Each year, the total amount of electric and electronic equipment the world uses grows by 2.5 million tonnes. Phones, radios, toys, laptops if it has power or battery supply its likely to join a growing mountain of e-waste after use, writes Vanessa Forti, programme associate at the United Nations University.
In 2019 alone, the world generated 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste. Thats about 7.3 kilograms per person and equivalent in weight to 350 cruise ships.
Asia produced the lions share 24.9 million tonnes followed by the Americas (13.1 million tonnes) and Europe (12 million tonnes), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 and 0.7 million tonnes respectively.
By 2030, the global total is likely to swell to 74.7 million tonnes, almost a doubling of the annual amount of new e-waste in just 16 years. This makes it the worlds fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fuelled mainly by more people buying electronic products with shorter life cycles and fewer options for repair.
These products can help improve living standards, and its good that more and more people can afford them.
But growing global demand is outpacing our capacity to recycle or dispose of electronic products safely. Once theyre obsolete and discarded, these products can end up accumulating in the environment, polluting habitats and harming people and wildlife.
E-waste recycling
Only 17.4% of 2019s e-waste was formally collected and recycled.
Since 2014, the amount of recycled e-waste has only grown by 1.8 million tonnes each year. The total amount of e-waste generated increased by 9.2 million tonnes over the same period. At the same time, the amount of undocumented e-waste is increasing.
In new research, we found that Europe has the highest collection and recycling rate, covering about 42.5% of the total e-waste generated in 2019.
Asia ranked second at 11.7%, the Americas and Oceania were similar at 9.4% and 8.8%, and Africa had the lowest rate at 0.9%. What happened with the rest (82.6%) of the worlds e-waste generated in 2019 isnt clear.
In high-income countries, around 8% of e-waste is thought to be discarded in waste bins, while 7%-20% is exported. In lower-income countries, the picture is less clear, as e-waste is mostly managed informally.
How the world managed e-waste in 2019
Without a reliable system of waste management, toxic substances contained in e-waste, such as mercury, brominated flame retardants, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, are more likely to be released into the environment and harm the people who live, work and play in e-waste scrapyards.
Mercury is used in computer monitors and fluorescent lighting, but exposure to it can cause brain damage. We estimated that about 50 tonnes of mercury is contained in these undocumented flows of e-waste that end up in the environment each year.
E-waste doesnt just pose a health risk though. It also contributes directly to global warming. Dumped temperature-exchange equipment, found in fridges and air conditioners, can slowly release greenhouse gases. About 98 million tonnes are thought to leak from scrapyards each year, equivalent to 0.3% of global emissions from the energy sector.
Aside from toxins, e-waste also contains precious metals and useful raw materials, such as gold, silver, copper and platinum. The total value of all this discarded as e-waste in 2019 has been conservatively valued at US$57 billion (45 billion) a sum greater than the GDP of most countries.
But since only 17.4% of 2019s e-waste was collected and recycled, just US$10 billion of this was recovered in an environmentally responsible way. Only 4 million tonnes of raw materials were made available for recycling.
Thankfully, the world is slowly waking up to the scale of this problem. As of the end of 2019, 78 countries, covering 71% of the worlds population, either had a policy for managing e-waste or were putting regulation in place an increase of 5% from 2017. But in many of these countries, policies still arent legally binding and regulation isnt enforced.
As researchers, well continue to monitor the worlds e-waste to support the creation of a circular economy and sustainable societies. We hope that our efforts to track this growing problem can spur governments to act with an urgency that reflects the scale of the challenge, with laws and enforcement that can drastically increase the proportion of e-waste thats recycled safely.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original articlehere.
