Impactful journalism: 17 years after first story on e-waste dumping, Ghana gets recycling plant
The role and function of journalism in the overall scheme of things, including social development, economic transformation, democratic growth and social justice cannot be overemphasised. Journalists everywhere continue to work hard to challenge the status quo, shine light in dark places, speak for the voiceless and hold power to account. However, their work, often facing push-backs, resistance, opposition and persecution, continue to impact their societies in extra-ordinary ways.
The story of the journalism that shone the light on the environmental and health threats that e-waste dumping in Ghana posed, is a remarkable example of the impacts of journalism – often also not rewarded, and sometimes the journalist or journalists who hold the torch to keep the matter in the public view without giving up, are not acknowledged when the transformation that their work or works have led to, is eventually achieved.
It’s been seventeen years since I broke the first ever story on the troubling situation of e-waste dumping in Ghana. The story was published in the Daily Graphic June 15, 2007 edition.
On October 29, 2024, the Daily Graphic published a story announcing the inauguration of a €20 million e-waste recycling centre in Accra.
According to the report, the centre is aimed at providing incentives for sound disposal, collection and recycling of e-waste to reduce damage to the environment and safeguard human health.
Located in Haatso in Accra, the centre is expected to serve as a collection point for e-waste projects and will offer some subsidies to informal e-waste collectors to send e-waste materials to the facility for proper disposal and sustainable recycling.
The initiative is being driven by the governments of Ghana, through the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the German Government, through the KfW.
“The inauguration of this facility marks a reflection of the success of the e-waste project, which has already demonstrated measurable success, including the safe collection of over 476.88 tonnes of e-waste cables, 37.03 tonnes of mixed batteries, 31.83 tonnes of thermoplastics and 87.00 sets of cathode ray televisions (CRT), which ordinarily would have been subjected to open burning to pollute the environment or left lying in the open environment,” the MESTI Minister, Ophelia Mensah Hayford, said at the event.
On her part, the Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy, Franziska Jebens, said it was evident that as the world moved into the digital age, there would be an increased demand for electronic appliances and that would also lead to higher quantities of e-waste.
“So, handling those e-waste fractions in an adequate manner is of utmost importance because we are consciously aware of the harm e-waste causes to both humans and the environment if not disposed of properly,” she stated.
E-waste is the generic name for electronic or computer wastes, such as discarded electronics devices that come into the waste stream from several sources. They include gadgets like televisions, personal computers (PCs), telephones, air conditioners, cell phones, and electronic toys. The list can further be widened to include appliances such as lifts, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, kitchen equipment or even aeroplanes.
E-waste is known to contain dangerous chemical pollutants that are released into the atmosphere and underground water.
The modes of disposal, which include dumping old gadgets into landfills or burning in smelters, also expose the environment and humans to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poison.
These chemicals contain substances like lead, mercury and arsenic.
The cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in most computer monitors and television screens have x-ray shields that contain 4 to 8 pounds of lead, mostly embedded in glass.
Flat screen monitors that are mostly used in laptops do not contain high concentrations of lead, but most are illuminated with fluorescent lights that contain some mercury.
A PC’s central processing unit (CPU), the module containing the chip and the hard disk, typically contains toxic heavy metals such as mercury (in switches), lead (in solder on circuit boards), and cadmium (in batteries).
Plastics used to house computer equipment and cover wire cables to prevent flammability often contain polybrominated flame retardants, a class of dangerous chemicals. Studies have shown that ingesting these substances may increase the risk of cancer, liver damage, and immune system dysfunction.
Lead, mercury, cadmium, and polybrominated flame retardants are all persistent, bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs), that can create environmental and health risks when computers are manufactured, incinerated, landfilled or melted during recycling. PBTs, in particular are a dangerous class of chemicals that linger in the environment and accumulate in living tissues.
And because they increase in concentration as they move up the food chain, PBTs can reach dangerous levels in living organisms, even when released in minute quantities. PBTs are harmful to human health and the environment and have been associated with cancer, nerve damage and reproductive disorders.
Looked at individually, the chemicals contained in e-waste are a cocktail of dangerous pollutants that kill both the environment and humans slowly.
Lead, which negative effects were recognized and therefore banned from gasoline in the 1970s causes damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems, kidney and the reproductive system in humans.
Effects of lead on the endocrine system have been observed, including the serious negative effects it has on children’s brain development. When it accumulates in the environment, it has high acute and chronic effects on plants, animals and micro-organisms.
Cadmium compounds are also toxic with a possible risk of irreversible effects on human health and accumulate in the human body, particularly the kidneys. Cadmium occurs in certain components such as SMD chip resistors, infra-red detectors, and semi-conductor chips.
Mercury on the other hand, can cause damage to various organs including the brain and kidneys as well as the fetus. More especially, the developing fetus is highly susceptible through maternal exposure to mercury.
These are only few of the chemicals used in the manufacture of electronics equipment. Other chemicals are Hexavalent Chromium which is used as a corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel plates and as a decorative or hardener for steel housings. Plastics including, PVC are also used. Plastics constitute about 13.8 pounds of an average computer.
The largest volume of plastics, 26 per cent used in electronics is PVC. When PVC is burned, dioxin can be formed because it contains chlorine compounds. Barium, is a soft silvery-white metal that is used in computers in the front panel of a CRT, to protect users from radiation.
Studies have shown that short-term exposure to barium has caused brain swelling, muscle weakness, damage to the liver, heart and spleen.
Considering the health hazards of e-waste, another ubiquitous computer peripheral scrap worth mentioning is toners. The main ingredient of the black toner is a pigment commonly called, carbon black – the general term used to describe the commercial powder form of carbon.
Inhalation is the primary means of exposure, and acute exposure may lead to respiratory tract irritation.
As Ghana reaches this milestone in the efforts to address the e-waste menace, it is noteworthy that journalism played a major role in shining the light on that dark patch of our existence, compelling us to take some actions, even though in small steps over a long time, this centre is a poignant reminder of the social utility of journalism.
By Emmanuel K Dogbevi
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