Agbogbloshie: the world's largest e-waste dump – in pictures
Purchasers, and eventual discarders, of electronics expect
the items to be recycled properly. But almost all electronic devices,
especially older ones, contain toxic chemicals which make it expensive to
recycle them – even if they are recyclable. As a result, illegal dumping has
become a lucrative business.
Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra, in Ghana, is home to the
world’s largest e-waste dumping site. Discarded electronic goods define the
landscape of this former wetland and recreation area, where males aged from
seven to 25 smash devices to get to the metals, especially copper. Injuries,
such as burns, untreated wounds, eye damage, lung and back problems, go hand in
hand with chronic nausea, anorexia, debilitating headaches and respiratory
problems. Most of the workers die from cancer in their 20s.
Photographer Kevin McElvaney documents the site and its
people.
theguardian.com, Thursday 27 February 2014 13.53 GMT
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Adam Nasara, 25, uses Styropor, an insulating material from
refrigerators, to light a fire
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Old monitors are used to build bridges
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Ibrahim Abdulai, 23, is a ‘chief’. Although no one works for
him, he is able to decide who is allowed to burn goods in this particular area
of the site
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Cows with open wounds graze on the site
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Adjoa, nine, sells small water bags to the workers. They
drink it and use it to extinguish fires.
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PCs and electronic devices that look in reasonable condition
are sold untested in Accra
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Rahman Dauda, 12, started working here three years ago and
burns e-waste with a few friends. ‘Whenever possible I go to school,’ he says
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Pieter Adongo, 17, holds a Polaroid photo of himself and his
friends Desmond Atanga, 17, and Sampson Kwabena, 16. Many young people believe
this is just a temporary situation and hope to find their way out of it one day
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John Mahama, 21, suffers from insomnia and has debilitating
headaches, but continues to work
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Kwabena Labobe, 10, plays on the site. His parents are not
able to send him to school and forbid him to burn e-waste
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Adam Latif, 21
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