Photo Credit Pixabay
Read more from the original source:
Global electronic waste up 21% in five years, and recycling isn't keeping up - Environment Journal
- Pope Francis to visit Asia and Oceania in September - Crux Now - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- EY Weighs Another 100 Job Cuts in Oceania, The Australian Reports - Bloomberg - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Oceania Cruises Announces New 2025-2026 Tropics and Exotics Collection - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Pope Francis to visit 4 nations across Asia and Oceania in September - Vatican News - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Oceania Cruises Announces New 2025-26 Tropics and Exotics Collection - Cruise Industry News - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Pope Francis will head to Asia and Oceania in September for his longest foreign trip yet - America: The Jesuit Review - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Oceania Cruises Announces New Tropics and Exotics Collection for 2025-2026 - Porthole Cruise and Travel - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Per Berth Prices Rise for Oceania and Regent Newbuilds - Cruise Industry News - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Pope Francis to embark on tour of Southeast Asia, Oceania in longest papal trip - Bakersfield Now - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Pope will take his longest trip: to Asia-Oceania in September - Aleteia - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Asia/Oceania I: Korea, Republic maintain perfect record with another 3-0 win - Billie Jean King Cup - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Highlights of Billie Jean King Cup 2024 tennis tournament Asia-Oceania - Xinhua - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Oceania Cruises Announces New Tropics and Exotics Collection - Recommend Magazine - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- VATICAN Pope Francis will be in Southeast Asia and Oceania from 2 to 13 September - AsiaNews - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Oceania Triathlon continental titles on the line in Taupo this weekend World Triathlon - World Triathlon - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- DHL Express introduces dedicated flight between Sydney and Hong Kong to cater to Oceania-North Asia trade demand - payloadasia.com - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Vatican announces long-awaited papal visit to Asia and Oceania - Macao News - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- EY confirms 148 jobs gone in mass redundancy round across Oceania - The West Australian - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Hosts Tonga launch campaign with dominant victory against American Samoa - Oceania Football Confederation - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Oceania Cruises unveils 2026 around the world voyage on Vista - TTG Asia - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Sea Control 501 Multilateral Approaches to Maritime Security in Oceania with Zach Ota | Center for International ... - CIMSEC - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Oceania set to open booking for $60K, 180-day around-the-world cruise - Business Insider - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Oceania Cruises Announces 2026 Around the World Voyage Aboard Its Newest Ship, Vista - PR Newswire - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- The Oceania Vista will sail the world in 2026 - Travel Weekly - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Oceania Announces 2026 Around the World Voyage Aboard Vista - Cruise Industry News - March 12th, 2024 [March 12th, 2024]
- Oceania Championships: Record-breaking Samoan Opeloge and Australia's Elliott make moves in Olympic rankings - International Weightlifting Federation... - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- Hawaii-based 'Indo-Pacific Support Cutter' focused on Oceania is on its first Pacific deployment - Honolulu Star-Advertiser - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- PNG and Vanuatu to participate in inaugural FIFA Series - Football in Oceania - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Escalation is feared after tribal conflict: The only way to avoid it is on-site dialogue - Agenzia Fides - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- Brazil claim record-extending 6th FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup - Oceania Football Confederation - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- NMI's Aiden Gimed wins silver in Oceania Weightlifting Championships - Marianas Variety News & Views - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- Fiji U20s secures 39-25 win over Tonga at round 1 of Oceania Rugby U20s Challenge - Fijivillage - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- Vakuruivalu wins bronze in the senior men's 109kg category at the Oceania Weightlifting Championship - Fijivillage - February 27th, 2024 [February 27th, 2024]
