Scotland intercepts e-waste bound for Ghana, Nigeria, Benin

Ghana and her neighbours are obviously targets for criminal gangs looking to dump toxic wastes including e-waste into these countries.

In the last five months the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has seized four containers of discarded consumer goods due to be shipped to Ghana, Nigeria and Benin, according to news reports from Scotland.

The items include broken computers, TV sets, microwaves, and tyres, Environment Editor of the Herald newspaper, Rob Edwards told the BBC Monday morning.

He also said the items were destined to Zanzibar and other developing countries.

According to SEPA the consignments were part of a growing illegal trade in potentially hazardous waste that should be recycled in the UK. But old tyres and TV sets, that are likely to cause health problems and pollution in the countries to which they are exported, can be sold for a profit to African traders.

Edwards told the BBC that about half of the thousands of tons of toxic waste from Europe are shipped to developing countries.

Ghana currently has no e-waste policy, even though some work has been going on for sometime to do so. Dr. John Pwamang, the Ghana EPA official in charge of toxic waste recently told the radio station, Citi FM that they are getting some foreign help to deal with the problem.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi