Electronic Waste Hell Ghana Africa

Ever wondered where your old TVs and computers go after you send them off for recycling or to charity?
finding a mountain of old electronic equipment dumped in what were once picturesque wetlands in Ghana in West Africa.
The e-waste is poisoning everything around it, including the scavenging children burning the wires to try and get at the valuable metal inside. Meanwhile, acrid smoke drifts across the Agbogbloshie area of the capital Accra, and even the city's main food market.
Stamped across the equipment, the names of companies and government bodies in countries like Australia, Britain and the United States, with many hard drives still intact and containing potentially confidential information.
Exporting hazardous waste to developing countries is strictly regulated, so how is some of it ending up in Ghana illegally? Do the companies disposing of it even know what's happening? And what do the Australian authorities plan to do about it?
This is Agbogbloshie, Africa's biggest electronics wasteland, where thousands of old computers and TVs are dumped every day. Amos is just 15 years old - each day, he and his friends come here to scrape together a living.
For years now, we have been exporting most of our dirty industries overseas and now, it seems, we are doing the same with the most dangerous junk that's left over from our consumer goods. We've been led to believe by many manufacturers that our used TVs and computers are being safely recycled in Australia. But, on a recent trip to Africa.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• e-waste
• Electronic
• Waste
• Hell
• Ghana
• Africa
• Accra
• Agbogbloshie

[momozay243]

The international community doesnt care, they don`t care if a couple Africans die!

[nimakokwame]

SET UP LAWS, FINES.. PRISON TERMS FOR PEOPLE WHO DOES THIS BURNING OF COPPER AND GET COPS TO ARREST AND PROSECUTE .. I BUY USED ELECTRONICS IN THE USA BUT I DON'T FUCKING TURN THEM TO COPPER OR BURN BECAUSE I WILL GET ARRESTED HERE.. BUT I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT IN GHANA BECAUSE OF STUPID AND IRRESPONSIBLE LEADERS LIKE LAMBERT.. I CAN'T WAIT TILL ALL THIS OLD FUCKS DIE.. REGULATE AND PUT LOT OF TAXES ON USED STUFF TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO IMPORT.

[nimakokwame]

Lambert you are a cocky little bastard, Is not up to the USA or the Australian government to regulate used electronics.. That's why they are recycled, Those electronics are brought to Ghana so the poor people who doesn't have access to most of this technology to get some for affordable prices.. The US or Australian Government didn't expect Ghanaian's to be this foolish and turn the broken TV'S to copper without any regulations..

[antipax00]

Heavy price to pay.