Wasteland of Agbogbloshie

With the rise of technological development and our global dependence on electronic devices, European discarded electronic waste, or “e-waste”, is transforming entire cities in Africa into wastelands.

In the Agbogbloshie region near the Ghanaian capital, Accra, one of the largest electronic wastelands in the world, is expanding. The area currently holds over 50 million tons of e-waste, with predictions doubling the figure by 2050. Yet, the e-waste is not generated within the region, or even the continent. Instead, it is illegally imported from Europe and the United States to Africa.

The wasteland in Agbogbloshie began forming in the 1990s as large shipments from European countries, such as France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands arrived at the port of Accra with immense containers labeled as “secondhand consumer products.” In theory, the content of these containers was meant to be recyclable, expanding the market for reused electronic goods and pushing the Ghanaian economy forward. Yet, in reality, about 75 percent of these allegedly secondhand electronics cannot be further processed and are directly transported to landfills in Agbogbloshie.

While the waste is not imported directly from European incinerators, informal collectors in recycling centers or metal scrap dealers send the unusable e-waste either to African or Asian countries simply by changing their official label to “recyclable” or “secondhand” goods. The illicit trade of digital dumping proposes a more profitable option than properly recycling devices that contain toxic chemicals for most European manufacturers.

Many among Ghanaian authorities blame the lack of surveillance in the ports, which allows about 150 thousand tons of foreign waste to enter the country annually. As regular inspections would result in a significant slowdown in the movement of multiple massive containers that the port passes daily, imported goods swiftly pass over from international waters into the country.

It appears that making a slight bureaucratic change is sufficient to continue the exploitation of the country, as the West has managed to maintain its private wasteland despite multiple conventions, namely by the Basel Action Network, an NGO that combats toxic waste importation to developing countries, and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). In 1989, with the signing of the Basel Convention, the first attempts to control and monitor transboundary movements of waste from Europe to Africa were made. The treaty explicitly forbade developed nations from unauthorized dumping of e-waste in less developed nations, yet the Basel Convention’s scope of power appeared to be minimal, and led to absolutely no significant change in the area.

Subsequently, in 2012, a forum meeting took place between the UNEP and the Basel Action Network to discuss the violations of the 1989 Basel Convention, yet, once again, no consequential action was taken. While several meetings dedicated to this matter were organized in past years, they all shared a pattern of acknowledging the problem, but justifying the influx of waste from the West as an opportunity to create green jobs and facilitate economic development in Africa.

This idealistic thought behind “green jobs” harshly clashes with the reality of working in Agbogbloshie. Currently, the region holds about 10,000 workers who are engaged in an informal recycling process, scavenging for profitable metals by disassembling electronic devices and burning off plastic encasements on computer sites and refrigerator coils. Such fires release toxic gases into the air, amounting to abnormal levels of air pollution in the area, which puts these workers at serious risk of respiratory problems. Burns, back problems, and infected wounds as well as long-term issues like chronic nausea and lung problems are common ailments among the residents and workers in Agbogbloshie.

Moreover, the pollution has a larger effect on the country, as the region is simultaneously one of the largest food markets near Accra. Local farmers are left with no choice other than continuing their production and grazing the livestock freely on the dump site. It is estimated that one egg hatched by a free range chicken in Agbogbloshie exceeds the European food safety authority limits on chlorinated dioxins, which can cause cancer and damage the immune system, by 220 times. According to a report by the Basel Action Network, the site contains some of the most toxic chemicals on earth, putting both local farmers and consumers at an immense health risk.

While the Ghanaians suffer as an entire city is taken over by an ever-growing wasteland, the West continues its covert operation, hiding behind excuses such as “Opportunity” “Green Jobs!” and “Economic Development!” No amount of ‘opportunity’ is worth the harm that is being inflicted upon the inhabitants of Agbogloshie, who must grapple with the inhospitable conditions of their home city with every breath of polluted air they take.

The situation in Agbogbloshie also reveals a much larger, global problem, centering around the West’s attitude towards African countries. Although colonialism is now considered to be an issue of the past, European nations are able to continue exploiting less developed countries, while the European Union maintains its public principles as “equality” and “promoting peace and stability.” The vast wasteland of Agbogloshie is living proof of this ongoing Western hypocrisy.

- Mayra Kost