What caused the e-waste graveyard in Guiyu China?

People worked breaking apart and melting e-waste in pots and pans; toxic smoke billowed out from improvised aluminum chimneys and covered the city in a blanket of noxious fumes, and sacks overfilled with e-waste littered the streets. Mechanical disassembly of cables outside a workshop in Longgang.

What is the e-waste in Guiyu China?

Guiyu, China, the last stop for discarded TVs, cell phones, batteries, computer monitors, and other types of electronic waste. Guiyu, China, is the last stop for tens of millions of tons of discarded TVs, cell phones, batteries, computer monitors, and other types of electronic waste each year.

Is Guiyu a country?

Guiyu (Chinese: 贵屿; pinyin: Guìyǔ) is a town created from an agglomerate of four adjoined villages totalling 150,000 people in the Chaoyang district of Guangdong province in China….Guiyu, Guangdong.

Why is Guiyu important?

This populous town was constantly inflicted by poverty and famine in history. As a survival strategy, local people took advantage of the dense waterways and finally established Guiyu as the water transport hub of the region, which contributed significantly to poverty relief.

How does China dispose their e-waste?

Peddlers travel from door-to-door and buy unwanted electronics, later reselling them to informal e-waste recyclers. The informal recycling process is often done in the open and uses extremely rudimentary methods such as stripping metals by hand, burning toxic materials, disposing parts in bodies of water, and more.

Where does the e-waste in Ghana come from?

Upwards of 85 per cent of electronics and electrical parts imported into Ghana are from the EU, and a large chunk is dumped as e-waste after entering the country. Only 35 per cent of second-hand and waste electronics in Europe end up in official recycling and collection systems.

What happened electronic graveyard China?

The constant movement into and processing of e-wastes in the area leading to the harmful and toxic environment and living conditions, coupled with inadequate facilities, have led to the Guiyu town being nicknamed the “electronic graveyard of the world”.

What is the problem with incineration?

Waste incineration creates air pollution and requires strong environmental controls. When waste is burned in incineration facilities it produces hazardous air pollutants including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, acid gases, nitrogen oxides and cancer-causing dioxins.

How does the e-waste industry impact Guiyu?

Air, soil, sediment and water have all been found to contain harmful pollutants. The nature of e-waste processing in Guiyu, notably the extensive use of grinding, melting, roasting and burning, provides many routes by which toxic substances can be emitted into the atmosphere.

Who is the largest generator of e-waste?

China
China is the largest producer of electronic waste worldwide, generating more than 10 million metric tons worth in 2019.

Where is Guiyu located?

Guiyu is one of the towns in the Chaoyang District in China. The town is located on the South China Sea coast and is known for embracing the E-waste. It is one of the largest e-waste sites in the world as of 2013.

How much do you know about Guiyu?

Guiyu relies on electronics as its economic staple despite the dangers posed to the health and environment by the electronics. On average, workers earn barely $1.50 per day with average workday of 16 hours. The amount is made by extracting the valuable metals and parts from the huge pile of the discarded electronics.

What are the conditions of Guiyu town?

The Conditions of Guiyu town has slightly improved since 2007 despite the numerous efforts by the Chinese government to implement the e-waste import ban. Activist groups are increasing awareness on the dangers of e-waste and their negative impacts on the environment.

Why is Guiyu the world’s largest e-waste site?

The community in the town relies on electronics as a source of livelihood despite the adverse effect of the electronic waste on the health and environment. Guiyu is one of the world’s largest E-waste sites.