China – Guiyu E-waste Processing
the details…
Population affected
200,000
Children Under 6 Affected
36,000
Date started
March 2006
Date completed
March 2006
Guiyu is a cluster of five villages in the Guangdong province in southeast China which has gained notoriety as a center for reprocessing discarded computer hardware. Computer components are melted to extract precious metals such as gold and platinum and leftover waste burned or dumped openly. Blacksmith partnered with a local research institution to examine technologies and operational approaches to upgrade the reprocessing efforts.
UPDATE:
China’s most notorious e-waste dumping ground now cleaner but poorer
Thousands of polluting recyclers have shut down in Guiyu, Guangdong, while others have moved into tightly controlled industrial park.