Recycling technology

Recycling technology

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The town of Guiyu in the economic powerhouse of Guangdong province has long been known as one of the world’s largest electronic waste dump sites.

At its peak, some 5,000 workshops in the village recycle 15,000 tonnes of waste daily including hard drives, mobile phones and computers shipped in from across the world.

. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Many of the workers, however, work in poorly ventilated workshops with little protective gear, prying open discarded electronics with their bare hands. Plastic circuit boards are also melted down to salvage bits of valuable metals such as gold, copper and aluminium.

. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Large amounts of pollutants, heavy metals and chemicals are released into the rivers nearby, severely contaminating local water supplies, devastating farm harvests and damaging the health of residents.

The stench of burnt plastic envelops the small town, while some rivers are black with industrial effluent.

According to research conducted by Southern China’s Shantou University, Guiyu’s air and water is heavily contaminated by toxic metal particles. As a result, children living there have abnormally high levels of lead in their blood, the study found.

. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

While most of the e-waste was once imported into China and processed in Guiyu, much more of the discarded e-waste now comes from within China as the country grows in affluence.

China now produces 6.1 million metric tonnes of e-waste a year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, second only to the U.S with 7.2 million tonnes.

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Slideshow

A electronic waste factory stands beside a field.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A electronic waste factory stands beside a field.

Metal casings are piled up.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Metal casings are piled up.

Buffalos graze next to workshops.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Buffalos graze next to workshops.

Circuit boards lie inside a home.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Circuit boards lie inside a home.

A toy tricycle stands on circuit boards.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A toy tricycle stands on circuit boards.

A worker sorts electronic waste at a government managed recycling centre.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A worker sorts electronic waste at a government managed recycling centre.

A worker recycles CD players.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A worker recycles CD players.

Plastic components are packed at a roadside.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Plastic components are packed at a roadside.

Electronic waste is transported to one of the small workshops for recycling.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Electronic waste is transported to one of the small workshops for recycling.

A new factory which will be used for recycling waste is under construction at a government managed area.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A new factory which will be used for recycling waste is under construction at a government managed area.

A man rides a motorcycle through the township.
. GUIYU, China. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A man rides a motorcycle through the township.