Awareness Workshop

E-Waste: Where do your gadgets go to die?

Facilitators: Wan Kok Hong & Shigehiro Ueno

Please note that the views expressed by volunteer facilitators in workshops represent their own opinions and not necessarily those of Oxfam Japan.

Photo credit: flickr user crazybobbles

• International Volunteer Group

• Support Oxfam Japan

• English-speaking volunteers

• Organise events in and around Tokyo

• Awareness Workshops

• Pub Quizzes

Regular Events

• Sea-to-Summit• Tokyo Yamathon

• Halloween Party• Gig nights• ...and more!

Other Events

Into the workshop!

Warming up ...

What is E-waste?  

Warming up ...

What is E-waste?  "Any appliance using an electric power supply that has reached its end-of-life"  (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD],2001)

UN Millenium Development Goal #7Ensure Environmental SustainabilityTARGETS

1. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country

2. Reduce biodiversity loss

3. Access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

4. Improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slumdwellers

Shopping game!– You're given ¥300,000

– Spend it only on electric and electronic appliances

– You may use points generated from the purchases to exchange for any other item

– List the items you've bought and calculate the total of money spent + Number of points used and remaining

– Time : 20 minutes 

• What do you look for when buying electronics?

• How many items did you purchase?• How much money do you have left?• How many items did you exchange for with

points?

→ Do you actually need all of them?

→ Have you wondered about what happens to all these items after you've used them?

Quiz time!

Question 1 :What percentage does e-waste make up of all municipal solid waste?(Hint : 20 to 50mil tons worldwide)

Question 1 :What percentage does e-waste make up of all municipal solid waste?(Hint : 20 to 50mil tons worldwide)

= plastic packaging 5%

Question 2 :How many mobile phone subscribers are there worldwide? (bases on Feb 2010 statistics)

“The number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide has reached 4.6 billion and is expected to increase to five billion this year”

(CBS News, Feb 2010)

Question ３ : The smart phone boom began just lately when Apple released the first iPhone in 2007 and Android launched in 2008. How many smart phones were sold in 2009?

Question ３ : The smart phone boom began just lately when Apple released the first iPhone in 2007 and Android launched in 2008. How many smart phones were sold in 2009?

(Source : International Data Center,2009)

174 million = 15.4% of all mobile phones shipped worldwide

Question 4: The periodic table has 118 chemical elements. How many of these are used to make a mobile phone?(Hint : An average mobile phone contains 500~1000 components)

Question 4: The periodic table has 118 chemical elements. How many of these are used to make a mobile phone?(Hint : An average mobile phone contains 500~1000 components)

43 substances(Source : Nokia)

Question 5:

List the 5 possibilities of where/how the e-waste would end up (not country names)

Question 5:

List the 5 possibilities of where/how the e-waste would end up (not country names)• Landfill• Incineration• Reuse• Recycle• Export (smuggled abroad)

Question 6:

Only 3 countries have not ratified the Basel convention. Which countries?

Question 6:

Only 3 countries have not ratified the Basel convention. Which countries?

• USA• Afghanistan• Haiti

Life cycle of purchases

Raw materials

Manufacturing

Transportation

Installation Use

Disposal

Recycle

Landfill

Life cycle of purchases

Raw materials

Manufacturing

Transportation

Installation Use

Disposal

Recycle

LandfillE-Waste

E-waste management in the EU

• Enforced since 2003.

• "To preserve the environment from the contamination with hazardous substances and to protect human health"

• Ensuring producers implement eco-design, a complete collection system and an environmentally friendly recycling system

• Prohibits the export of E-waste to non-OECD countries (Basel Convention)

The flow of e-waste 

How did it get here?

• Most bodies are reluctant to recycle

• Costs a lot and non-profitable

• Illegal to ship e-waste out of the country under the Basel Convention • Falsely declared as second hand goods to allow shipment

Getting worse?

• The electronic manufacturing industry is growing

• Newer products > more demands

• Transition 1.Analog to digital broadcasting2.Cell phones to smart phones3.CRTs to flat screens4.Cassette and CD players to MP3 players

（ CRT : Cathode Ray Tube aka big box TV/monitor)

Quantity of e-waste generated in metric tons/year

Region Countries Population

(Million)Assessment

datePCs Mobile Phones TVs

Africa

South Africa 50 2007 19,400 850 23,700

Kenya 38 2007 2,500 150 2,800

Uganda 53 2007 1,300 40 1,900

Morocco 32 2007 13,500 1,700 15,100

Senegal 12 2007 900 100 1,900

AsiaIndia 1,200 2007 56,300 1,700 275,000

China 1,300 2007 300,000 7,000 1,350,000

South America

Peru 29 2006 6,000 220 11,500

Colombia 46 2006 6,500 1,200 18,300

Mexico 112 2006 47,500 1,100 166,500

Brazil 194 2005 96,800 2,200 137,000

A short video

The toxic• TV plastic casingBFRs – Accumulate in the body. Interfere with

brain development and hormonal systems(BFR : Brominated Flame Retarded substances)

• CRTLead – Damages the nervous system

• Screen display (lighting devices)Mercury – Damages the brain and nervous system.

Also passed on to infants through breast milk.

• CablesPVC - release dioxins harmful to human

reproductive and immune systems.

• Circuit boards Beryllium - carcinogenic and causes lung disease

• BatteriesCadmium – affects kidneys and bones

Mobile phone : Nokia

• Does best on the toxic chemicals criteria

• Products free of PVC since 2005

• Free of brominated compounds, chlorinated flame retardants and antimony trioxide

Role play

• Government of a developed country 

• Government of a developing country receiving E-waste

• E-waste recycling firm

• A mother who extracts E-waste components to earn a living

Situation of each party

【 Advantage 】(Exporter ; Developed countries)•Low cost of exports compared with recycle

(Importer ; Developing countries)•Low cost of import of outdated electronics (1/10 of cost of new computer)•Find and Sell valuable metals and cables

【 Disadvantage 】(Exporter / Developed countries)•illegal

(Importer / Developing countries)•75% of imported electronics are broken and useless junk.•Pollution•Health problem

Government• Strengthen Policy /Restriction / Legislation• Improve Technology / Knowledge / Skill• Financially support manufacturers

Individual• Use electronics as long as possible• Selecting long life span of electronics

What can you do?

What can you do?

• Electronics Take Back Coalition (Link)

• Green my apple (Link)• Commits to phasing out PVC and BFRs in its

products Macbook air

• Guide to greener electronics (Link)

Life cycle of electronic goods in Japan

Consumer

Manufacturers

Manufacturers’ Recycling Plants

Post Office

Application to take back

Mailing ticket

What can you do?

• SupportSupport companies that make clean products

• Re-considerDo you really need what you’re about to buy?

• ReturnReturn the item to the company

Thank you!

Upcoming event

• December 6th (Tue)

The final push to JPY 1 million !! @ The FootNik

Next Awareness Workshops

• January 21st - TBC - Joe & someone lovely

• February onwards – we need you!