日韩午夜精品视频,欧美私密网站,国产一区二区三区四区,国产主播一区二区三区四区

Home / International / Opinion Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Discarded computers poisoning Africa's kids
Adjust font size:

The illegal trade in e-waste is highly lucrative. It is possible to extract more gold out of a ton of electronic circuitry than from a ton of gold-bearing rock. But illegal dumping is putting at risk charities and other organizations that donate second-hand equipment to the developing world.

Since the introduction of the Basle Ban outlawing the export of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries in 1992, computers have become an everyday item. Consumers and businesses are replacing their kit at an increasing rate, creating a new waste mountain.

Six years ago the EU produced the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive, which introduced new curbs and restrictions on the movement of e-waste. The directive, which came into effect in Britain in January last year, heavily regulates the movement of e-waste for recycling and bans its export for disposal. It also introduced a scheme under which the cost of properly disposing of electronic equipment put on the market after August 2005 must be picked up by the producers of the waste - manufacturers, retailers, branders and importers.

But DanWatch, a partner organization of Consumers International, has evidence that computer equipment from British companies and even local authorities is being dumped in West Africa.

"We filmed children as young as 6 searching for metal scraps in the earth, which was littered with the toxic waste from thousands of shattered cathode ray tubes," said Benjamin Holst, co-founder of DanWatch.

"A whole community is virtually living and working in this highly toxic environment, which is growing every day."

Properly functioning computer equipment is exempt from the WEEE rules about export. In fact, the regulations encourage refurbishment and re-use of computer equipment. But there is no regime that checks computer equipment destined for re-use before it is shipped overseas.

Regulating waste in England and Wales falls under the remit of the Environment Agency.

"Our position would be that genuine reuse of working equipment is generally a good thing," said Adrian Harding, the agency's policy advisor.

     1   2   3    


Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Bush visits Africa to promote US image, strategic interests
- US company set to power waste plants in China
Most Viewed >>
- 15,000 killed in violent cyclone in Myanmar
- Hu begins 'warm spring' trip to Japan
- President Hu sends message to Japanese readers
- Poll: Clinton leads Obama nationwide
- Hu dines on memories, friendship
> Korean Nuclear Talks
> Reconstruction of Iraq
> Middle East Peace Process
> Iran Nuclear Issue
> 6th SCO Summit Meeting
Links
- China Development Gateway
- Foreign Ministry
- Network of East Asian Think-Tanks
- China-EU Association
- China-Africa Business Council
- China Foreign Affairs University
- University of International Relations
- Institute of World Economics & Politics
- Institute of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies
- Institute of West Asian & African Studies
- Institute of Latin American Studies
- Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Institute of Japanese Studies
主站蜘蛛池模板: 政和县| 昭觉县| 墨玉县| 木兰县| 兰溪市| 富锦市| 平陆县| 桑植县| 长子县| 巴东县| 那曲县| 高尔夫| 嘉祥县| 麻江县| 甘谷县| 新和县| 贺兰县| 台北市| 台江县| 谷城县| 濉溪县| 鄂伦春自治旗| 嘉峪关市| 抚宁县| 开阳县| 儋州市| 讷河市| 孟村| 天台县| 平利县| 栾川县| 沁源县| 雷州市| 湘西| 额尔古纳市| 延寿县| 太康县| 丹巴县| 疏附县| 中卫市| 余庆县|