Parajuly, K., Thapa, K. B., Cimpan, C.,

From Digital Culture & Society

Contents 1 Introduction: 2 Justification for the Study: 3 The Informal Sector: 4 Ethical Concerns:

[edit] Introduction:

The concept of ‘Electronic-Waste’ has been a growing concern for humanity. In a global news article, it was stated that electronic waste puts hazardous materials in landfill sites. Materials such as: mercury, lead, beryllium, brominated flame retardants, and cadmium. The materials are not properly disposed of/recycled. This is an every growing issue for the developing nations of the world. .Upon doing further research into the electronic waste field, many findings proved to be of relevance. Global news had given hard facts that outlined the scale of E-waste. The global article stated that in 2014 alone, the United Nations had reported a total of 41.8 million tons of electronic waste around the globe. To put that into perspective, one Apple IPhone weighs approximately 129 grams, or 0.00013 metric tons. If IPhone composed of 100% of the electronic waste, this means that in 2014 (for perspective sake) 321.5 billion IPhones were disposed of.

[edit] Justification for the Study:

The article that was analyzed filled a gap in the e-waste literature. This case study was the first of its kind. Primary research was collected through 3 methods; site observation, questionnaire survey, and informant interviews. Secondary research was acquired through the analysis of relevant literature, and media coverage. The electronic waste pandemic in Nepal had brought upon many environmental and health concerns. Electronic waste in Nepal is a part of the informal sector which is characterized by a self-organized work force. This work force consists of the disadvantaged, and are subjected to poor working environments. The recycling of obsolete electronic devices in Nepal is predominantly done through the acquisition of the valuable materials within the devices. The valuable materials that are ideally found are: Palladium, gold, silver, and the printed circuit boards from devices. These materials are acquired through the “scavengers” who actively work in landfill sites in order to find these materials. The dangers of working in these environments stems from the hazardous materials that also reside within the obsolete electronics. The hazardous materials are dangerous to the individual and the surrounding ecosystem. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), and heavy metals are the materials which are poor for the workers and the surrounding environment, a technique used by this informal sector are open burning, and acid leeching. These techniques for disposing of hazardous materials as well contribute to the dangers of this un-regulated industry. These techniques are harmful to both the individual and the environment.

[edit] The Informal Sector:

The lack of regulation within this ‘informal sector’ is the cause for such harmful practices. The informal sector lacks government/official regulations that typically are aimed to protect the environment and the worker. The lack of reliable data that exists for this sector is as well a contributing factor to the lack of resources allocated for this cause. A lack of resources was described as the main reason as to why this sector remains ‘informal’. The ‘e-waste’ recycling practices in Kathmandu follow a structure that mirrors that of an illegal crime organization. The stakeholders responsible for the acquisition of the obsolete electronic products are termed as the: ‘scavengers’ and the ‘scrap hawkers’, who differ only in their acquiring techniques. ‘Scrap Hawkers’ travel door to door in attempt to ask homeowners for electronic waste that might contain valuable materials unbeknownst to the owner. The higher positions include the title of ‘scrap dealer’. These are the individuals who ‘contract’ the hawkers and scavengers and offer payments for their labor.

[edit] Ethical Concerns:

These payments, according to the article, are not reflective of the hazardous manual labor. The scrap dealers operate scrap yard, which the processing of these electronic takes place, and the valuable materials are extracted. It was estimated that currently, 10,000 – 15,000 scavengers are currently working in the harsh environment of the Kathmandu Valley. The unregulated industry provides an unsafe working environment for the laborers and as well negatively affects the environment. In the conclusion and discussion section it was determined that the scale of the problem was not understood by the authoritative figures. It was as well identified that because of the lack of regulation, the rest of the world does not understand the in-efficiency of this informal electronic waste network. The negative environmental impacts are experienced through the entire world, the researchers stressed this idea throughout the entire essay. As a part of the first world population, the researchers effectively connected the impact that this informal sector has upon the world as a whole.