UN says we’ll choke on e-waste unless developing countries recycle

It’s a global trend. More people are getting mobile phones and more people are getting computers every day. That’s great because it means all of us are more connected and essentially able to communicate with the broader world, right? Sure, so what’s the problem?

Everybody’s mobile phone and computer eventually becomes garbage. Manufacturers are making efforts to reduce the amount of hazardous materials contained in electronics but that’s only half of the battle because even safer materials are reusable and we need to reclaim them to reduce our environmental footprint. Developing nations like China, India, Mexico, and Brazil all are rapidly increasing their adoption of electronic goods but don’t have an infrastructure or regulations in place to foster sound recycling processes.

The UN article (via PC World) cites the output of electronic waste increasing by 500% in India by 2020 and 200-400% for the same time period in China. Mobile phones specifically are a fast growing segment of electronic waste with India’s output expected be 18 times its current rate by 2020.

It’s very possible that an entrepreneur somewhere will think of a way to build houses out of mobile phone parts, but until then we need capture the reusable parts to prevent an ocean of trash. One solution the report suggests is to move the electronic trash to other countries where it can be processed more effectively.

Manual disassembly is an option for countries where transporting trash isn’t feasible, which could lead to new local industries. Some developing nations have recycling centers that use an incineration process to filter out the reusable metals but that releases toxins into the atmosphere.

UN Undersecretary General Achim Steiner says “this report gives new urgency to establishing ambitious, formal and regulated processes for collecting and managing e-waste via the setting up of large, efficient facilities in China.” And while China may be a focal point because of its explosive growth right now, the rest of the world is sure to follow shortly.

Standards we set now may last for generations so it makes sense to act quickly, and responsibly.