Beijing Model United Nations 2015| XXII

Forum:

Environment Commission 1

Issue:

Improving the Management of Electronic Waste in Developed

Countries

Student Officer: Wistan Chou

Position:

President of Environment

Introduction
The rapidly growing amount of hazardous electronic waste is putting both the environment and workers in
developing countries at risk. Many of the discarded computers, mobile phones, televisions and other electronics are
locally generated, but the countries in the developed world especially the United States are responsible for
exporting much of the waste.
In the past, an estimated 23 percent of electronic waste from developed countries has been exported to
seven developing countries, according to a study published by The Journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The short life spans of modern electronic devices along with the mounting demand for these gadgets, means that ewaste will only be increasing. But the problem itself is a complex issue, and solutions for this growing problem will
have to consider all facets of the issue.
According to the United Nations Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) Initiative, a group set up to tackle
the world's growing electronic waste problem, The volume of global electronic waste is expected to grow an
astounding 33% in the next four years and will soon weigh the equivalent of eight of the great Egyptian pyramids.
Last year, nearly 50 million tons of electronic waste was generatedabout 7kg for every person on the planet. These
electronic goods are made up of hundreds of different materials that often contain toxic substances such as lead,
mercury, cadmium, arsenic and flame-retardants. For example, an old-style CRT computer screen can contain up to
3kg of lead.
Once toxic materials are put into landfills, they seep out into the environment, contaminating land, water
air, and precious eco-systems. Additionally, inexperienced locals, who informally work at these sites, suffer
frequent bouts of illness from dismantling dangerous electronic devices in primitive conditions. These workers
running these informal recycling operations often use crude, hazardous techniques to extract valuable metals from
the equipment and then burn whats left, causing irreparable damage to the environment.
Although the informal recycling is harmful to the environment, electronic waste experts argue that attempts
at reform should begin with the recognition that informal e-scrap collectors are good at what they do finding
value in waste and should be an integral part of any environmental solution.
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Definition of Key Terms

Electronic Waste
Electronic waste goes by many names, such as: E-waste, e-scrap, or end-of-life electronics. These
names essentially describe used electronics that are nearing the end of or exceeded their useful life, and are
discarded, donated or given to a recycler. Though e-waste is the commonly used term, It can be considered to
over televisions, computers, mobile phones, fridges, washing machines, toasters, kettles, or almost any household
or business item with electrical components, power, circuitry, or a battery supply.
Hazardous Electronic Waste Substances
Electronic devices often contain a number of toxic materials commonly referred to as hazardous electronic
waste (HEW). Some common toxic materials found in e-waste are substances such as, Brominated Flame
Retardants (BFRs) and Beryllium. There substances are often the cause of health complications through prolonged
exposure or when handled unsafely. The heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, or lead can enter the body
through ingestion, inhalation and skin contact, making the processing of electronic waste very risky especially in
informal recycling operations in developing countries.
Export
A lot of the current e-waste generated in wealthy, developed countries is exported to developing countries
where it poisons people and the environment. Developing countries are often the ones who get stepped on. While
there is an international treaty known as the Basel Convention to end the e-waste trade, some countries have not yet
ratified that agreement and have few policies or laws to prevent e-waste from being routinely shipped to developing
nations. Developing countries such as China, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin and Liberia are often the
victims of the e-waste trade.

Background
Many experts and organizations consider e-waste to be a part of used electronics and recognize the inherent
value in these materials. Many are confident that e-waste can be reused, refurbished, or recycled in order to reduce
the actual waste that may end up in a landfill or improperly processed and stripped in an unprotected dumpsite
often in a developing country such as China or Nigeria. But first, we have to consider the e-waste problem itself.
Growth of Electronics
We are in an age where many parts of the world are crossing over to the other side of the Digital Divide.
Take China as an example; between the years 2000 and 2005, there was a 22% growth in Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) in China. In 2006, China became the 6th largest ICT market. This is surprising
considering the fact that about 10 years ago less than 1% of Chinas population owned a computer. So, why is ewaste growing exponentially? Because the electronics markets are growing rapidly.

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Nowadays, economies of scale of large technology producers are also making electronics at record low
prices and available to the masses. The rapid product innovations and the constant churn of new technological
products, combined with the recent migration form analog to digital technology and from old Cathode Ray Tube
(CRT) screens to new plasma and LED screens, are fueling the ever-increasing amount of electronic waste.
Human Health Hazards
In addition to many hazardous substances, e-waste contains many valuable and precious materials, as up to
60 elements from the periodic table can be found in complex modern electronics.
An Example: The Personal Computer (PC)
A typical Cathode Ray Tube computer monitor contains both valuable and toxic substances. One of
these dangerous substances is cadmium (Cd), which is used in computer batteries, contacts, and
switches in many CRT monitors. Cadmium can bio-accumulate in the environment and is extremely
toxic to humans, especially affecting kidneys and bones. It is also one of the six toxic substances
that have been banned in the European Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive.
Beyond CRT monitors, plastics, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cabling are used for printed circuit
boards, connectors, plastic covers and cables and heavy metals are both concerns for human health. Below is a
table detailing some of the common toxic substances and their effects on the human body.
E-waste Toxins

