New UN agreement seeks to protect environment from hazardous electronic waste | Birmingham Star

New UN agreement seeks to protect environment from hazardous electronic waste

U.N. - Environment, Shelter Tuesday 13th March, 2012

A new United Nations agreement seeks to diminish the damage caused by electronic waste through the collection and recycling of hazardous materials, as well as by introducing measures to improve the ways in which this equipment is managed.

According to the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), electronic waste is expected to grow exponentially, particularly in developing countries, yet only 13 per cent of electronic waste is recycled, many times without safety procedures in place.

The agreement, which was signed between the ITU and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (SBC), intends to strengthen collaboration between information and communications technology (ICT) and environmental policymakers to address this issue.

"The ICT sector is already making significant progress in improving its environmental performance and reducing e-waste through improved best practices and standards," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Tour.

"The collaboration with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention will allow the global community to address this ever-increasing problem through a holistic approach, involving the recycling industry as well as environmental policy makers."

Electronic waste, which contains toxic materials used in the manufacturing process, can cause widespread damage to the environment and human health."

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