According to The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), western countries now produce 50 million tonnes of e-waste per year. Despite the introduction of the 1992 Basel Convention which bans the export of toxic waste from developed to developing countries, this massive amount of electronic detritus makes its way from the USA and Europe to landfill sites in countries like China and Ghana, where local communities eke out a living by reducing and re-using chemically harmful computer components. The Egyptian government has banned the import of parts over 5 years old, but in Cairo’s well-known downtown computer market El Bustel, ICT graduates make a steady living fixing and repairing computers with spare parts from local users and imports from China.
A photo essay on the beauty of ink, technology, recycling and boys.