Where the Quiet Poison Goes Electronic Waste and Environmental Crime Records 2009-2020s

Where the Quiet Poison Goes Electronic Waste and Environmental Crime Records 2009-2020s

One day, computers and televisions that have been used up in Japan cross the ocean and end up in a trash heap in Guiyu, Guangdong Province. The piles of electronic equipment are disassembled by children, and the metals are removed with acid. The smoke contains lead, and mercury seeps into the soil. It is not just disposal, but a poison that quietly devours people and the environment.

In 2009, used equipment was sent to developing countries as "used equipment" in Japan, in violation of the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law and international treaties. The situation has not changed much since then, and by 2022, nearly 40,000 units of home appliances were illegally dumped in Japan.

The United Nations reported that 53.6 million tons of e-waste was produced worldwide in 2019. Only 17% of that was officially recycled. The rest went unseen, polluting the skies, water, and lives of someone else.

Behind these environmental crimes lies a gap in the system and our indifference. At the same time, however, there is a growing trend toward sharing and cooperation in resource recovery technology between Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

The future of e-waste is not just a disposal problem. It is the very question of what kind of future we will choose.