In the UK we have policies in place that guide us with what to do with our old electrical equipment. We are encouraged to recycle our mobile phones and told that these will be reused in third world countries or broken down and the parts recycled.
Reports from organisations like Greenpeace have found that electronics waste (e-waste) from the UK, the USA and other European countries is still being dumped in countries like Ghana.
E-waste is known to contain poisonous chemicals like lead, mercury and arsenic that are released into the atmosphere and underground water.
In Ghana e-waste that is brought in from outside the country is not the only problem. Alot of e-waste is generated locally because most Ghanaians don’t know what to do with their old mobile phones and other electrical equipment and there is no national policy in place or collection points. Old devices are often dumped at repair shops or onto waste dumps.
This news comes at the same time as BBC reports say that 163 people in Nigeria have died from lead poisoning after local people started digging for gold in areas high in concentrations of lead. The fear is that many more could also die.
This is worrying for Ghanians as they are clearly exposed to a great deal of chemical dangers from e-waste and could face the same problems as the Nigerians are experiencing.