The World’s E-Waste Has Reached a Crisis Point
1 year ago

The World’s E-Waste Has Reached a Crisis Point

Wired  

The phone or computer you’re reading this on may not be long for this world. If you can’t repair it and have to discard it, the device will become e-waste, joining an alarmingly large mountain of defunct TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, cameras, routers, electric toothbrushes, headphones. A new UN report finds that in 2022, humanity churned out 137 billion pounds of e-waste—more than 17 pounds for every person on Earth—and recycled less than a quarter of it. That also represents about $62 billion worth of recoverable materials, like iron, copper, and gold, hitting e-waste landfills each year. Courtesy of UN Global E-waste Statistics Partnership “What was really alarming to me is that the speed at which this is growing is much quicker than the speed that e-waste is properly collected and recycled,” says Kees Baldé, a senior scientific specialist at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and lead author of the report.

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History of this topic

E-waste provides $6 billion opportunity for metal extraction
1 month, 2 weeks ago

E-waste provides $6 billion opportunity for metal extraction

Deccan Chronicle  

India holds a $6 billion potential of extracting secondary copper, iron, aluminium and gold from e-waste. However, just $1.1 billion is being recovered currently.India generated 3.8 million metric tons of e-waste in 2024 and it is expected to rise almost twice in the coming years due to the growing number of appliances, and shorter replacement cycles.Secondary metal extraction holds a …

Dealing with Australia's mountain of electronic waste
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Dealing with Australia's mountain of electronic waste

ABC  

Sabra Lane: Unwanted electronic devices are becoming a major waste problem as manufacturers and tech companies race to release new technology. It concerns Microsoft's decision to end support for its Windows 10 operating system in October will result in millions of kilograms of computers added to the junk heap posing a huge environmental problem. Rhiana Whitson : As technology accelerates, …

Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy Netflix documentary highlights important issue
4 months, 1 week ago

Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy Netflix documentary highlights important issue

Daily Mail  

A CGI image of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge buried in mountains of rubbish has hammered home the sheer scale of electronic waste we throw away each year. The documentary showed an AI-generated image of the world's e-waste dumped on Sydney Recycling facilities in India have been found to release mercury, zinc and lead into local water and …

Generative AI will soon generate millions of tonnes of electronic waste, study suggests
5 months ago

Generative AI will soon generate millions of tonnes of electronic waste, study suggests

ABC  

Generative artificial intelligence is curating your social media feed, studying your bank loan application, drafting legislation and giving you directions. A new study, published today in Nature Computational Science, has estimated generative AI could generate up to 2.3 million tonnes of electronic waste per year by 2030. The authors found extending the life span of existing computer infrastructure, reusing reusable …

The shocking extent of Earth's plastic crisis: 220 MILLION tonnes of waste are set to be generated this year - the equivalent of 650 Empire State Buildings
6 months, 3 weeks ago

The shocking extent of Earth's plastic crisis: 220 MILLION tonnes of waste are set to be generated this year - the equivalent of 650 Empire State Buildings

Daily Mail  

The shocking extent of Earth's plastic crisis has been laid bare in a new report. Experts have warned that the world is on track to generate a whopping 220 million tonnes of plastic waste this year The report comes as the world reaches Plastic Overshoot Day - the day humanity's plastic waste surpasses our capability to handle it This year …

Electronic waste increasing at concerning rate: Report
1 year ago

Electronic waste increasing at concerning rate: Report

Live Mint  

In a world where electronic devices have become an indispensable part of daily life, increasing electronic waste is a significant problem globally. The new report predicts a decrease in the documented collection and recycling rate of e-waste from 22.3% in 2022 to 20% by 2030. This is because of the widening difference in recycling efforts relative to the massive growth …

Silicon mountain: Our obsession with electronics is drowning the world in e-waste
1 year ago

Silicon mountain: Our obsession with electronics is drowning the world in e-waste

Salon  

Whether it's for work, school or keeping up with friends and family, we all rely on electronic devices for our daily lives. "E-waste presents very visible and obvious challenges to the environment and human health, while many of the solutions can be extremely effective but less visible," said report co-author Vanessa Gray, who heads the Environment and Emergency Telecommunication Division …

