BY PROF OLADELE OSIBANJO DIRECTOR, BASEL CONVENTION COORDINATING CENTRE FOR AFRICA REGION, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA.

Transcription

1 BY PROF OLADELE OSIBANJO DIRECTOR, BASEL CONVENTION COORDINATING CENTRE FOR AFRICA REGION, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA. copy to: Presented at :International Summit on the Regulation & Management of E-Waste in Nigeria : Eko E-Waste Summit February 2011, Oriental Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria

2 Introduction / Definition of E-waste Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa and globally Environmental and Health Impact of Improper E-waste Management in Nigeria National and International efforts at ESM of E-waste Conclusions and Recommendations

3 Information Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized modern living, international business, global governance, communication, entertainment, transpo rt, education, and health care with fast communication gadgets, and today we have e- commerce, e-banking, e-government, tele-medicine, the global system of mobile communication (GSM) and other recent innovations. This is driven by unprecedented high volumes of production and usage of consumer electronics especially Personal computers; Laptop computers; Phones; and Cellular phones. Access to ICT has been identified as an indicator of a country s economic and social development and digital divide exists between developed and

4 Fig.1:Typical computer set showing components and peripherals

5 Products of IT Age

6 ICT explosion in developing countries is faciliated by the importation of secondhand or used computers and mobile phones from rich, developed countries especially Europe and the United States of America (USA). Used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE) is valuable to socio-economic development of Africa as most ICT activities including cybercafés, educational institutions and small businesses depend on imported secondhand computers and mobile phones.

7 Definitions of E-waste New or used electrical and electronic equipment(eee) when they reach end of their useful life become waste. Globally, WEEE/ E-waste are most commonly used terms for electronic waste. There is no standard definition of WEEE/ E-waste. An electrically powered appliance that no longer satisfies the current owner for its original purpose. Any device with a printed circuit board and its associated peripherals. Any appliance using an electrical supply that has reached its end-of-life. Examples : TVs, monitors, cell phones, computers and peripherals (printers, copiers, scanners, etc.), stereos, radios, VCR & DVD players, smoke alarms, Medical equipment white goods (refrigerators etc).

8 European Union WEEE Directive WEEE Directive (EU, 2002a) Electrical or electronic equipment which is waste including all components, subassemblies and consumables, which are part of the product at the time of discarding. Directive 75/442/EEC, Article 1(a) defines waste as any substance or object which the holder disposes of or is required to dispose of pursuant to the provisions of national law in force. (a) electrical and electronic equipment or EEE means equipment which is dependent on electrical currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly and equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such current and fields falling under the categories set out in Annex IA to Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE) and designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1000 volts for alternating current and 1500 volts for direct current

9 Categories of EEE covered by EU Directive Large household appliances e.g. fridges, freezers, dish washers Small household appliances e.g. vacuum cleaners, toasters, grinders IT and telecommunications equipment e.g. personal computers, laptops, printers Consumer equipment e.g. Radio/TV sets, Video/Camera recorders, Hi-fi recorders, musical instruments Lighting equipment e.g. fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, low pressure sodium lamp Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools) e.g. Drills, Saws, Sewing machines, Welding/soldering equipment Toys, leisure and sports equipment e.g. electric trains, car racing sets, video games, electric and electronic sports equipment Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products) e.g. radiotherapy/cardiology equipment, Dialyzers Monitoring and control instruments e.g. smoke detectors, thermostats, measuring, weighing, weighing or adjusting appliances for household or as laboratory equipment Automatic dispensers e.g. automatic dispensers for hot drinks/solid products/money all appliances for household or as laboratory equipment

10 Electrical Electronic Equipment Typology

11 Second hand market for computers and mobile phones in Lagos

12 The developed countries benefited from the information technology (IT) revolution of the 1980s and 1990s while most developing countries and Africa in particular are still lagging behind. In Africa during the mid-1990s, there were 3.4 million customers waiting an average of 3.5 years for telephone service; in Sub- Saharan Africa, the picture is even slower with nearly 1.2 million customers waiting an average of 5.4 years

13 Penetration (%) : Distribution of basic ICT access indicators in Africa as percentage of the world Landlines PC population Cellular Internet Internet Users Lines Hosts Africa 20,043,100 7,556,000 11,295, ,742 6,735,700 World 9,281,040, ,366, ,186, ,382, ,666,700 Percent landlines PC population Cellular lines Africa World Europe USA Sweden Figure 3: Comparison of ICT penetrations in Africa with selected countries. Source: Data adapted from Ya u 2005.

14 Internet penetration Africa and ICT Internet hosts Internet Users Africa World Europe USA Sweden Comparison of Internet penetrations in Africa with selected countries. Profile of Africa : Internet penetration is low as 5.6% of the population (13% of global population) -use the internet in Africa compared to the world average of 26.6 % However between 2000 and 2008, the number of users in Africa grew by a staggering 1,100 % compared to the rest of the world s %. Thus Africa is estimated to have one of the fastest if not the fastest internet use growth rate

15 Harnessing ICT for productivity and poverty reduction ICT to foster productivity and innovation ICT are key to achieve the MDGs Access to ICT is still very limited in most developing countries Making ICT accessible for the base of the economic pyramid requires innovative models

16 Recent reports from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) suggest that Africa is the world's fastest growing market for mobile phones twice the global average. Mobile subscribers on the continent by 2005 were estimated at 51.8 million, a staggering 1000 % increase since The projected growth of the number of subscribers is put at between 100 and 200 million by the year 2010.

17 This prediction will be surpassed as mobile phone subscribers in Nigeria alone has already reached about 50 million in 2007, a record 10,000% increase since This increase has been fueled by the importation of cheaper second hand sets from developed countries. Egypt has phenomenally increased the number of mobile subscribers by about 500% from 4.3 million in 2001 to about 24 million in 2007, and to about 40 million in 2009

18 Figure 3: Profile of mobile phone subscribers in Egypt from 1998 to 2008

19 The growth of the personal computer industry started in the early 1980s and by 1989, an estimated 21 million units were sold worldwide; in 1998 this figure reached 93 million. The United States EPA estimates that over 5 billion computers, televisions, cell phones, printers, gaming systems, and other devices have been sold since 1980, generating 2 million tons

20 Next slide below indicates the hyper growth rate of computers in USA from 1965 when there were just about 19 thousand computers to 2009 when the number of computers in use had risen to astronomical figure of about 275 million. In other words we are dealing with consumer products that are experiencing staggering rates of growth. The most telling column perhaps is the number of computers per 1000 persons in column 2 of the next slide which shows almost 1 computer to 1 American. What is the Nigerian Situation?

21 Hyper-Growth in IT Consumption

22 PCs In Use By Regions

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24 The exponential increase in the sale of personal computers can be partly attributed to three factors: (i) the decrease in the price of personal computers, (ii) the emergence of the internet in the early 1990s, and (iii) the rapid increase in the raw processing power of desktop computers. In 2001, there were over 300 million internet users worldwide and this was estimated to increase to more than 500 million users by 2003.

25 Hyper-Obsolescence in IT Consumption Today's computer industry brings new technology and 'upgrades' to market every 18 months. Reasons: Rapid Innovation. No $$ incentive for longevity. Much $$ incentive for rapid, planned obsolescence churning product. = average life span of a personal computer now 2 years.

26 The following substances are commonly found in EEE : Precious metals: Gold (Au), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), and platinum (Pt); Base metals: Copper (Cu); aluminium (Al), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), etc.; Metals of concern: Mercury (Hg), beryllium (Be), indium (In), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), etc.; Halogens: Bromine, fluorine, chlorine.

27 Hazardous e-waste Constituents Toxic Metals Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Beryllium, Selenium, Lithium, Antinomy, Arsenic Brominated Flame Retardants TBBA (tetrabromo-bisphenol-a) PBDE (polybrominateddiphenyl) etc. Other Halogenated Hydrocarbons PVC (polyvinyl chloride) CFCs (chloroflourocarbons) Rare Earth Elements Yttrium, Europium, Americium

28 Health Risks Lead PVC Brominated Fire retardants Barium Chromium Mercury Beryllium Cadmium

29 The high turnover in the production of ICT equipment has however caused rapid computer and mobile phone products obsolescence which in turn has generated rapid and uncontrollable high volume of e-waste driving a global e-waste trade. Electrical and Electrical Equipment (EEE) as well as the postconsumer waste, that is electronic waste or e-waste contain several persistent, bioaccumulative and hazardous substances (PBTs) Massive export of e-waste to developing countries including those of Africa and Nigeria in particular which are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of used EEE and/or e-waste which contain several hazardous substances for which they lack the capacity and resources to handle in an environmentally sound manner. The hazardous substances contained in e-waste may be released into the environment and pose environmental and human health risks.

