Waste electrical and electronic equipment: a plague for Africa

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“Consume, consume, there will always be something left! Some 34 billion electronic objects circulate on the planet. Once broken, deemed obsolete or unused, they generate mountains of waste electrical and electronic equipment that is dangerous for the environment and health. These D3E, as they are called, now weigh nearly 57 million tonnes and, in 2030, should exceed 70 million tonnes, predict experts from the NGO Weee Forum.

In question: the rise of telephony, tablets and laptops. Tools whose average lifespan does not exceed 5 years in the West… So what happens to them following use? As far as Europe is concerned, less than 40% of this D3E, this e-waste is recycled. The rest, we get rid of it… we export them mainly to Asia or to West Africa…

Guest : Charlotte Nithart, environmental expert and president of Robin Hood Association.

Report in Cotonou in Benin from Samuel Turpin.

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