Lately,
through my studies and as a result of simply looking out the window - it has
started to dawn on me that those who pollute the least seem to have to live
amongst the worst environmental conditions. It is just so bloody unfair.
Last
night's Dateline on SBS exposed the growing trade in Ghana of the illegal
disposal of international electronic waste. I must admit, this is something I
have never thought about much. Living in a country like Australia, I simply
assume that when I decide to upgrade my laptop, my old one gets recycled
correctly by ... well ... someone else, who knows how to do it. But of course -
I really have no idea where it goes.
The truth
of the matter is that a percentage of disused computer monitors, hard drives,
televisions and other electronic items from Australia somehow wind up in
shipping containers bound for Ghana, where they are either repaired and resold
(at least someone is bothering to do our recycling for us, properly), or burned
if they cannot be reused. The toxic fumes and smoke from the waste yards is
thick, dangerous, and unregulated. Kids rummage through the waste to resell
whatever scrap metal they can.
This is
true globalisation.
Someone
in the burbs gets a new flat screen TV, puts the old one out on the front lawn
(someone else will deal with it for me), and unbeknownst to them - it is bound
for Africa.
Forgive
me for thinking that this is absolutely insane.
Something
I found particularly distasteful was the honest admission from an Australian recycler
that Australian charities are vulnerable to the illegal network of waste
disposal. They receive a huge amount of unusable, broken electrics (thanks,
citizens for confusing your local charity with the tip), and not being able to
process/accept these things - take the first offer they receive from someone
willing to take the stuff off their hands.
Sometimes
- the offer is from an illegal e-waste exporting network. We can hardly blame
the charities.
Honestly,
I don't know what the answer is. We are so entrenched in our culture that is
very hard to shake up the individualistic paradigm. But shake it up, we must.
Our households are not private secure spaces that belong only to us, they are
filled with goods made somewhere else, and everything has a story. Our actions
and choices have causal effects, rubbish may be out of sight (ours), but that
doesn't mean it has actually been disposed of.
I was
glad to hear that the Department of Environment has responded to this report by
launching an investigation into how these goods are leaving Australia
illegally. Australian Customs said they did not have the resources to undertake
the necessary checks on all goods leaving Australia. Fair enough, but we seem
to have no problem finding the resources to thoroughly scope out all goods
coming into Australia (people, included). 'Not my problem' - at the highest
level.
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