30 Hazardous e-waste dumping has spread from Asia to Africa, South America and Eastern Europe under the disguise of bridging the so-called digital divide It has resulted in the creation of digital dump with a global total of about 180m units per year dumped E-waste is vast and growing with estimates of 50 million tons per year generated world wide (UNEP 2005). It is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Apart from Climate Change, e-waste is one of the major environmental challenges of the 21 st century

31 Recent studies have revealed a phenomenal development that by 2016 developing countries will generate twice as much e-waste as developed countries Foresees that by 2030 developing countries will be discarding m obsolete PCs per year compared to m in developed countries. In 2007, 160 millions of PCs and 550 million mobile phones reached the end of their life Volume of African ICT equipment grows rapidly Developing countries will triple their e-waste by 2010

32

33 Products consumed massively will create massive waste 50 Million Metric Tonnes of e-waste Generated Globally Each Year

34 END of LIFE EEE READY FOR EXPORT

35 A recent Basel Action Network (BAN) coordinated study in Nigeria Exporting Reuse and Abuse to Africa (BAN 2005) revealed the level of transboundary movement of second hand and scrap electrical and electronic equipment into developing countries. An estimated 5 million personal computers, is imported annually into Nigeria through the major sea port of Lagos alone. About 25 75% of the imported second hand computer wares are unusable junk that are non-functional or unrepairable. Second hand computer wares are also imported through donations by charities to organizations and educational institutions (a minor source of import) which imports have also been found to contain 20-80% junk.

36 THE E-WASTE DISCHARGED AT LAGOS PORTS (Fig. A) & SOLD AT THE COMPUTER VILLAGE (Fig. B) Fig. A Fig. B Fig 6: Apapa Port of Entry Fig 7: Computer Village, Surulere, Lagos

37 Lagos, Nigeria 2005

38 500 Containers/month for Re-use

39 ON SALE IN NIGERIA: MOBILE PHONES & A VARIETY OF EoL EEE

40 The major source of e-waste in Nigeria/Africa: importation of admixture of used electrical electronic equipment (UEEE), near EoL, and EoL UEEE or e-waste from developed countries especially Europe and North America without testing for functionality both in countries of export and import Most of the e-waste exported from developed countries is exported illegally in contradiction to International laws (Basel Convention) or Regional (EU e-waste shipment regulation; Bamako Convention) There is a lacuna as the near EoL UEEE are not covered by existing international or regional conventions which makes near EoL equipment/device difficult to regulate and control. The international news media is awash in the past several months of e-waste dumping in some African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Egypt

41

42 GLOBAL E-WASTE HOTSPOTS: NIGERIA AND GHANA IN AFRICA

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44 75% estimated as junk

45 Developing countries lack the infrastructure for the environmentally sound management (ESM) of e- waste as well as legislation specifically for e-waste control, while extant hazardous waste laws are weakly enforced where they exist. Crude waste management occurs in the informal sector of the economy involving thousands of poor people ignorant of the hazard of exposure to toxins in e-waste. The most vulnerable groups especially children and women are actively involved in e-waste scavenging and crude recycling activities.

46 The e-waste management in developing countries can be categorised into four : Sale of reusable and serviceable parts Repair and refurbishment of used EEE for reuse Disposal by dumping in non-engineered landfill, with subsequent open burning of irreparable e-waste components to reduce solid waste volume Materials recovery of recyclables such as copper, gold and silver from non-repairable e-waste by open burning of cables (for copper) and or boiling in acid (not common in Africa)

47

48 Dangerous practices include: Bashing open CRTs with hammers exposing the toxic phosphorous dust therein Open burning of circuit boards to melt the lead solder hence breathing toxic lead fumes Burning wires to melt the plastics to recover copper Open acid baths (nitric-acid) for separating metals Dumping pure acids and dissolved heavy metals into the soils, drains and rivers.

49 Open Burning for disposal of used computers in open dumpsite in Lagos Young man repairing PWB of computer waste in Lagos Cables collected for open burning and material recovery in Ghana 10 May July 2009 Open burning of cables for material recovery in Ghana Second session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management 49 49

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52 Accra, Ghana 2009

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55 Due to ease of externalization via globalization, developing countries are disproportionately burdened by pollution.

56 There is paucity of data on the environmental impacts of E-waste in Africa As a prelude to determining environmental impact of e-waste management options in Nigeria, 100 used EEE, near EoL and e-waste were analysed for some heavy metals present in printed wiring board (PWB) of computer CPUs and monitors; as well as Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) in monitors respectively.

