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New call for e-waste controls

News analysis The world needs global standards for the reuse and recycling of electronic goods to curb growing e-waste exports to developing countries, a recent meeting in the Netherlands heard.

But others say better government regulation is needed to ensure companies take responsibility for the never-ending stream of last-season's computers and televisions.

Dr Ramzy Kahhat of Arizona State University told a meeting of e-waste experts at the Philips High Tech Campus in Eindhoven in the Netherlands that 80% of devices imported to Nigeria, Pakistan and Ghana classified for reuse are simply scrapped.

Dr Feng Wang from the United Nations University estimates 20 million people are involved in managing waste in China, including 2 million carrying out "informal" e-waste collection, re-use and recycling.

Wang says although China produces 2.3 million tonnes of its own domestic e-waste a year and has banned e-waste imports, it is still a dumping ground for the world's e-waste.

The experts say it is best to export electronic equipment before it is too old and damaged to be reconditioned.

And they say when the equipment can no longer be reused it should be recycled to yield valuable materials, such as precious metals.

But proper recycling standards are needed because developing countries too often incinerate e-waste to recover metals, which emits heavy metals and toxic chemicals including dioxins, they say.

Not 'biting the bullet'

But Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, of the International POPs Elimination Network, says focussing on reuse and recycling standards is not really "biting the bullet" on the global e-waste problem.

She says there is a limit to how much recycling can solve the e-waste problem and computers should be designed so they are less toxic and are more easily and cheaply upgraded rather than thrown out.

Sending old electronic products to developing countries for reuse or recycling exploits a loophole in the Basel Convention, which is supposed to prevent rich countries from sending their toxic waste to poor countries, says Lloyd-Smith, who is involved in international negotiations on e-waste.

"So many of the developing countries are getting end of life product under the guise of re-use, but literally finding it is waste," she says.

"If it isn't waste when it turns up on their doorstep, it becomes waste very very quickly."

Australian scheme

Australian environment ministers are set to decide on a national e-waste scheme in November this year.

Environment and industry groups support say they will a scheme that would legally require all companies importing televisions and computers into the country to recycle them at the end of the products' life.

Rett Somers from the Australian Information Industry Association, which represents computer manufacturers, says a small amount of old electronic material is sent off shore but the industry aims to keep this to a minimum.

He says a national scheme will give companies a financial incentive to make computers more easily upgradeable, less disposable and at the very least, easier to recycle.

But Lloyd-Smith says no matter what Australia does, e-waste will continue to be a global problem unless all countries require companies to deal with waste in the country where it is produced.

According to a UN Environment Program report, between 50% and 80% of obsolete electronic goods collected for recycling in the US each year is being exported.

"Green design will only come when the company that produces the product has to deal with it in its waste phase," says Lloyd-Smith.

Digital switch

John Gertsakis of Product Stewardship Australia, an organisation that represents companies that import 70% of televisions into Australia, says there will be a spike in television disposal with the switch to digital.

He says his organisation has long lobbied for mandatory recycling in Australia, but the government has "dragged its feet for several years".

Gertsakis says designing for longevity does not necessarily reduce environmental benefit if the new generation technology is less toxic and more easily recycled.

According to Jane Castle, of the Boomerang Alliance, which is lobbying for zero waste in Australia, the national scheme will create "a self-sustaining industry".

"The need to keep recycling will keep triggering more infrastructure to be built and it's great, we'll get competition in the recycling market and the cost of recycling will go down," she says.

Elephant in the room

Castle says reducing the turnover of new electronic goods in the first place is difficult when there is drive to consume more and more.

"That is a huge question - it's always the elephant in the living room," she says.

"Maybe one day we'll tap into the 'consume less' ideal, but for the moment, let's just consume smarter and cleaner."

Lloyd-Smith says international organisations under the leadership of UN Environment Program have agreed to discuss e-waste, including the role of green design at future meetings.