Tales of Ice-Bound Wonders

Paul Nicklen:
Tales of Ice-Bound Wonders

Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground

Agbogloshie is a city near Accra, the capital of Ghana in West Africa. This city, which was once a beautiful wetland that attracted small wildlife, abundant birdlife and a various species of fish. Over the last 15 years, this sanctuary that used to attract bird watchers and naturalists, has become one of the world's largest dumping grounds of electronic waste. E-waste from industrialized countries is being smuggled into Ghana supposedly as a charitable donation labeled "secondhand re-usable goods" when, in reality, the items are not usable and beyond repair. The video, Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground, was created by Peter Klein, a journalist, teacher and filmmaker, and graduate journalism students at the University of British Columbia in 2009. You canwatch the video on the PBS website Frontline World: Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground

The website also has a link to a slideshow of photos: Slideshow of "Sodom and Gomorrah"

Has the situation improved since 2009? This article from December 2013 reports that Agbogbloshie has become the world's second largest e-waste dump.   The post,  The Fate of Electronic Waste is from The Wall Street Journal blog Photo Journal, dated July 7, 2015.Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground  US News & World Report has an article from August 2, 2014 entitled E-Waste in Developing Countries Endangers Environment, Locals 

To learn more about the challenges of recycling electronics, read the article Not Designed for Recycling  and Green Chemistry vs Toxic Technology by the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. Also check out Buy Greener Electronics (note the word "greener" because "green electronics" don't really exist....yet.