“This photo story depicts a village in Southern China called Guiyu whose local economy is entirely devoted to the practice of recycling electronic waste from the developed world. People from all over China come here to scavenge for valuable metals and components from discarded computers, televisions and phones, which are shipped from countries such as the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong. Old and unwanted electronic waste might contain traces of gold, silver and other metals, which might have considerable value when recycled. All of this scavenging is done in a very low-tech manner; with hammers and screwdrivers. Acid is applied to burn off chips from circuit boards and the toxic fumes goes straight into the atmosphere. Unwanted leftovers are dumped in the river or fields. The environmental catastrophe is impossible to measure with no drinking water available (fresh water has to be shipped in) and with air so toxic, it hurts the throat and lungs just to breathe”
- Stefan Irvine
