Improper e-waste disposal impacts on the world
Addressing the critical challenge of e-waste
The increasing volume of discarded e-waste is putting immense strain on the environment and on communities around the world.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), only 17.4% of electronic waste is recycled globally and communities in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of illegal dumping or improper recycling of e-waste.
Electronics contain hazardous substances which can leach into soil and water if not properly managed and when dumped in landfill or incinerated, release toxic fumes. This puts ecosystems and people at risk through contamination and pollution.
Additionally, the global economy suffers a loss of at least US$57 billion every year due to the disposal of valuable raw materials like iron, copper and gold that could otherwise be recovered through proper recycling.
Governance challenges can exacerbate the problem further with inadequate regulations and poor enforcement mechanisms that allow unsafe practices to thrive. Additionally, careless electronic waste management can result in damaging data leaks.
The environmental impact of e-waste
In 2019, Australia generated about 521,000 tonnes of e-waste with projections suggesting an increase to 674,000 tonnes by 2030.
Nearly half of Australia’s e-waste ends up in landfill which has both environmental and economic implications. Toxic materials create environmental and health risks and the loss of valuable materials to landfill was valued at $680 million in 2019.
The environmental impact is often more severe in developing countries where e-waste regulations are typically less stringent. It’s difficult to assess how much e-waste from Australia might be ending up in the landfills of developing countries and troubling to imagine how Australia’s unrecycled e-waste might be contributing to environmental damage and health problems in disadvantaged communities.
The social impact of e-waste
In many developing nations, where e-waste management infrastructure and regulation are inadequate or non-existent, people are particularly vulnerable to its impacts. Those living in e-waste exposed regions, for example, show elevated levels of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Children and pregnant women are especially susceptible to these toxins which can lead to long term health problems.
Recycling centres in these regions often operate without proper pollution monitoring and workers – including children – are exposed to hazardous materials in unsafe conditions while their villages, water sources and farms are polluted by burning refuse or chemical leaching.
While countries such as China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand have pushed back on taking e-waste from Western nations, monitoring and gauging the success of these efforts is difficult. It’s estimated that 3.3 billion kg of e-waste is shipped from one country to another every year in uncontrolled transboundary movements, perpetuating the global e-waste crisis and putting vulnerable populations at risk.
Security risks and data protection in e-waste management
Toxic substances are not the only thing that can leak from e-waste products. Improperly disposing of devices like phones and computers runs the risk of confidential data being accessed and can present a real security risk to individuals and organisations.
About one quarter of all data breaches in the USA were found to be caused by negligence, including a failure to erase data from devices that are sent to disreputable e-waste recyclers. It’s estimated that a negligent data breach will cost the company about $128 per compromised record.
It’s critical then, that e-waste is handled with security in mind – especially given Australia is the number one target of ransomware groups in the Asia Pacific regions – and that organisations do their due diligence when it comes to building a relationship with an e-waste recycler.
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Sircel is Australia’s only end-to-end e-waste recycling service. We won’t take part in practices that result in our e-waste causing harm to Australia or to other countries. Our Australian-owned and operated system means we can divert up to 100% of e-waste from landfill, against an industry average of just 20%. By partnering with corporations, councils, manufacturers and retailers, we can ensure e-waste is properly recycled and contributes to a circular economy that prevents harm and promotes sustainability.