Südwind commissioned an independent environmental journalist based in Ghana to write a report on e-waste in Ghana. The Austrian GoodElectronics member used the research for a policy paper to advocate in the EU for better controls on the export of e-waste.
European countries, the United States, and Australia are among the biggest exporters of electronic waste illegally to developing countries. The European Union exports an estimated 400.000 tons of undocumented electrical waste every year. Ghana is one of the main destinations of e-waste exports.
The report shows that girls as early as eight work to collect, dismantle, and burn e-waste to salvage copper at some of the e-waste dumps in Ghana. It also shows that highly toxic chemical components of e-waste are degrading soil quality in Ghana, contaminating groundwater, and polluting the air.
