UN Calls For Action On Growing Electronic Waste

Study suggests the increased dumping of used computers, mobile phones and other electronic equipment poses a serious threat to health and the environment

Migrant workers in Guiyu, China, scavenge used electronic equipment, which often contains highly toxic material. (Photograph: Jim Puckett/AP)

The world must do more to cope with the drastic rise in electronic waste, according to a UN study published today. The report suggests that in some countries, the amount of e-waste being produced – including mobile phones and computers – could rise by as much as 500% over the next decade. Such rapid growth, it argues, will create intractable problems for people's health and the environment as the waste, much of it containing toxic material, decays. "The issue is exploding," said Ruediger Kuehr, who oversees zero-emission initiatives at the United Nations University. "We see the hunger for mobile phones, computers and also any other kind of electronic and electrical equipment in some developing countries." The findings are being unveiled at a meeting of the UN Environment Programme (Unep) in Bali today, along with a call for greater efforts to fix the problem. "This is a global question," said Guido Sonnemann, programme officer for Unep. "This problem is not going away, it's growing." http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/22/electronic-waste