Humans are generating a massive amount of electronic waste, with less than 20% being collected and recycled.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum estimates that the electronic waste “mountain” for 2021 will weigh around 57 million tons, surpassing even the Great Wall of China – the heaviest man-made object on Earth, BBC reported on October 13. This waste includes items such as mobile phones, refrigerators, kettles, TVs, electronic toys, and sports equipment.
The amount of electronic waste generated this year could weigh more than the Great Wall of China. (Photo: EcoWatch/Christopher Koay/Johner Royalty-Free)
According to a 2019 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the global electronic waste is valued at $62.5 billion – higher than the GDP of most countries. “One ton of discarded mobile phones contains more gold than one ton of gold ore,” said Dr. Ruediger Kuehr, director of the United Nations’ Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) program.
The global electronic waste output is increasing by approximately two million tons each year. Experts estimate that less than 20% of this waste is collected and recycled.
By creating products with shorter lifespans and limiting repair options, manufacturers significantly contribute to the increase in waste, according to Pascal Leroy, the director general of the WEEE Forum. “For example, the rapid development of mobile phones has led to a market reliant on the quick replacement of old devices,” Leroy stated.
Consumers may also hesitate to recycle their personal electronic devices. A 2019 study by the Royal Society of Chemistry found that 40 million unused devices are sitting in homes across the UK. This puts pressure on the supply of many valuable and rare materials. Some materials found in smartphones that may be depleted by the next century include gallium, arsenic, silver, indium, yttrium, and tantalum.
“Consumers want to do the right thing but need to be adequately informed. They also require a convenient infrastructure for proper electronic waste disposal to become the social norm,” Leroy remarked.
Leroy also pointed out that recycling electronic devices instead of completely discarding them helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Every ton of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycled helps us avoid about two tons of CO2 emissions,” he said. In the UK, the organization Material Focus has a postcode locator tool that allows people to find the nearest recycling points for items such as toasters and old cables.
