12/02/2015 New regulations are coming up to deal with ewaste  Khaleej Times

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New regulations are coming up todeal with ewasteBernd Debusmann Jr. / 11 February 2015

Apart from health concerns, improper disposal of electronic goods can lead toidentity theft should data fall into wrong hands

The UAE is drawing up regulations and developing recycling facilities for the disposal of electronicwaste to curb the widespread practice of throwing potentially hazardous phones, computers andother electronic products out with regular garbage.

The term electronic waste – or ewaste – can include almost all kinds of electrical and electronicequipment, including computers, mobiles, TVs and household appliances.

Ewaste contains a number of substances that can be hazardous to human health through theinhalation of toxic fumes or the buildup of harmful substances in water, soil or food sources. Otherewaste components, such as lead, cadmium and mercury are dangerous to come into direct contactwith.

As the lifespan of computers and mobile phones has dropped over time, the amount of electronicwaste generated around the world has dramatically risen.

Statistics show that in 2012, the world collectively generated approximately 49 million metric tonnesof ewaste, about 43kg for each of the world’s inhabitants.

This number is expected to continue rising. Researchers estimate that between 2012 and 2017, theamount of ewaste generated around the world will go up 33 per cent to 65 million metric tonnes.

Globally, between 15 and 20 per cent of ewaste generated is recycled. In the Middle East, however,only five per cent is taken to recycling facilities.

Researchers estimate that only 5 per cent of ewaste generated in the Middle East, for example, istaken to recycling facilities.

According to global statistics compiled by various agencies through the “solving the ewaste problem”(StEP) initiative, in 2012, the last year for which data is available, the UAE generated 29.28kg of ewaste per inhabitant, a total of 162.11 metric tonnes.

Habiba Al Marashi, Chairwoman of the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), said the relativewealth of the UAE means that the country generates a high volume of ewaste compared to most

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
12/02/2015 New regulations are coming up to deal with ewaste  Khaleej Times

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/ktarticledisplay1.asp?xfile=data/nationgeneral/2015/February/nationgeneral_February115.xml&section=nationgeneral 2/3

countries globally.

“The major reason for the large amount of ewaste in the UAE is due to the high per capita income inthe country,” she explained. “The citizens have a higher spending capacity compared to other Arabcountries, and thus there is a continuous stream of electronics being replaced in every organisation,academic institution and household.”

Al Marashi said the country is making significant process in dealing with the ewaste problem.

“The UAE is still developing its ewaste recycling facilities and legal framework and considerableprogress has been made,” she said.

Ken Neil, a Dubaibased independent ewaste expert, said the small size of the UAE makes it difficultto deal with the large amounts of ewaste generated by its inhabitants.

“In the UAE the issues relate to being a relatively small country and small population which leads todifficulties in companies putting together a sufficient infrastructure to support the huge range ofitems which would requite processing,” he said.

Additional ewaste processing infrastructure, Neil noted, would inevitably lead to the need to chargefor such services, which might not be possible.

Globally, Qatar is the worst culprit per capita, generating 63.08 kg of ewaste per inhabitant.

Like Qatar, residents of the UAE are more likely to purchase their mobile phone and discard themimproperly once they are discarded in favour of newer models.

“This compares to other markets where contracts exist with the providers in which people keep theirphones for a minimum time of one year, but the company will then have contracts in place for thecollection and processing of a used phone.

In absolute terms, the world’s largest source of electronic waste is the United States, which generateda staggering 9,359.78 metric tonnes that same year.

Aside from the health concerns, the improper disposal of electronic goods can lead to identity theftshould data fall into the wrong hands.

“Ewaste includes data bearing items such as smart phones, tablets, PCs, laptops and game consoles.On any or all of these, we store personal information, whether this is login details to our email,Google Play Store, or Facebook, but also things like passport copies, Emirates ID or personalphotographs, all of which we would not want to get into someone else’s ownership,” he said.

“Everything you need to destroy someone’s life is on there,” he added.

Neil also noted that organisations risk losing confidential information such as salary information,intellectual property, credit card and network information or client contact details.

Neil encouraged local residents to properly dispose of ewaste after removing SIM cards and externalhard drives to avoid privacy problems.

“Make sure the data is destroyed and a certificate is issued,” he said. “This means that they shouldspeak to the organisation providing the services and do their research on this.”

Properly disposing of nondata bearing items is easier, as many parts can be reused even when thedevice itself is no longer functioning properly.

Currently, no firm rules or regulations are in place for the disposal of electronic goods in the UAE,but despite the lack of regulations, various municipalities in the UAE periodically run programmes inwhich discarded electronic products — computers, for example — are collected and recycled.

“Such solutions, even though small, provide a path to the future where ewaste can be properlycollected and recycled, similar to European countries,” EEG chairwoman Habiba al Marashi said.

Additionally, the government has held a number of conferences to discuss ewaste management, andis working with the EEG and a number of privaterun recycling facilities to raise awareness of theissue.

“The future of ewaste recycling in the UAE is a bright one,” Al Marashi said.

bernd@khaleejtimes.com

For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes, and onTwitter at @khaleejtimes

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