E-waste from trashed electric devices is piling up and recycling isn’t keeping pace, UN says
1 year ago

E-waste from trashed electric devices is piling up and recycling isn’t keeping pace, UN says

Associated Press  

NAIROBI, Kenya — U.N. agencies have warned that waste from electronics is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further. In a report released Wednesday, the U.N.’s International Telecommunications Union and research arm UNITAR said some 62 million tons of “e-waste” was generated in 2022, enough to fill tractor-trailers that could be lined …

Over 700million pounds of Amazon's 'recyclable' plastic packaging is dumped into environment each year - where chemicals infest livestock, human organs and even clouds
1 year ago

Over 700million pounds of Amazon's 'recyclable' plastic packaging is dumped into environment each year - where chemicals infest livestock, human organs and even clouds

Daily Mail  

It's the environmental disaster hiding in plain sight - a new report finds that Amazon's 'recyclable' plastic packaging generates 709 million pounds of waste each year. Adding insult to injury, the new report found Amazon's so-called 'recyclable' plastic requires customers to drive their waste packaging to special 'store drop-off locations where plastic film is accepted.' The new report, from US …

Explained: Why addressing invisible e-waste is important
1 year, 5 months ago

Explained: Why addressing invisible e-waste is important

Live Mint  

The focus of this year’s International E-waste Day, held on 14 October, was invisible electronic waste, a growing problem across the world. Currently, unused cables, electronic toys, power tools, vaping devices, and countless other consumer items often not recognised by people as e-waste, amount to 9 billion kilograms of e-waste or one-sixth of all e-waste worldwide, according to the Waste …

Around 844 MILLION vapes are dumped worldwide every year - equivalent in weight to six Eiffel Towers, figures reveal
1 year, 5 months ago

Around 844 MILLION vapes are dumped worldwide every year - equivalent in weight to six Eiffel Towers, figures reveal

Daily Mail  

Around 844 million vaping devices are dumped worldwide each year - equivalent in weight to six Eiffel Towers. Around 844 million vaping devices are dumped worldwide each year, new figures have revealed That's the equivalent in weight to six Eiffel Towers, according to researchers from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research Around nine million tonnes of 'invisible' e-waste …

Wade Cawley on a mission to save tonnes of e-waste from landfill
1 year, 10 months ago

Wade Cawley on a mission to save tonnes of e-waste from landfill

ABC  

Wade Cawley's love of repurposing electronics started in high school when he would take home decades-old laptops to fix up and reuse. Australia's e-waste woes More than 50 million metric tonnes of electronic waste are generated worldwide per year, yet only 20 per cent is formally recycled. Mr Cawley said the statistics are alarming but poor resourcing in Australia means …

Single-use plastic waste rises from 2019-2021 despite pledges
2 years, 1 month ago

Single-use plastic waste rises from 2019-2021 despite pledges

The Hindu  

Polluting single-use plastic production rose by 6 million tonnes per year from 2019 to 2021 despite tougher worldwide regulations, with producers making "little progress" to tackle the problem and boost recycling, new research showed on Monday. But while growth has slowed recently, the production of single-use plastic from "virgin" fossil fuel sources is still nowhere near its peak, and the …

What needs to change in India’s e-waste policy? - The Hindu
2 years, 4 months ago

What needs to change in India’s e-waste policy? - The Hindu

The Hindu  

Do you remember what happened to the last 3 mobile phones in your family and that are not in use anymore? If you are kicking yourself for letting electronic waste piling up in this manner, you can draw consolation from the fact that you aren’t alone in this world. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum recently conducted surveys whose …

Right intent, confusing content
2 years, 8 months ago

Right intent, confusing content

The Hindu  

Last month marked a decade since the E-waste Rules came into effect in India. This shift from collection rate targets in the current Rules to recycling rate targets in the proposed Rules is another important change. If the Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board decide to go ahead with recycling targets, they should come up with guidelines on how …

Smartphones contribute to 12% of global e-waste, report says
3 years, 3 months ago

