Dumping Discarded Electronics And Hazardous Waste, And What Must Be Done

     A government official that is a political hack, despite her high level position, explained why her country receives the phones, computers, laptops, and other electronic and technology products that Japan no longer wants. "It is a business, and it givers our people jobs", she explained.
      She failed to add that it also gives cancer and other diseases to the workers involved in extracting the small amount of valuable materials inside of discarded technology products, and that her country already is incapable of properly disposing of almost all of its harmful waste products.
       She had no answer regarding what happens to the discarded Japanese electronics and other discarded technology products after valuable materials are extracted from them. Here is the answer she would not provide - it goes into an improper landfill where its toxic materials will leech out into the environment, further contaminating the waters and lands of that country.
        Is it any wonder that cancer rates have soared in recent decades?
        The shipping of discarded toys, electronics, phones, computers, laptops, and so on from one country to another, particularly from developed countries to developing countries, must be outlawed.
Here is where the normally worthless United Nations, in cooperation with the multi billion dollar, normally worthless environmental, animal welfare and conservation movement can actually achieve something good.
         People need jobs. Establish an international program where disadvantaged people are employed to remove plastic and other harmful waste from the environment. The people that lose their jobs from ending the toxic waste trade will then be employed in an internationally funded program to clean the environment, rather than contribute to its destruction. Those workers in the clean program will be properly equipped for the handling of waste. Right now, in places in Africa, Asia and elsewhere, developed countries dump their discarded computers, phones, electronics, toys, laptops, plastic, etc., causing cancer and other diseases for poor people, killing wildlife and domestic animals, and contaminating the environments of those countries.
          Developed countries must be responsible for their own waste.
           The government official already mentioned knows that a few of her fellow countrymen will get rich from having discarded toxic waste dumped into her country. She knows that this waste has a small amount of valuable material that will profit a few, perhaps herself included. She knows also that the extraction process necessary to remove the valuable materials exposes workers to all kinds of toxic substances. She knows that her country is ill equipped to properly dispose of the waste after whatever is valuable inside is removed. She knows that all of these electronics, cell phones, computers, laptops, toys and more will go into landfills in which their toxic materials will leech out into the environment.
           She may think that she is not affected because neither she nor anyone in her family is doing the actual work, and therefore are not exposed to the toxic materials. She probably thinks that even when the toxic materials are burned or enter a landfill, she will not be affected because she does not live near the burn site or near the toxic landfill. Even after the toxic waste leeches into the groundwater, she probably thinks that as long as she drinks bottled water, she is safe.

              Start a massive employment project in which disadvantaged people are employed to clean the environment.
           
              Outlaw the transfer of discarded electronic waste, cell phones, laptops, computers, medical equipment, plastic, etc from developed countries to developing countries.