E-Waste Disposal a Huge Problem in Britain
The British Environment agency is cracking down on those who are sending electronic waste to developing countries. A man has been the first to be arrested for this terrible crime by the Environment Agency. Waste entering African from the UK has been a major problem over the last couple of years. The agency has really started to crack down by already stopping 33 cargos of e-waste from leaving the country. Several media agencies have really taken a huge effort to investigate the problem. Apparently, 23,000 tons of electronic waste are being dumped into Africa from Britain every year.
EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
The European Union has been pushing for people to recycle their old electronic equipment instead of simply dumping. Though the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, the EU is attempting to eliminate the improper disposal of old electronic devices. Even though they are making a huge effort to collect old products free of charge, only 1/3 of all electronic equipment is being recycled throughout the EU. Similar to Solar Panels, most electronic equipment is extremely hazardous to both people and the environment once disposed of and should be recycled to reduce this risk. By continuing to dump in small third-world countries, we are putting the people and their precious environments in extreme danger.
Britain is of course apart of the EU and is in full support of their efforts to eliminate e-waste. This arrest, along with cargo’s being stopped prior to leaving the country, could really make people think twice. Let’s hope that the dumping at least slows down and eventually is no longer happening. It’s bad enough to just throw these types of products in the the trash, let along sending them to a country where they are not welcome.
Technology is advancing so quickly and so many people fail to properly recycle their electronic equipment. There are so many recycling facilities out there that will take just about any electrical device at no cost. You can also try to sell it on Gazelle if you have newer equipment that is just sitting around your house not being used.
