Where does your electrical waste end up?
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Released images of West Africa’s electronic graveyards
The risks and dangers of these landfills
Countries from all over the world, including the UK, are discarding vast amounts of appliances. Images of electronic graveyards show the illegally imported appliances piled high in landfills, where young boys and men try to find elements to sell on.
E-waste campaigners QAMP have released shocking images of west Africa’s vast electronic graveyards.
The Daily Mail website has published pictures and details released from QAMP.
The worrying images show young boys and men trawling through mountains of e-waste and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment).
This waste includes computers and mobile phones as the people try to recover items they hope to sell on or dismantle for scrap metal. Many of the items seen in the pictures, such as monitors, will be leaking toxic elements such as lead and mercury.
“This is shocking on so many levels. Not only are these toxic e-waste landfills harmful to the environment, they are dangerous for the people seen risking their lives to try and find scrap and items to sell on. Inevitably, some of this equipment will also contain data that could end up in the wrong hands.” Commented Alan Dunkinfield.
“It is imperative that organisations use a reputable, licensed company to recycle and dispose of electronic equipment. Not only for environmental and ethical reasons but also to ensure they protect any data contained on the equipment. At S2S we work hard to maintain our numerous accreditations and licenses. Our clients have peace of mind that their equipment is ethically and responsibly recycled and all data is completely destroyed.”
Alan Dukinfield, managing director and WEEE recycling expert at S2S Group
What we can do
S2S Group operates from an Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AAFT) providing cost-effective IT equipment recycling and data destruction solutions.
S2S services include full auditable asset tracking, recycling reports and certified data destruction. For more information about electrical equipment recycling services from S2S, see the Lifecycle Solutions page on our website.