Smartphones contribute to 12% of global e-waste, report says

The Hindu  

Smartphones contribute to 12% of global e-waste, and it will continue to rise unless measures are taken to counter it, according to research report by Counterpoint. High consumption has already led them to be listed as ‘endangered metals’, as they are available in limited quantities "In the discarded e-waste, most of the devices containing lithium-ion batteries pose a significant risk …

E-waste management warrants introspection, reexamination, and course correction
3 years, 5 months ago

E-waste management warrants introspection, reexamination, and course correction

Firstpost  

It is time we seriously examine our consumption and disposal of electrical and electronic equipment and make it environmentally conscious Ecologically sensitive management of e-waste threatens to become one of the defining challenges of our times. A combination of factors like growing industrialization, economic prosperity, shorter product lifespans and planned obsolescence by manufacturers have led to increased rates of e-waste …

Nearly 25 lakh tonne e-waste generated in country in past 3 years: Govt
4 years, 6 months ago

Nearly 25 lakh tonne e-waste generated in country in past 3 years: Govt

India TV News  

As much as 24.94 lakh tonnes electronic waste was generated in the country in the past three years, the Ministry of Environment informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, adding that India’s electronic-waste generation is increasing every year. Responding to a query, Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo told the Lower House that for the 21 types of notified Electrical …

World is on track to generate 74 mn metric tonnes of e-waste annually by 2030: Report
4 years, 8 months ago

World is on track to generate 74 mn metric tonnes of e-waste annually by 2030: Report

Firstpost  

E-waste is also a source of plastic waste, which, if not recycled, can contribute to global warming. According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2020, global e-waste generation will reach 74 million metric tonnes per year by 2030 – almost double the figures reported in 2014. People globally produced 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste in 2019, as per the report, …

E-waste recycling has doubled, says Centre
5 years ago

E-waste recycling has doubled, says Centre

The Hindu  

The government said it more than doubled the electronic waste it recycled in 2018-19 over 2017-18, according to a response to a question in the Rajya Sabha this week. Data provided The approximate estimated generation of e-waste in FY 2017-2018 for electrical and electronic equipment based on the sales data of 244 producers was 7,08,445 tonnes of which 69,414 tonnes …

Australians create 67 million tonnes of waste each year. Here's where it all ends up
5 years, 3 months ago

Australians create 67 million tonnes of waste each year. Here's where it all ends up

ABC  

Recycling has never been bigger news. "We have way too much of a view that it's just waste and you just throw it out," says Gayle Sloan, the CEO of the Waste Management Association of Australia. The recycling company Visy calls this "wish-cycling" — where people hope materials can be recycled, but their presence actually dooms other perfectly good recyclables …

Where’s our e-waste going?
5 years, 7 months ago

Where’s our e-waste going?

The Hindu  

D o you remember where the Walkman you bought 20 years ago is? Red alert Studying the consumption and disposal patterns of electronic giants — since the first e-waste rules were notified in India in 2011 — is New Delhi-based environmental research organisation, Toxics Link. The companies were rated on several criteria such as take back policy, RoHS compliance, e-waste …

China's recyclable e-waste to double in value to $24 billion by 2030: Greenpeace
6 years ago

China's recyclable e-waste to double in value to $24 billion by 2030: Greenpeace

Firstpost  

Rising levels of consumption may drive the economic value of recyclable metals up by 2030. The potential value of recyclable metals in discarded mobile phones, laptops and desktop computers in China will more than double to around $24 billion by 2030, environmental group Greenpeace forecast on Thursday. China, the world’s largest mobile phone market, is trying to promote recycling of …

World throwing away £50bn of electrical waste every year, UN warns
6 years, 2 months ago

World throwing away £50bn of electrical waste every year, UN warns

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While a shift towards cloud computing and the “internet of things” is expected to result in fewer new materials …

AP PHOTOS: Belgian experts seek e-waste gold in climate curb
6 years, 3 months ago

