The U.N. called on Monday for new recycling technologies and stricter regulations in developing countries where hazardous recycling of “e-waste” from electronic products, like old computers and mobile phones, has surged.
China, India, Brazil, and Mexico are among the countries said to face rising environmental damage and health problems if the recycling of electronic products is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.
In China, which is the second largest producer of e-waste, much of the current 'backyard recyclers' release toxic pollution.
“This report gives new urgency to establishing ambitious, formal, and regulated processes for collecting and managing e-waste via the setting up of large, efficient facilities in China,” U.N.E.P. Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a U.N. press release.
