Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology has drafted a Hazardous and Electronic Waste Management Bill to manage and control hazardous electronic waste in the country.
When passed into law, it will hold industries, organisations, agencies, stakeholders, individuals and the general public responsible for the disposal of hazardous waste and recycling of materials in the environment.
Speaking at a consultation forum in Accra on Friday, January 27, 2012 to solicit stakeholders’ input in the bill, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Ayittey, said the bill was necessary to ensure a sound waste management and recycling system to save the forests and future generations.
The forum brought together representatives from institutions and agencies including the Ghana Police Service; private waste management companies and civil society organisations.
Discarded electrical and electronic equipment such as computers, mobile phones, refrigerators and television sets are considered to be among the fastest growing waste streams in the world with estimated five to 10 per cent increase in global e-waste annually.
Containers filled with old and broken-down computers, monitors and television sets arrive in Ghana from Germany, Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands under the false label of "second-hand goods". Exporting e-waste from Europe is illegal but exporting old electronic goods for 'reuse' is a means by which unscrupulous traders profit from dumping old electronic goods on Ghana. The contents of majority of the containers end up in Ghana's scrap metal yards to be crushed and burned by unprotected workers.
At the dumping site, these unprotected workers, many of them children in search of metals that could be sold, often dismantle computers and television sets with stones. The remaining plastic cables and casing is either burnt or simply dumped.
Statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Ghana e-waste assessment on importation of electronic equipment in 2009 revealed that used equipment represent 70 per cent of all electrical and electronic gadgets brought into the country.
The electronic waste usually contains numerous toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, toxic pollutants and precious materials such as silver, copper, gold, palladium and others.
When cadmium, which is used in soldering, semiconductors, chip resistors and nickel batteries, is inhaled for a long period of time, it accumulates in the kidneys and causes renal failure, damages bones, affects the respiratory system and is linked to the development of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Brominate flame retardants (BFRs) found in the plastic casing of computer monitors and electronic equipment, printed circuit boards, cables and wires also cause increased risks of cancer, liver damage, immune system and endocrine system dysfunction.
It can also harm a developing foetus and reduce the level of hormone thyroxin in exposed animals.
In addition, the present hazardous waste management in Ghana does not only pollute natural resources and endanger people’s health but also affects substantial business opportunity in material recovery and recycling.
Notwithstanding the danger, most valuable metals such as silver, gold, copper, palladium and others found in these equipment could bring revenue for national development.
Ms Ayittey observed that a well-managed e-waste recycling programme could create value for the recycling sector and contribute immensely to the country’s economy.
In a presentation at the forum, Mr John A. Pwamang, the Director of Chemicals Control and Management of the EPA, said among the chemicals which remained a health threat was Barium, which when exposed to humans, caused brain swelling, muscle weakness, and damage to the heart, liver and spleen.
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