E-Waste Burning Sites in Ghana Causing Toxic Health Risks

Ghana has been a dumping ground of electronic waste for several years now.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A United Nations (UN) report estimates that the amount of electronic trash generated in 2022 was around 62 million tonnes, a worrying 82% increase over 2010 levels. Additionally, according to the report, e-waste is the waste stream with the greatest rate of growth.

Developed nations frequently dump their electronic garbage in developing nations. The trafficking of electronic garbage from both industrialized and rapidly rising nations has increased significantly, according to UN investigators. One-sixth of all garbage kinds seized worldwide are classified as e-waste.

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For a number of years, Ghana has served as a landfill for electronic waste. Informal sector participants frequently manage the e-waste that enters these nations, processing and breaking it down using antiquated methods.

Millions of women and children are employed in the nation's unorganized recycling industry. These unskilled individuals expose themselves to dangerous compounds like lead since they don't use any protective gear. According to studies, burning metal and plastic components in electronic waste can have detrimental impacts on the environment and pose a risk to human health.

Only 15% of the world's total e-waste is recycled, according to UN estimates.

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