I'm back from a week in Ghana, participating in a training programme for e-scrap workers in that country. The training sessions were very ably conducted by Jenny Hughes and Stephen McBride, both from Datec Technologies, in Scotland. Some pictures from the training sessions below:
Here one of the trainees is taking apart a CRT screen, a job which they usually do without gloves and goggles, and with the use of only a hammer… Better to do it like this, avoiding release of phosphorus-bearing dust into the air, and lead-containing glass onto the ground.
Trainees hard at work on a number of different items. Spot the location of the safety goggles… I had to remind the chap what they were for.
Dismantling various items, gloves and goggles where they should be. One wonders how long they are likely to stay in place when they get back to their regular work.
A wide variety of e-scrap, including CRT screens, copper cables, PC boards, etc. This selection includes fractions with real value, and fractions with negative value. Essential to link these in the logistical and processing chain, so that some of these fractions do not continue ending up in the lagoon near Agbogbloshie, or in the smoke above it, while the copper is sold for profit.
Perhaps not too surprising, but not all participants were excited all the time…