Types of Exposure

Ingestion

Inhalation

Beryllium

Inhalation
Skin
contact

Cadmium

Lead

Mercury

Brominated Flame
Retardants (BFRs)

Acute Symptoms

Inhalation

Central nervous
system excitation:
seizures
Mountain Sickness
Cough
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Weight loss
Fever
Rash
Pneumonitis

Inhalation
Ingestion
Skin
contact

Nausea
Vomiting
Headache
Seizures

Inhalation
Skin
contact

Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Diarrhea

Chronic Symptoms

Learning disabilities
Neurological disorders
Endocrine system disruptions
Seizures
Lung cancer
Skin bumps
Poor wound healing

Lung cancer
Kidney damage
Encephalopathy
Anemia
Abdominal pain
Nephropathy
Foot-drop/wrist-drop
Nausea
Metallic taste
Gingivo-stomatitis
Tremor
Neurasthenia
Nephrotic syndrome
Hypersensitivity (Pink disease)

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Techniques used to process e-waste and worker demographics vary across different countries. In Ghana,
orphans, as young as 14 years old, work in slums, burning discarded electronics and releasing toxic fumes into the
air. In Nigeria, Workers of all ages throw electronics into dumps and burn them. Workers try to repair and recycle
the equipment when possible, but many pieces are irreparable. In China, children are often exposed to hazardous
substances. Puckett of the Basel Action Network (BAN) said, Children are digging in the ash from the burned
plastics. Theyre breathing in the fumes. Sometimes it happens indoors when they cook the circuit boards
children are breathing all this in.
Environmental Impacts
Improper handling of e-waste that contain heavy metals can lead to soil, ground water, rivers, and ocean
contamination. Once the heavy metals leak into the environment, they are extremely hard to dispose. Prolonged
exposure to the contamination will cause serious health conditions such as: cancers, neurological disorders, organ
damage, and death. BFRs are chemicals used to prevent ignition and to slow the combustion rate of electronics.
However, when BFRs enter the environment they do not degrade like organic materials, as they enter the food
chain. These chemicals are especially harmful since they are fat-soluble and bio-accumulate--build up in living
things--and over time can lead to health issues such as neurological disorders and endocrine system disruptions.
In many developing countries such as India, the second largest e-waste recycler after China, many informal
e-waste recycling operations are already causing harm to the environment.
An Example: Contaminated Soil
The soil in both Loni and Mandoli of India, two regions where e-waste is often exported to, contain
high levels of heavy metals and other contaminants. Soil samples from both regions contained lead.
In Loni the amount of lead is 147 times the control sample. Drinking water has also been
contaminated with observable amounts of toxic metals. In Mandoli, one sample in the region even
contained mercury at 710 times the Indian standard limit.
Treatment of Electronic Waste
E-waste is often processed or dealt with through recycling, reuse, incineration, or dumping in landfills.
Although recycling is often a great solution for reusing the raw materials in a product, hazardous chemicals
in e-waste mean that the toxins often harm workers in the recycling yards, as well as their neighboring communities
and environment. This is a large concern in developing countries where recycling operations have no controls or
safety precautions and are often done by hand in scrapyards by children.
Reusing a product is a good way to increase its life. Old electronics are exported to developing countries
where they can continue to be used. Although this method will keep the electronics out of the dumps, the practice is
causing serious problems because old products are thrown away after a short period of use in areas that are unlikely
to have hazardous waste processing facilities.

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As mentioned before, incineration is a popular e-waste treatment practice in developing nations. But
incineration is harmful as it releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the environment. These
substances can bio-accumulate in the food chain, particularly in fish. When PVC plastic is incinerated it releases
highly toxic dioxins and furans.
Dumping e-waste in landfills is also a popular technique. But toxic chemicals in electronics can seep into
the ground over time and are released into the atmosphere. This heavily impacts nearby communities and the
environment. This practice still continues in many places. In Hong Kong for example, it is estimated that 10-20
percent of discarded computers go to landfill.
Exportation and The E-Waste Trade
Copious amounts of e-waste are regularly exported by developed countries to developing ones in direct
violation of the international law. Inspections found that 47 percent of waste destined for export, including e-waste,
from a number of European seaports was illegal. In 2003, the UK illegally shipped at least 23 thousand tons of
undeclared electronic waste in to India, Africa and China. In the US, it is legal to export electronic waste since it
has not ratified the Basel Convention, so an estimated 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling in America
is actually being exported to developing nations.

