Developing countries may face e-waste crisis: UN

If proper electronic-waste recycling is not established in developing countries, they will face serious environmental and public health consequences, says a report by United Nations. According to UN, the urgency in addressing e-waste disposal is driven by the sharp rise in sales of electronic products expected over the next decade in emerging countries like China and India, across continents such as Africa, and over large regions including Latin America.

Such imports are expected to add millions of tons of e-waste in regions where recycling efforts are inadequate to handle even current e-waste levels, reports InformationWeek. While inadequate recycling efforts are not being properly addressed, the quantity of e-waste that exists today is growing.

For example, e-waste from old computers is expected to jump from 2007 levels by 200 percent to 400 percent in South Africa and China and by 500 percent in India. E-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about seven times higher than 2007 levels in China and 18 times higher in India, the report released Monday from the UN Environment Programme said. E-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to two times higher in China and India. This year, China is expected to produce about 2.3 million tons of e-waste domestically, second only to the U.S. with about three million tons.

Among the recommendations in the report is for countries to establish e-waste management centers of excellence that build on existing organizations working in the area of recycling and waste management.