Maes Thomas, Preston-Whyte Fiona
GRID-Arendal, Teaterplassen 3, 4836 Arendal, Norway.
SN Appl Sci. 2022;4(3):72. doi: 10.1007/s42452-022-04962-9. Epub 2022 Feb 5.
E-waste is the world's fastest growing and most valuable domestic waste stream. The increasing production of e-waste is driving elevated levels of export from developed to developing countries. Although countries worldwide are actively recognising the issues around e-waste and introducing policies, legislation or regulations governing e-waste, a large fraction of e-waste, goes undocumented at its end-of-life. Much of the global e-waste is accumulating in open dumpsites in several African countries. Using available data, we calculate the total e-waste in Africa (locally produced plus imported e-waste) for 2019 to be between 5.8 and 3.4 metric tonnes (Mt). This is believed to be an underestimate, large data gaps exist, hindering more precise estimates. The data is further complicated by, sometimes intentional, differences in labelling and reporting between formal and intermittent informal importers. Based on the available data, the main African recipients of e-waste are Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania, with Kenya, Senegal and Egypt featuring as countries of concern. The lack of proper waste management in the recipient developing countries, leads to environmental contamination and human exposure. A coordinated, regional and global, approach is needed in tackling e-waste. Regulatory frameworks, together with monitoring and compliance mechanisms need to be developed, financed, and enforced.
电子垃圾是全球增长最快、最具价值的国内废物流。电子垃圾产量的不断增加促使其从发达国家向发展中国家的出口量上升。尽管世界各国都在积极认识到电子垃圾相关问题，并出台了管理电子垃圾的政策、法律或法规，但很大一部分电子垃圾在其生命周期结束时仍未被记录在案。全球大部分电子垃圾都堆积在几个非洲国家的露天垃圾场。利用现有数据，我们计算出2019年非洲的电子垃圾总量（本地产生的加上进口的电子垃圾）在5.8公吨至3.4公吨之间。据信这是一个低估数字，因为存在很大的数据缺口，阻碍了更精确的估计。正式进口商和间歇性非正式进口商在标签和报告方面有时故意存在差异，这使得数据更加复杂。根据现有数据，非洲电子垃圾的主要接收国是尼日利亚、加纳和坦桑尼亚，肯尼亚、塞内加尔和埃及也被视为值得关注的国家。接收电子垃圾的发展中国家缺乏适当的废物管理，导致环境污染和人体暴露。应对电子垃圾需要采取协调一致的区域和全球方法。需要制定、资助并执行监管框架以及监测和合规机制。
