Public Agenda (Accra)
29 June 2009
Accra — The importation of obsolete electrical and electronic equipment (E-waste) from the industrialised countries has worsened E-waste control and management in Ghana and most African countries.
The growing E-waste volumes and the absence of a well organised collection and management systems have also impacted negatively on the environment, local communities and the economic systems of Africa.
Mr. Daniel Amlalo, Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, made this known at a workshop on E-waste in Accra, which attracted participant from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Cote d' Ivoire, South Africa and Kenya.
"Organisations responsible for the E-waste collection and recycling in industrialized countries cannot meet their recycling targets of E-waste... because of the export of second hand equipment and E-waste," he said.
Though certain portions of these equipment are refurbished, he said many devices and components proved unsuitable for reuse.
Mr. Amlalo noted that the situation compounds the local E-waste generation problem leading to the accumulation of large volumes of hazardous waste.
"E-waste is routinely disposed of on uncontrolled dump sites where waste volumes are periodically reduced by setting them on fire. This has resulted in a whole range of toxic substances released, which heavily contaminate the soil and water resources."
He said the electric and electronic equipment also contained a range of metals such as copper, palladium, gold, indium and germanium.
Mr. Amlalo said E-waste management does not only pollute natural resources and endanger people's health, but also affected the substantial business opportunities in material recovery and recycling.
Mr. Amlalo said although the high-tech know-how for environmentally sound recovery of metals was not yet in sight in Africa, international business corporations could link strategic advantages of recycling industries in Africa and industrialised economies.
He said though advanced countries could refine scarce metals from E-waste they were yet to reach the level where smelters could sort E-wastes.
"African recyclers could add value to their domestic E-waste by manually disassembling and sorting E-waste," he noted.
"Since well sorted E-waste yields the highest recycling rates in high-tech refining processes, African E-waste products could become an attractive source of valuable metals," he said.
He said the EPA was currently working with the mobile phone operators on an initiative to manage end-of-life mobile phones and their batteries. GNA
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 Public Agenda. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Somali HipHop Artist K'Naan on Somali Pirates
THESE GUYS ARE LIKE THE U.S. PATRIOTS OF 1776.
THEY ARE PROTECTING THEIR COUNTRY FROM RADIOACTIVE WASTE
BEING DUMPED IN SOMALI WATERS.
The News Behind The News !!! America Doesn’t have a Monopoly Founding Fathers !
Embed
[ ]
URL
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twt-nssj7Rk ]
[This inspiring poem was featuring in the movie “Coach Carter ”]
Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate, Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure. It Is Our Light , Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us.
We Ask Ourselves, Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, And Fabulous ?
Actually Who Are We Not To Be ? You Are A Child Of God.
Your Playing Small Doesn’t Serve The World.
There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking So That Other People Won’t Feel Insecure Around You.
We Are All Meant To Shine, As Children Do.
We Were Born To Make Manifest The Glory Of God That Is Within Us.
It’s Not Just In Some Of Us; It’s In Everyone.
And When We Let Our Own Light Shine We Unconsciously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same.
And As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others
- Marianne Williamson -
[NOTE – BEING AFRAID AND REFUSING TO GET INVOLVED WON’T STOP US FROM DYING. BUT BEING AFRAID CAN PREVENT US FROM LIVING]
(Nkosi Sikeleli Africa )
God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions .
God bless us, Your children God we ask You to protect our nation Intervene and end all conflicts Protect us, protect our nation, our nation.
From the blue of our heaven, From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges, Where the cliffs give answer.
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.
[Enoch Mankayi Sontonga]
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
TRUTHSEEKERS MOUNT UP !!! [http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx] / [gcnlive.com] / [http://alexjonesringtones.net/]
Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6