African nations have called for continent-wide action to staunch the import of electronic waste, including old computers and mobile telephones from Europe where stringent environmental laws make exporting used goods cheaper than disposing of them at home.
In a document released this week, African countries that adopted an international convention on hazardous waste called for uniform action to end the import of discarded electronic goods containing dangerous components. In some cases, the products are sent as donations for reuse even though they are no longer useful.
Plastics manufacturers are pushing for an EU-wide ban on the disposal of plastics in landfills, arguing that Europe needs tougher recycling requirements to stop an important raw material from being thrown away.
Driven in part by volatile prices of oil, a key ingredient in the production of raw plastic, businesses are looking to the European Commission to call for an end to landfill disposal of drinks bottles and packaging by 2020 when it presents legislation in the coming months.
