Do you have a second hand computer? Then there is a big chance some parts of your machine come from one of the largest landfills of e-waste in the world. It is located in a suburb of Accra, the capital of Ghana. South African photographer Pieter Hugo has been capturing life on the landfill.
Pieter Hugo has photographed Ghanaians trying to sort waste like copper and other, often toxic, metals. The treatment of waste, mostly from Europe, is part of a development aid scheme. Sorting and disposing waste should create jobs. In reality, workers are exposed to toxic substances.
Pieter Hugo's pictures are currently on display in the Dutch cities Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
This is the first part of a series on the problem of waste in Africa. The second part, on Uganda will be published on Thursday, June 16, 2011. The third part, on Burkina Faso will be online on Friday, June 17, 2011.
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There has to be better waste management facilities for the pickers, than just a dump site where disease and filth are abound. Does this mean that the Europeans would turn a blind eye to what is happening to their waste as they go on their daily lives?
Sarah - http://www.veoliaes.com.au
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