According to the Korean Federation for an Environmental Movement, Korea is a country where IT is highly developed, but it is also a country that exports a lot of electronic waste. A few years ago, many people were concerned about this issue due to the campaign called “Zero E-waste Day.” However, people’s interest was not sustained. Electronic waste is still a serious issue, and it will become more severe in the future. The UN predicts that in 2017, the weight of electronic waste will be 200 times as heavy as the Empire State Building. To reconsider the seriousness of e-waste and seek some advice, The Argus met Kim Mi-hwa, the secretary general of an Non-Government Organization (NGO) called “Solidarity for a Resource Circulated Society.”

The Argus: Please introduce yourself to The Argus readers.
Kim Mi-hwa (Kim): Hello, my name is Kim Mi-hwa. I am the secretary general of an NGO called “Solidarity for a Resource Circulated Society,” and have been working for the protection of the environment for almost 30 years.

The Argus: Can you tell us about the NGO, “Solidarity for a Resource Circulated Society”?
Kim: Solidarity for a Resource Circulated Society is an NGO that was first established in 1997 to solve general waste problems. Small NGOs, which thought a lack of laws regulating waste issues was a serious problem, gathered together and worked under the name of “The Council for the Movement to Solve Waste Problems.” We are trying to make an environmentally sustainable and resource-circulated society by proposing policies, managing the proper disposal of waste, and cooperating with government, companies and citizens.

The Argus: How did you start working for the environment?
Kim: At first, I did some cultural activities in the 1980s and visited a nuclear power plant located in Yeonggwang by chance. There, I heard the story of a worker who died of cancer because of the side effects of radioactivity. After hearing about this incident, I searched for some similar cases and got interested in environmental problems. Also, I was sure environmental problems would be much more important issues in the future. I thought someone should deal with these serious issues and I decided to be that person.

The Argus: As a member of “Solidarity for a Resource Circulated Society,” what have you done to solve the e-waste problem?
Kim: I thought the most important thing to solve e-waste problems was to change the attitude of companies since what consumers can do is quite limited.
Therefore, I researched the actual conditions of e-waste disposal by visiting all over the country. I investigated who disposes the electronic waste and how it affects the environment. Based on these results, I informed the government and companies of the severity of the problem and proposed many ways to change the flawed system.
For example, I suggested an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system which is a system that makes companies take responsibility for their own products. The system has been implemented since 2003.
I also suggested an improved collection system that helps to dispose of e-waste more easily. In the past, people had to pay money to dispose of broken electronics, and the process was very complicated. However, nowadays the only thing they have to do is to call the Electronic Waste Collection Center. Workers from the center visit clients’ houses and collect the broken electronics for free. Now, consumers do not have to worry about the expenses. The free collection system is available only in Korea.
Thus, I feel my job is worth doing when the system changes through my suggestions.

The Argus: What was the hardest thing you faced while you were doing those things, and how did you resolve the problem?
Kim: To strongly recommend a regulation to the government or to warn companies about their negligence, we make a thorough examination by visiting the related sites. For example, if six million refrigerators are disposed of but only three million are recycled, we look for the other three million refrigerators. I put a lot of time and effort into the investigation. I knew that finding every missing product was impossible, but I tried my best.
The formation of the new collection system was a big success; however, it was hard for me to satisfy all the stakeholders related to this issue. For example, I had some conflict with the junk shop workers. They earn money by buying broken or old electronics and selling expensive components. However, while breaking down a machine, toxic substances can escape, and it is hard to identify where the other components go. The collection system was made to prevent this kind of problem from occurring. However, the law makes junk shop workers lose their livelihoods. In this situation, we tried to come to understand each other by having deep conversations. Currently, I am thinking about some method in which the government and junk shop workers can cooperate.

The Argus: Can you briefly explain how serious the e-waste problem is?
Kim: Global organizations like the UN and UNESCO have presented some research data showing that the amount of e-waste is increasing. For example, the UN reported that the amount of electronic waste disposed of all over the world is nearly 50 million tons every year. Actually, when visiting the related sites, I could tell the report was not a lie.
Some e-waste is illegally exported to developing countries such as India, China, and various countries in Africa. The people in those countries may be vulnerable to heavy-metal contamination.

The Argus: What country is the most exemplary when it comes to handling the e-waste issue? What should Korea learn from that country?
Kim: I think Germany is the best country when it comes to handling the e-waste issue. Germans are well informed of the way to throw away electronic waste and are strictly observing those regulations. Unlike Koreans, they usually live in a house, so it is hard to dispose of electronics. However, despite this inconvenience, they separate and dispose of items very well so that all of the e-waste produced in the country is recycled within the country.
The Korea government should emulate the German government’s proper disposal education programs. Koreans have to learn, their developed sense of citizenship to observe the regulations and actively participate.

The Argus: What should the government and companies do to solve the problem?
Kim: It seems like solving e-waste issues are quite complicated, but they are perhaps very easy. Electronic waste produced in Korea should be recycled in Korea with technical equipment.
However, a lot of companies evade their responsibilities to maximize their profit. Companies have a social responsibility to minimize environmental pollution, so they must put some effort into recycling their companies’ e-waste as much as they can.
What the government needs to do is to make system enabling companies to recycle their products. Setting up precise laws for products with ambiguous recycling properties is an example. The government should also educate people on the right way to throw away unusable electronics.

The Argus: In your opinion, how much do people in their twenties recognize the magnitude of the problem?
Kim: I think people in their twenties do not recognize the seriousness and also evade the issue. There are many ways to get information, so saying “I did not know” is definitely not an excuse.
I want young people to be concerned about environmental issues including the e-waste problem. Being aware of social issues is the first step to becoming a member of a society.

The Argus: Why should people in their twenties pay attention to the e-waste problem?
Kim: As I said, I think people in their twenties lack the ability to think about the future. Of course, there are no direct results that we can see and feel. However, abnormal weather and extra-strengthened fine dust are the result of environmental problems that we neglected in the past. Also, these are warnings about what is to come in the future. Young people have to pay attention to these problems because these are the issues they will face.

The Argus: What can we do to mitigate this problem?
Kim: It cannot be emphasized enough that they should think seriously about the importance of the environment and resources. Also, they should think about whether it is necessary to buy a new electronic device or not. Recently, as the competition among companies has grown, they are using various marketing tools to mesmerize vulnerable young consumers. However, consumers have to think independently regardless of companies’ efforts.

Most 20-year-olds are indifferent to the e-waste issue. However, by having an interview with the secretary general, we could feel her interest in environmental issues. As she said, we are in an inseparable relationship with the environment, so we always need to be aware of it. We should not forget how valuable our environment is.