. Hefty penalties can also be contemplated for individuals or corporations if they are found disposing of e-waste contrary to methods set out by the authorities.
Demonstrating to the world that the UAE has a properly planned e-waste recycling programme supported by a well-structured legal framework to ensure due adherence would generate positive publicity. Any positive publicity would speak volumes for a nation that has always wanted to be acknowledged as the model international financial hub.
By Bee C. Gan - Dubai Internet City Office
© Al Tamimi & Company 2009
