Glad to see the issue is being covered in some bigger media outlets here. Unfortunately, the article barely brushes the surface of the mountains of hard-drives piling up not only in Ghana but also Senegal, Nigeria, India, China, and many other countries. It would be nice to see a piece that analyzes not only the accumulation of e-waste but also the factors and forces driving the build-up as well as possible solutions to the issues. Here, I'm thinking of stronger legislation, like the bill currently in the House but that is likely to expire when Congress goes out of session in August, but also innovative ideas that will consider the ramifications of ending e-waste dumping. One reason the informal sector is so difficult to dismantle in places like China and India is the economic value it brings to towns where the majority of income is generated through well-organized informal waste processing. Part of a solution should account for the drop in income to informal waste collectors; can a waste recovery facility provide jobs to informal waste workers while processing materials in a safer manner? This is one issue I hope to really delve into soon.
Furthermore, as rates of e-waste generation rise in developing countries, it is paramount that management systems are put into place in developing countries themselves. It is nevertheless difficult to advocate expensive waste management facilities when public services like clean drinking water and general sewage systems are not always in place. How countries, companies, and development practitioners handle this issue has serious implications for the environment and public health of tomorrow.
