Ctrl + Alt + Dump: Southeast Asia's electronic dumping ground

Belated E-Waste Day, folks. We're zooming in on a pressing issue in Southeast Asia: the mounting piles of discarded electronics in the region

Oct 15, 2024

In the 5 minutes it has taken to reach the end of this article, people and companies in Singapore will have thrown away 570 kg of e-waste, equivalent to discarding 4,400 iPhones.

In a cramped alleyway in Bangkok, e-waste processing operations are run out of someone's garage.

Surrounded by towering piles of discarded electronics, the workers sift through nearly three tonnes of e-waste daily.

They salvage what they can for resale, but much of it ends up incinerated (burned) on-site or tossed into nearby vacant lots.

This business is thriving. Roughly about 25% of the inventory comes from overseas and the rest is collected by local scavengers which include women in their 60s who earn a meager 25 cents per kilogram of e-waste.

The rapid growth of this operation mirrors a troubling trend across Southeast Asia. A recent study revealed that e-waste generation in East and Southeast Asia surged by 12.3 million tonnes between 2010 and 2015 — a staggering 63% increase.

While the e-waste boom provides livelihoods for countless workers in the formal and informal sectors, it also causes environmental and economic challenges that demand urgent attention from policymakers and citizens alike.

The improper handling of e-waste in operations releases hazardous toxins into the environment. We’re talking about carcinogens to those who are exposed.

The e-waste crisis is a complex, unclear web involving local waste management policies, corporate decisions on product design and manufacturing, intricate supply chain dynamics, and deeply ingrained consumer behaviours.

No single actor can fully address this issue. It needs collaborative efforts across sectors and borders to tackle the growing e-waste problem effectively.

But what is clear is that more needs to be done than is being done now.

Southeast Asia, the global dumpsite of e-waste

Source: United Nations University and the Japanese Ministry of Environment (2016)

Research by the United Nations University finds that Asia emerged as the leading producer of electronic waste, generating 18.2 million metric tonnes (Mt) in 2016, accounting for 40.7% of the global total. Europe follows with 12.3 Mt. But, the recycling rates paint a different picture, with Asia collecting and recycling only 15% of its e-waste, while Europe manages 35%.

Interestingly, when viewed on a per capita basis, Asia's e-waste production stands at a mere 3.7 kg per person, significantly lower than Europe's 15.6 kg.

This mismatch is due to a substantial portion of Asia's growing e-waste burden originating from Western countries.

There’s no standard method to track global flows of e-waste. But, a group of journalists placed 200 GPS trackers on obsolete electronics in Europe and the US. They’ve found that 93% of e-waste landed up in Asia, primarily Southeast Asia.

The rate of electronics consumption spikes in line with the rising incomes of the growing middle classes, especially in Singapore and Vietnam which is experiencing the fastest growth of e-waste generation.

This rapid increase is fuelled by the shortened lifespan of electronic devices and consumers' tendency to replace their gadgets more frequently.

The e-waste crisis in Southeast Asia is worsened by the influx of electronic waste from the West. China's decision to halt imports of waste, including e-waste, in early 2018 has disrupted long-established disposal practices.

This shift has led developed countries to seek new destinations for their e-waste, with Southeast Asia emerging as a prime target due to its limited e-waste legislation.

Thailand and Malaysia have been the biggest recipients of illegal e-waste with the US' e-waste shipments to Malaysia surging by 132% and quadrupling in Thailand from the UK.

An urgent call for definitive E-Waste regulations

With the right policy interventions, repair and recycling infrastructure, high levels of reuse, Southeast Asia could transform from an electronics dumping ground into an innovation centre. - Ewaste Watch Institute

Source: United Nations University, the Japanese Ministry of Environment (2016), Southeast Asia’s e-waste legislative landscape, Regional e-waste monitor: East and Southeast Asia

A strong policy response supported by investment in recycling facilities and technology, and raising public awareness about the issue are critical for managing e-waste effectively.

Southeast Asia now faces a tough balancing act.

The region must find a way to protect its people and environment from the dangers of e-waste while also considering the potential economic benefits of becoming a global recycling hub.

Unfortunately, current policies in most Southeast Asian countries are falling short on both fronts.

While countries like Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have strict laws and well-enforced safety standards for handling electronic waste, Southeast Asia lacks such regulations. As a result, electronics companies operate with little regard for the environmental and social impacts of their products, turning the region into a virtual free-for-all for the industry.

What can we do?

If you live in Southeast Asia, much like the story we have been painting from the start of this article, two things will happen to your e-waste if you don’t properly recycle it: from dumpsters, it either goes to landfills or travels down unregulated markets.

Besides that, recycling metals and plastic from e-waste allows them to be reused to make more electronics, which is not an easy job.

This is vital because the key elements in most electronics – rare earth metals – are hard to obtain, at least locally. E-waste’s global worth is around $62.5 billion annually, which is more than the GDP of most countries. It’s also worth three times the output of all the world’s silver mines.

So, no — your local scrap dealer isn’t a good option to dispose of your e-waste.

Here are the 6 R’s we can do instead:

💡 Rethink: Use your gadgets for longer. The upgrade to a new electronic item should ideally happen for necessity, not style.

I’m writing this on my 7-year-old MacBook Air, pumped with music from the 80s (the latter is probably beside the point, but you get what I mean), and I don’t plan on changing it unless it goes kaput on me. *touch woods*

🫴🏼 Reuse: Give your electronics a longer life. Use a protective case and avoid overcharging the battery. If you’re okay to use second-hand electronics, do so.

🔨 Repair: Ensure repair policies exist when you buy your electronics. Ask for them.

♻️ Recycle: Talk to the brand. The most effective longer-term solution, which might require some persistence on your part, is talking to the brand. By consistently asking about recycling and return policies, you encourage brands to integrate sustainability into their core communications strategies.

Most brands have collection details on their websites. Use them.

If you’re using collection boxes that brands have set up in the vicinity, call and ask about the fate of the collected e-waste.

📲 Rent: Do you really need to own the device? Rent it out if you just need it for occasional use. If you own a device, rent it away. There are plenty of sites to rent anything in Southeast Asia.

🔍 Research: What you need to look for is bio-compostable within a reasonable period. Check on the box of a new product for e-waste instructions. It’s always there, read it. Every manufacturer has a toll-free number, too.

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