article_snippet.sent: Harrowing images reveal one of west-Africa's vast electronic graveyards where 'millions of tonnes' of discarded appliances from all over the world - including the UK - are being dumped every year.
article_snippet.sent: Thousands of broken televisions, computers, microwaves and refrigerators are being illegally exported to African countries and dumped gigantic landfills like Agbogbloshie in Ghana because Agbogbloshie in Ghana costs less than recycling Thousands of broken televisions, computers, microwaves and refrigerators in Thousands of broken televisions, computers, microwaves and refrigerators countries of origin, campaigners claim.
article_snippet.sent: Polluted: 'Millions of tonnes' of the world's e-waste ends up in Africa where the world's e-waste is dumped in landfills like Agbogbloshie (pictured) in Ghana's capital Accra .
article_snippet.sent: Defunct televisions, computers and keyboards (pictured) are transported to west-African countries like Ghanabecause 'it is cheaper than recycling it properly in European Union nations' Relic: The whole of the African continent produced only 1.9 metric tonnes of waste and yet 'millions of tonnes' of broken products (pictured) end up there .
article_snippet.sent: Defunct: Shipping broken or unusable equipment (pictured) to Africa is illegal under the Basel convention, according to the Head of United Nations University (UNU) Pollution: Brokers manage to ship containers of illegal e-waste (pictured) to the African continent by fraudulently categorising containers of illegal e-waste (pictured) as 'reusable' Toxic: Old fridges (pictured) that now reside in filthy landfill sites such as Agbogbloshie contain chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which damage the ozone layer .
article_snippet.sent: That dwarfs the 1.9 million tonnes produced by the whole of Africa and yet the African continent's western nations have become a dumping ground for the world's defunct products.
article_snippet.sent: Developed countries export millions of tonnes of electronic waste annually into developing countries such as Ghana,' the group based in Africa claims on the group based in the country website.
article_snippet.sent: Transporting broken or expired electronics to Africa is illegal but brokers exploit a loophole by fraudulently labelling the items as reusable, according to the Head of United Nations University who believes Africa is becoming 'a graveyard for e-waste'.
article_snippet.sent: Dr Ruediger Kuehr believes legal shipments can help close the digital divide between Africa and the west but said: 'If it turns out that this equipment arriving in Africa is no longer of use, there is no longer a market existing or that they are getting real waste…
article_snippet.sent: Aid: UNU believes legal shipments of electronic appliances can help people in Africa who burn components (pictured) to extract scrap metal which they can sell .
article_snippet.sent: Dr Ruediger Kuehr told MailOnline that most of the material being shipped to Africa 'is nothing more than junk' Useless: 1.8 million tonnes of 'large equipment' including washing machines (pictured in Agbogbloshie), clothes dryers, dishwashers and electric stoves was discarded world wide in 2014 .
article_snippet.sent: West African nations like Ghana are  inundated with the world's waste because the continent's eastern and southern countries are implementing measures to prevent the dumping of e-waste (pictured) Victim: Ghana produced only 38,000 metric tonnes of e-waste in 2014 compared to the UK's 1.5 million but the UK landfills have become a graveyard for the world's useless microchips, light bulbs and motherboards (pictured)
article_snippet.sent: This sometimes-illegal and environmentally damaging practice plaguing Ghana is driven by cheap dumping prices in comparison to the cost of recycling in the countries where it comes from.
article_snippet.sent: UNU claims the recycling of e-waste can help developing economies by giving shipping over cheap appliances but most of the equipment reaches Africa broken and useless (pictured) Scavengers: The young men who look through the wreckage in Agbogbloshie, Accra (pictured) are exposed to toxic materials which seep from some discarded products .
article_snippet.sent: Despite millions of tonnes of e-waste and appliances making e-waste and appliances way to Africa, much of e-waste and appliances cannot be sold and is left to rot in the huge landfills .
article_snippet.sent: The escalating global e-waste problem is driven by the rising sales and shortening life cycles of electrical and electronic equipment, according UN Under-Secretary-General and Rector of UNU.
highlights_snippet.sent: Countries illegally export 'millions of tonnes' of e-waste annually to African nations like Ghana, campaigners say .
  