57 Excessively high concentrations of heavy metals such as lead, copper, Nickel and mercury were found in about 100 used computers and 80 mobile phones imported into Nigeria at levels several folds higher than concentrations established for these metals to classify them as hazardous. (Olubanjo 2009, Majolagbe 2009) This study confirms that the so called UEEE imports analyzed were hazardous e-waste. See Table 1 next slide, for data on mean concentrations of some heavy metals specifically copper and lead in Printed Wiring Board of some computers.

58 Table 1: Summary of the Range and Mean (in Parenthesis) of Copper and Lead Concentration (mg/kg) in the Used Computer Components Analyzed in Nigeria. Component Copper (mg/kg) Lead (mg/kg) Printed wire board (PWB) of Central Processing Unit (CPU) Printed wire board (PWB) of the monitor (376195) (149819) (89882) (47044) Cathode ray tube (166) (4341) Source : Olubanjo K A 2009

59 CPU 1 CPU2 CPU 3 CPU 4 CPU 5 CPU 6 CPU 7 CPU 8 CPU 9 CPU 10 CPU 11 CPU 12 CPU 13 CPU 14 CPU 15 CPU 16 CPU 17 CPU 18 CPU 19 CPU 20 CPU 21 CPU 22 CPU 23 CPU 24 CPU 25 CPU 26 CPU 27 CPU 28 CPU 29 CPU 30 CPU 31 CPU 32 CPU 33 CPU 34 CPU 35 Concentration (mg/kg) Mean Concentration of Pb (mg/kg) in the Printed Wiring Board/ PCB of CPUs Analysed versus TTLC = 1000 mg/kg TTLC July 2009 NESREA International Conference on E-Waste Control, Abuja 59

60 There is a paucity of data on post impact e- waste environmental studies in the Africa region A recent study in Nigeria has demonstrated high concentrations of copper, nickel, zinc and lead in some of the soils far in excess of European Union limits (next slide) at e-waste dump sites in Lagos, Benin, and Aba cities in Nigeria (Nnorom 2010). Contamination of plants and nearby surface waters in e-waste disposal sites by heavy metals was also reported in these sites (Nnorom 2009).

61 Nnorom 2009

62 Disruption to endocrine systems including the oestrogen, androgen, thyroid hormone, retinoid and corticosteroid systems, inhibition of human androgen hormone reception, and ability to mimic natural oestrogen hormones leading to altered sexual development in some organisms. Damage to both male and female reproductive systems, including interfering with development of the testes, reduction in semen production and quality, abnormal morphology of sperm, low egg hatchability, and reduced fertility rates. DNA damage in lymphocytes, foetal and developmental toxicity, growth retardation, abnormal brain development, which can result in intellectual impairment, and possible long term impacts on memory, learning and behaviour. Damage to the central nervous system (CNS) and blood system, including CNS depression and neurotoxicity, immune system suppression, including inhibition of a key blood cell enzyme. Damage to brain, including swelling; liver, including liver necrosis; kidney including renal toxicity; thyroid; pancreas; lymph nodes; spleen; and bone, including bone toxicity. Hypertension (high blood pressure); cardiovascular and heart disease; respiratory tract irritation, including irritation of the nose, mouth and eyes. Vomiting, headaches, dizziness and nausea. Contact dermatitis, skin lesions, carcinogenic, including tumour promotion and lung cancer; anaemia; CBD (a currently incurable, debilitating disease that can sometimes be fatal); and mortality.

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65 PVC Cancer Disruption of the endocrine system Reproductive impairment Impaired child development and birth defects Neurotoxicity (damage to the brain or its function), and Immune system suppression

66 Dioxin

67 Brominated Fire Retardants endocrine disrupters linked to thyroid and liver damage neurotoxic effects cancer of the digestive and lymph system

68 2006 Nairobi Declaration on the ESM of e-waste at COP8 of Basel Convention Establishment of Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI) Guidelines developed Establishment of Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment in January 2009 ( Prof O Osibanjo Nigeria is Cochair)- Finalization of Guidelines recently developed by PACE on Environmentally sound testing, refurbishment &repair of used computing equipment ; and Environmentally Sound materials recovery and Recycling of End of Life Computing equipment Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) by United Nations University, UNU E-waste Adopted as one of the four emerging global environmental policy issues in May 2009 by the 2 nd International Conference on Chemicals Management under SAICM OF UNEP

