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International Toxic
Waste Trade: Mobile
Phones
Growth, Flow and Solutions of International Toxic Waste
Trade
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Solid Hazardous Waste Prevention and Air Control Engineering (MANE6960) Spring 2014
Sean Paquette
Introduction
• 3.56 billion mobile phone subscribers (2014)
• Expected to grow to 4.0 billion (2018)
• Mobile phone industry contributes 1.4% to the global gross
domestic product (GDP)
• International toxic waste is the trans-boundary movement of
liquids, gases and solids that are dangerous to human health
and the environment
• 1.3 billion tons of hazardous waste produced every year
• 45 million tons are electronic waste
Basel Convention
• “To protect human health and the environment against the adverse
effects of hazardous wastes, its scope of application covers a wide range
of wastes defined as ‘hazardous wastes’ based on their origin and/or
composition (article 1 and annex II).”
• The provisions of the Basel Convention center around the following
principle aims:
• The reduction of hazardous waste generation and the promotion of
environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, wherever the
place of disposal.
• The restriction of trans-boundary movements of hazardous waste except
where it is perceived to be in accordance with the principles of
environmentally sound management.
• A regulatory system applying to cases where trans-boundary movements are
permissible.
Hazardous Waste Generation
(2009)
Composition of E-waste
(2009)
Exports of E-Waste (2011)
Assumed Routes of E-Waste
Dumping (2011)
E-Waste
• Developing countries purchase shipping containers by weight, not by
the value of electronics
• On average it costs $5,000 to ship a 40ft container full of used electronics
from the United States to Africa
• Computer ($130); 27” flat screen TV ($50)
• One solution to help reduce international toxic waste trade is requiring
more companies to establish “buy-back” and recycling programs, similar
to Best Buy and Staples
• Another potential solution to help reduce toxic waste trade and crude
recycling is to modify the Basel Convention, clarifying the definitions
regarding waste
• “The lack of distinction between ‘waste’ and ‘products’ in the convention and
its vague criteria for ‘hazardous’ allowed the continued export of hazardous
waste under the label of commodities or raw materials, despite the fact that
these wastes still present environmental and health risks to developing
countries”