The Dutch daily newspaper the Volkskrant reported on Wednesday March 4 about the arrest of eight men in connection with the attempted illegal export of toxic waste to Ghana. According to the article the group of men is alleged to have been operating in the east of Holland for a number of years with the cooperation of shop-keepers who sold them used household items which they exported to developing countries. Speaking to the newspaper, Wim Hogenslag, head of the police interregional environmental team which tracked down the gang, said transporting these goods to Ghana was a lucrative business.

E-waste is a major public health and environmental problem in Ghana. The Agbogbloshie scrap yard in Accra has been turned into an e-waste dumping ground by young boys who are eking out a living by dismantling obsolete electronics equipment from Europe and America. Read more on GhanaBusinessNews.com