Major Parties Involved

Solving the E-waste Problem Initiative (StEP)
The StEP initiative is part of the UN University. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative and a global platform
hat seeks to tackle the growing e-waste problem through a multitude of different approaches. The initiative
publishes scientific papers that help address the e-waste issues and provide objective scientific information that is
relevant. The American Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is part of this initiative.
Interpol
Interpol is an international police force that is the collaboration between 188 countries. It established a
Global E-waste Crime Group to attempt to control the illegal movement of e-waste across borders. In 2010,
Interpol held a meeting that dealt with the state of e-waste.
International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE)
The INECE is a global environmental enforcement and compliance network. They focus on the
environmental effects of electronic waste.
North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
The CEC is a collaboration between United States, Mexico, and Canada on the management of electronic
waste in North America. A primary project of the CEC investigates the trans-boundary movement of electronic
waste exported from North America. Another project involves enhancing enterprises to refurbish e-waste.
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Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue

International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN)
The IEMN network enables environmental officials from the governments of the Americas, Asia, Africa,
and the Caribbean to exchange practices and knowledge for electronic waste management. This network also
allows participants expertise to promote dialogue and action.
Basel Action Network (BAN)

In their own words, BAN is the worlds only organization focused on confronting the global
environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade (toxic wastes, products and technologies) and its
devastating impacts. Working at the nexus of human rights and environment, we confront the issues of
environmental justice at a macro level, preventing disproportionate and unsustainable dumping of the worlds toxic
waste and pollution on our global villages poorest residents. At the same time we actively promote the sustainable
and just solutions to our consumption and waste crises banning waste trade, while promoting green, toxic free
and democratic design of consumer products.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) and Restriction of
Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS Directive)
The WEEE Directive is a European Community directive (2002/96/EC) on e-waste, which along with the
RoHS Directive (2002/95/EC), became European Law in February 2003. The WEEE directive focuses on the
management of e-waste domestically by setting collection, recycling, and recovery targets for all electrical goods
while the RoHS Directive sets restrictions on European manufacturers on the material content of electronic
equipment.
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal
The UN Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal was established in 1989, it represents global leadership in addressing the problem of e-waste. The first
world forum on e-waste convened in 2006, at the 8th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel
Convention, leading to the Nairobi Declaration on creating innovative solutions for the environmentally sound
management of electronic wastes. The signatories declared the urgent need to promote public awareness of the
risks, technology development, and information exchange on best management practices, and stronger enforcement
of provisions under the Basel Convention, the main global instrument for stopping illegal trafficking in electronic
waste and for guiding the safe management of such wastes.

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Possible Solutions
Some of the solutions being considered by organizations such as StEP are outlined below in several
categories. When coming up with solutions in resolutions keep in mind that policy is important when considering ewaste, but the design of actual systems and processes needed to address hazardous waste is also essential. The
website of StEP provides a long list of possible long-term solutions. Below are some solutions that should be
considered:

Policy Based Solutions

o

Analyze national legislation and the international policy framework for effective controlling,
enforcement of trade and enhancing the recycling of e-waste and used electronic products.

Set up dialogues with key players in the field of e-waste, to allow information to be exchanged
between developed and developing countries.

Examine alternatives to existing practices that are more suitable for the situation in the
industrializing world

Systems Design Solutions

o

Identify and describe best available and emerging technologies for e-waste treatment in
industrializing and industrialized countries and support the design for better re-use, repair,
refurbishment and recycling by investing in human capital or funding university research that may
lead to effective waste disposal systems. Universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology have prior experience in this field.

Analyze and develop possible design changes from perspectives of

Removing toxins and substances that become toxic to environments in backyard recycling

Enhancing re-use, such as labeling systems on parts

Enhancing the recyclability of materials in end-of-life-electronics

Study end-of-life-implications with regard to product design issues by working closely with private
firms and technology organizations

Reuse and Recycling Solutions

o

Develop a globally consistent definition of "re-use" practices, principles and standards for
electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) products from business-to-business (B2B) and businessto-consumer (B2C) users that are economically, socially and environmentally appropriate

Identify common barriers to product life extension and recommend practices to overcome these
issues through scientific development or innovative product design

Trans-boundary shipments: Further develop cross-border guidelines for determining when re-use is
economically, environmentally, and socially favorable to recycling e-waste

Develop new standards for environmental and business guidelines for equipment
recovery (refurbishment and re-use of electrical and electronic equipment and components)

Perform recycling system evaluations leading to recommendations for long-term development of

eco-efficient resource cycles through multilateral collaboration
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XX Annual Session | The Hague International Model United Nations 2013

Analyze complexities of trans-boundary shipments and logistics of e-waste and its underlying
driving forces, dynamics, regulations and the constraints for sustainable resource especially the
shipment of illegal e-waste

Activate and improve networks for monitoring and supervising relevant waste streams

Capacity Building Solutions

o

Build infrastructures for a sustainable, efficient, effective and target group-oriented capacity
building covering relevant aspects of the entire life cycle of EEE

Identify and develop sustainable approaches for capacity building (content and methodology)
adapted to different target countries and target groups and test these in pilot-projects

Deduce criteria and standards for sustainable capacity building

Elaborate concerted recommendations and guidelines

Initiate and attend public events to generate awareness

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