Recycling failure fuels toxic threat

Bangladesh is losing valuable resources worth an estimated $500 million a year from discarded electronics while unsafe recycling practices expose workers and nearby communities to toxic substances that threaten public health and the environment, according to a study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

Weak collection systems, inadequate recycling facilities and poor enforcement of existing regulations have left most electronic waste outside the formal recycling system, allowing hazardous materials to contaminate the environment while valuable metals remain unrecovered.

A separate study by the Department of Environment (DoE), conducted through Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), found that around 97 per cent of the country’s e-waste bypasses formal recycling.

The 2017 study estimated that only 3 per cent of discarded electronics was formally recycled and exported, leaving valuable materials such as gold, silver, copper and tin largely unrecovered alongside hazardous waste.

Research by Buet’s Centre for Environmental and Resource Management found that a tonne of discarded random-access memory (RAM) modules could yield up to 600 grams of gold. Laboratory processes can recover more than 99 per cent of copper, over 94 per cent of silver and around 86 per cent of tin from electronic waste.

However, Bangladesh lacks the technology and regulatory capacity to recover these materials on a large scale.

The country generated around 400,000 tonnes of e-waste in 2018, with the volume increasing by approximately 20 per cent annually. The Buet study projects that annual generation will reach 4.62 million tonnes by 2035.

According to the DoE, only 16 commercial recyclers nationwide had obtained registration, including 14 in and around Dhaka and two in Chattogram. An estimated 14 environmentally compliant facilities in and around Dhaka process just 3-5 per cent of the country’s e-waste.

The remainder is handled largely by informal businesses, where workers dismantle discarded electronics, use acid to extract metals and burn insulated wires to recover copper and other valuable materials.

Although these businesses provide livelihoods for thousands and divert waste from landfills, many operate without registration or adequate safeguards against hazardous substances.

Major informal recycling clusters include Nimtoli, Elephant Road, Mohammadpur and Tongi in Dhaka, and Ice Factory Road in Chattogram.

The TIB study found that workers, including underage labourers, often process discarded electronics without personal protective equipment, exposing themselves and surrounding communities to toxic substances.

A Buet risk assessment cited by TIB identified unacceptable carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks associated with airborne chromium and lead exposure among workers across different age groups. Lead contamination in water near scrap-processing sites also posed unacceptable health risks, including to children.

Open burning of electronic waste can release dioxins, furans and other hazardous pollutants. Discarded equipment can also release lead, chromium, mercury and cadmium into soil and groundwater, allowing contaminants to enter the food chain through fish, livestock and agricultural products.

Illegal imports add to burden
While struggling to manage domestically generated electronic waste, Bangladesh is also receiving prohibited shipments from abroad.

TIB found that around 14,985 tonnes of e-waste were imported between 2022 and 2024 at a cost of approximately $700,000, despite restrictions under the country’s e-waste rules and import policy.

Around 27 per cent of the imported waste was linked to the textile and apparel sector, with shipments often declared as spare parts for textile machinery.

TIB called for improved scanning equipment and specialised training for customs officials to identify electronic waste concealed under misleading declarations.

During the same period, Bangladesh exported around 4,040 tonnes of printed circuit board (PCB) scraps and electronic components. Based on the recorded flows, the country was a net importer of e-waste over the period.

Rules remain largely unenforced
Bangladesh introduced the Hazardous Waste (E-waste) Management Rules in 2021, requiring producers, importers and distributors to participate in managing discarded electronics under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle.

Under the framework, collection targets are intended to rise from 10 per cent in the first year to 50 per cent by the fifth year. However, TIB found that no electrical and electronic equipment manufacturer, importer or distributor had registered with the DoE under the system.
Emerging waste streams from solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries present further challenges, as existing regulations do not adequately cover all such products.
TIB Environment and Climate Finance Coordinator Nabil Haque said the rules lacked explicit provisions covering all types of e-waste and that amendments had been proposed.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the government had failed to establish a credible national e-waste inventory, enforce collection targets or prevent prohibited imports despite introducing the rules in 2021.
Call for producer responsibility
A United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) report proposes requiring manufacturers and importers to finance e-waste recycling, with subsidies and other incentives to support formal collectors and recyclers.
The approach seeks to apply the polluter-pays principle and make environmentally safe recycling financially viable.
TIB has proposed a 12-point roadmap covering regulatory reform, a national e-waste inventory, producer responsibility, the integration of informal workers into the formal system, stronger customs enforcement and improved coordination among government agencies.
It recommends bringing informal scrap businesses into the regulated system rather than dismantling existing collection networks that already handle much of the country’s discarded electronics.
The DoE said it was stepping up monitoring of hazardous waste. A national committee has been formed to monitor hazardous solid and liquid waste discharged into the environment.
A joint enforcement team has begun inspections in Dhaka and surrounding areas, collecting samples and checking compliance. A consolidated report with recommendations will be submitted after the inspections are completed.
The findings point to a widening environmental and public health challenge: without effective collection, safer recycling facilities and meaningful enforcement, Bangladesh risks losing valuable resources while allowing hazardous electronic waste to pose growing threats to workers, communities and ecosystems.