Wasting Valuable Resources by Exporting Electronic Waste from the EU

With our current daily diet of bad news on the economy, loss of jobs, banking crisis, and shortage of money, why do we continue to export valuable materials to third world countries, materials we then have to replace with costly virgin supplies.

A report from UK-based energy and climate consultancy, AEA Technology, estimates that the following yields would be possible from the 9 million tonnes of e-scrap generated each year in Europe:

2.3 million tonnes of ferrous metal
1.2 million tonnes of non-ferrous metals including-
652 000 tonnes of copper,
336,000 tonnes of aluminium,
162,000 tonnes of heavy metals,
12,000-27,000 tonnes of lead,
6-8 tonnes of mercury
Plus
1.2 million tonnes of plastics
156,000 tonnes of flame retardants
336,000 tonnes of glass.

All of these materials could be used in manufacturing within the EU and the cost of buying raw materials to replace them combined with the loss of employment in the recycling industry is enormous

The EU Commission estimates that 54% of WEEE produced in the EU is shipped to sub-standard treatment facilities inside and outside the EU,

Only 33% of the e-scrap in the EU is reported as collected and properly treated in recycling/recovery facilities, while 13% goes to landfill ,

According to a study by the Dutch environment ministry VROM, 28% of Dutch businesses/collectors and exporters were found to be exporting e-scrap illegally from the Netherlands. A UK study shows that 10% of WEEE was being shipped illegally to non-OECD countries.

Each year, 9.3 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment are placed on the market in the EU-27 and some 9 million tonnes of e-scrap is generated.

Forecasts are that, by 2020, 12.3 million tonnes of e-scrap will be generated each year in the EU (up to 24 kg per EU inhabitant).

There has been strong growth in the electronic equipment market with worldwide revenues growing by 11%, 8% and 7,7% in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively. The largest growth has been in computers, mobile phones, refrigerators, televisions and air-conditioners, as well as hot consumer products such as MP3 players, digital televisions, etc.

The UN Environmental Programme estimates that, each year, up to 50 million tonnes of e-waste is generated worldwide and that the figure is growing at a rate of 3-5% per annum.

More than 90% of the 20-50 million tonnes of e-waste generated globally every year ends up in Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan.

Speaking at the ICM “International Electronics Recycling Congress” in January this year, Timo Mäkelä, Director, Sustainable Development and Integration of the European Commission’s Directorate-General, Environment said “ when more material is collected and recycled within the EU, there will be more revenue for the waste treatment and recycling sector and, not unimportant in these difficult economic times, more jobs. Recycling creates five to seven times more jobs that than incineration and ten times more jobs than disposal at landfills”

This of course is when the materials are processed in the EU, when e-scrap is exported there is a 100% loss of employment to the EU recycling sector

For more see this months Recycling International

http://www.electronic-recycling.com/