eWaste, anyone?

Technological innovations and planned obsolescence in the electronic industry in general and the computing industry in particular have an unwanted outcome: accumulation of old, discarded and outdated equipment, otherwise known as e-Waste. Developing countries are often used as dumping grounds for this e-waste and Pakistan is no different. According to the IUCN, import of second hand computers adds to the 50,000 tonnes of solid waste generated in the country every day. These concerns echoed again at a recent discussion organised in Islamabad on 'Cost effective or technology defective’ where speakers from both public and private sectors emphasised the need to dig deeper in to the dumping carried on in the garb of bridging the digital divide.

Some 500,000 old computers are imported into the country, mainly from the US, EU and Singapore. Although Pakistan is a signatory to the Basel Convention on eWaste--initiated in response to numerous international scandals regarding hazardous waste trafficking that began to occur in the late 1980s--the import of these old computers as well as phones, TVs etc. continues, adding to the environmental hazards faced by the country.

Greenpeace did an interesting photo-essay on eWaste in Pakistan, where they tracked what happens to eWaste in Lyari in Karachi. You can view the photo-essay here. There are several other sites such as Lyari across Pakistan, particularly in Lahore, where such hazardous activities are going unabated and unchecked. The Federal and Provincial Environmental Agencies appear to be woefully incapable of addressing this issue. On the flipside, the livelihoods of thousands of people are linked to this work and one is not sure of the impact any regulatory move would have on these jobs.

My own view on this is that while eWaste is definitely an issue and the Pakistani government as well as the companies in the developed countries themselves need to assume greater responsibility, an argument could be made to avoid a complete crackdown on this flourishing informal sector activity. The Pakistani government could develop and enforce minimum safety standards, and help sustain jobs in this recycling industry, while the governments in the developed world should ensure that companies in their respective countries follow the Basel Convention!

And lastly, here's an updated status on which companies are acting responsibly as regards eWaste.