- 5G subs in SE Asia & Oceania to hit 550M by 2029-end - Nation Thailand - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- AI image generator Stable Diffusion perpetuates racial and ... - University of Washington - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- APCO and AIP partner to strengthen Oceania packaging industry - Packaging Gateway - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Solomon Islands to host OFC Women's Champions League in March - Friends of Football - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Tahiti tournament next prize for Wellington Olympic or Auckland City - Friends of Football - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Gordon Treanor joins $3bn drinks giant Suntory Oceania - The Shout - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- LoL esports announces Japans LJL will join Oceania in PCS ... - Dexerto - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- NZ Festival of Squash in Tauranga attracts top world and Oceania ... - Bay of Plenty Times - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Sisters Stephanie and Caley McNair gain international smallbore ... - Hawkes Bay Today - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Australian Superbike: Herfoss Earns Pole Position At "The Bend" - RoadracingWorld.com - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- From boys' football to the Ferns in a year the rapid rise of winger ... - Friends of Football - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Global protein production expected to slow, but persist in 2024 - MEAT+POULTRY - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Catching up after the weekend? Heres all the top results and all on ... - Friends of Football - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- All Blacks Sevens chart new beginnings in the HSBC SVNS Series - allblacks.com - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- The Dominican Republic to host WBSC Americas U-15 Baseball ... - World Baseball Softball Confederation - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- XXX BFA Asian Championship starts Sunday, qualifies three teams ... - World Baseball Softball Confederation - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Oceania - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- 5 Things You Should Know About: Oceania - WorldAtlas - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- Oceania Healthcare (NZSE:OCA) Is Paying Out Less In Dividends Than Last Year - Simply Wall St - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- 'Wingspan' Oceania Expansion Announced for Release Soon on iOS, Android, Switch, Xbox, and PC TouchArcade - Touch Arcade - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Oceania and Africa rising in university rankings - The PIE News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- South Asia And Oceania Pea Fiber Consumption Is Expected To Grow By Nearly 2x By 2032 - openPR - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- PET Type Antiblock Masterbatch Market Size reach to 82.50 million USD in 2022-2027 With Impact of domestic and global market Top players: Review by... - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure launches on March 14, 2023 in North America; March 17 in Europe and March 24 in Oceania - RPG Site - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- A 5G-proficient workforce will be in high demand: Nitin Bansal, MD, India & Head Networks, South East Asia, Oceania And India, Ericsson - The... - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Being in India more critical than ever: Ericssons Mirtillo | Mint - Mint - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Sedin lands in Melbourne with Steve de Mamiel at the helm - ARNnet - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Heavy Machinery Maintenance & Repair Demand Is Set To Reach A Valuation of US$ 284 Bn Billion 2032; Owing To Technology Integration into Service... - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- WWII Ship Sunk In Oceania Shows Up In Dried-Up Californian Lake Officials Have No Idea How It Got There - IFLScience - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- EY Oceania Strengthens Transformation Capability Through The Business Acquisition Of Red Moki - The Balance - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- World University Rankings 2023: trends analysis - Times Higher Education - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- How Africa is still paying the most for the lowest-quality internet - Benjamindada.com - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Global population hits 8 billion soon, but shrinks by 2100 - Big Think - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Banana Genomes Hint at Hidden Species We Urgently Need to Find - ScienceAlert - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Boxing: Kiwi heavyweight Hemi Ahio ready for the spotlight - New Zealand Herald - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- An unbeatable moment to leverage: 2023 Womens World Cup must win hearts to change minds - The Guardian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Architectural Services Sales Is Anticipated to Reach US$ 426.3 Bn by 2032; Rising Urbanization to Act as Key Drivers | Fact.MR's Study - GlobeNewswire - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Oceania unveils world cruise and other long voyages for 2025 - Travel Weekly - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Sailing to the Baltic Sea's top port cities with Oceania - Cruise Passenger - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Oceania Dairy tanker driver injured after truck rolls in South Cantebury - Stuff - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Study Highlights Wide Variation in Mortality of Spondyloarthritis, IBD Across the Globe - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Earth had its 6th-warmest August on record - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Humans have caused unprecedented changes to rivers - Earth.com - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- From boat to bike: Georgie Howe's rapid rise to the pro ranks - CyclingTips - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Turbulence not over: Asahi pushes canned beer and healthier innovation as cost pressures heighten - FoodNavigator-Asia.com - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Auckland City keep quadruple title hopes alive with Chatham Cup football final win - Stuff - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Cruise Lines That Don't Require a COVID-19 Vaccination - Cruise Fever - September 3rd, 2022 [September 3rd, 2022]