69 International Response to Global E-waste Problem 2006 Nairobi Declaration on the ESM of e-waste at COP8 of Basel Convention Establishment of Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative (MPPI) Guidelines developed Establishment of Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment in January 2009 ( Prof O Osibanjo Nigeria is Cochair)- Guidelines developed by PACE on Testing, Repair and Refurbishment of Computing Equipment; and Guidelines on Sound Materials Recovery and Recycling of End of life computing equipment to be tested in developing countries Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) Initiative by United Nations University, UNU; StEP Summer School for young scientists E-waste Adopted as one of the four emerging global policy issues in May 2009 by the 2 nd International Conference on Chemicals Management under SAICM OF UNEP Secretariat of Basel Convention E-waste Africa Project funded by EU being coordinated by BCCC-Nigeria

70 Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV) organized the 1 st National Workshop on E-waste in 2007 FMENV developed Draft National Policy on E-waste in 2009 National Agency for Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) organized the first international workshop on E- waste in Nigeria in July 2009 and came out with Abuja Platform with recommendations on international, regional and national strategies for sound E-waste management NESREA developed Draft National Regulations on E- waste 2010 LASEPA and LAWMA already collecting and warehousing E-waste

71 E-waste is an emerging environmental problem in Africa and the rest of the world. Nigeria is the hub of E-waste problem in Africa. Hence the significance of this Eko International Summit in E-Waste. It is one of the major emerging global policy issues adopted at the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2) in Geneva in May Extending the life time of Personal Computers s an economic and an ecological imperative E-waste is a paradox of some sort as it has both beneficial and harmful effects. National, regional and global cooperative actions are required to find a lasting solution to the problem. Nigeria, Africa and entire third world is at risk from the sheer volume of e-waste influx in view of extant weak infrastructural,institutional, and regulatory framework for solid wastes and with none operational yet for e-waste. Recognising the nexus between environmentally sound management of wastes and chemicals and sustainable development, the uninterrupted influx of e-waste is a risk factor towards achievement of sustaianble develepment and attainment of millenium development goals in Africa.

72 It has been shown from the limited studies done that most of the UEEE exported to Nigeria are hazardous with concentrations of heavy metals several fold higher than permissible levels in developed countries. Contamination of environment with potential for adverse human health impact has also been demonstrated. Increased monitoring efforts and vigilance of NESREA at the ports in trying to halt dumping of E-waste is commemndable The lacuna with the non-application of the Basel Convention to near end of life UEEE requires urgent global action and Nigeria should take a lead in collaboration with other stakeholders to plug the loophole. Finding a speedy solution to the e-waste problem is crucial for sustainable development in Nigeria and Africa.

73 The export of UEEE to Nigeria, Africa and other developing countries should not be banned but controlled; as it provides opportunities for employment, poverty alleviation, recycling business, and bridging the digital divide. The present loopholes and abuses must be addressed urgently. Importers and Exporters of UEEE should be registered by NESREA The Basel Convention, Bamako Convention, EU E-waste control laws and other relevant international laws should be strengthened; while African countries should domesticate those laws already ratified, and introduce national and regional laws on e-waste and diligetly enforce them. The Federal government should speedily sign the NESREA E- waste regulations into law and ensure they are diligently enforced NESREA should be at the ports along with other security agents to be effective in halting E-waste dumping in Nigeria

74 Need for stricter controls on the transboundary movement of e-waste (Basel Convention) Need to sign into law urgently NESREA s formulate and enforce diligently national legislation to regulate the reuse of used electronic products Manufacturers of EEE products (Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs) should be responsible for their products from the design stage to final disposal (Extended Producer Responsibility) OEMs should take the lead by voluntarily phasing out all hazardous chemicals and materials from their products(green design) OEMs should establish effective take back and recycling schemes for end-of-life products in developing countries; this scheme already exists in developed countries The Federal and State Governments as appropriate in partnership with the private sector should formalize the informal recycling sector by establishing state-of-art recycling facilities in Nigeria with the informal sector fully integrated into the projects.

75 Intense awareness raising and education at all levels about e-waste along the supply chain and based on lifecycle approach is imperative for Africa s drive to attainment of environmental sustainability Recognize the laudable efforts of on-going international and international initiatives to solve the e-waste problem through partnerships such as Basel s PACE, StEP, UNESCO etc as well as the EU funded E-waste Africa Project Promote recycling and environmentally sound materials/resource recovery from e-waste in Nigeria, Africa and globally. Build the capacity of national governments and people including the informal sector in sound e-waste management in Nigeria, Africa and third world in general is imperative Promote North - South and South-South cooperation in solving the E- waste problem as e-waste is a global problem and is therefore everybody s business

76 20-21 July 2009 NESREA International Conference on E-Waste Control, Abuja 76

77 Thank You