AP PHOTOS: Belgian experts seek e-waste gold in climate curb

Associated Press  

BERINGEN, Belgium — Mark Adriaenssens and his colleagues are looking for gold — and other precious materials — all in a quest to save the planet. While thousands of delegates are debating how to best fight climate change at U.N. talks in Poland, experts are gathering up old electronic equipment from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, helping to manage one …

India among top five nations in e-waste generation; adding majorly to that pile are Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu: Report
6 years, 9 months ago

India among top five nations in e-waste generation; adding majorly to that pile are Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu: Report

Firstpost  

India is among the top five e-waste generating countries in the world besides China, the US, Japan and Germany, according to a report released by Assocham and NEC New Delhi: India is among the top five e-waste generating countries in the world besides China, the US, Japan and Germany, according to a report. Among states, Maharashtra contributes the largest e-waste …

India among top five countries in e-waste generation: Study
6 years, 9 months ago

India among top five countries in e-waste generation: Study

The Quint  

New Delhi, June 4 Despite the government's emphasis on Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan and Smart Cities project, India continues to be among the top five countries generating e-waste, an ASSOCHAM-NEC recent study said here on Monday. In India, Maharashtra contributes the largest e-waste of 19.8 per cent but recycles only about 47,810 TPA whereas as its counterparts Tamil Nadu recycles about …

India produces 2 million tonnes of e-waste every year, and the new regulations are not helping deal with it
7 years, 2 months ago

India produces 2 million tonnes of e-waste every year, and the new regulations are not helping deal with it

The Hindu  

Last month, the United Nations reported a startling statistic: the world generated 44.7 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2016 — equivalent to the weight of some 4,500 Eiffel Towers. And despite new rules that have come into place to safely process this hazardous material, close to 80% of e-waste — old laptops and cell phones, cameras and air conditioners, …

Plastic trash could top 13 billion tons by 2050. And recycling doesn’t help much
7 years, 8 months ago

Plastic trash could top 13 billion tons by 2050. And recycling doesn’t help much

LA Times  

Humans make more plastic than just about anything. A total of 9.1 billion tons of plastic have ever been produced, with half coming in the last 13 years, according to a new analysis in Science Advances. 9.1 billion Tons of plastic ever produced 6.9 billion Tons of plastic waste produced 5.4 billion Tons of plastic discarded in either a landfill …

India is world's 5th largest producer of e-waste: Study
8 years, 10 months ago

India is world's 5th largest producer of e-waste: Study

India TV News  

New Delhi: India, which is has emerged as world's second largest mobile market, is also the fifth largest producer of e-waste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tons of electronic waste each year, a study says. The telecom equipment alone accounting for 12% of the e-waste, a joint study by Assocham-KPMG said. "India has surely emerged as the second largest mobile …

69% of Chandigarh has no clue about e-waste; do you?
9 years ago

69% of Chandigarh has no clue about e-waste; do you?

Hindustan Times  

In this age of electronics, we barely give a second thought on how we dispose of our old TVs, ACs, refrigerators or mobile phones. 69% of the city’s population does not even know what e-waste is with 91% not even aware that there are eight special bins placed in the city. Yet, 69% of the city’s population does not even …

Flip Side of India’s Electronic Boom is a Massive Chunk of E-waste
9 years, 8 months ago

Flip Side of India’s Electronic Boom is a Massive Chunk of E-waste

The Quint  

India’s volume of e-waste is large and growing. Economic growth has meant growing electronic waste – a UN Report entitled ‘Recycling – From E-waste to Resources’ estimated that in comparison to 2007 levels, e-waste in India from computers and mobiles in 2020 would rise 500% and 18 times respectively. As per the E-Waste Rules 2011, the producer of the electronic …

Africa's 'electronic graveyards' where the West dumps PCs, laptops and more
9 years, 11 months ago

Africa's 'electronic graveyards' where the West dumps PCs, laptops and more

Daily Mail  

Some contain toxic materials like lead and mercury which damage environment and people sifting through them Countries illegally export 'millions of tonnes' of e-waste annually to African nations like Ghana, campaigners say New report says 41 million metric tonnes of electronic waste worth a staggering £34billion was discarded in 2014 Harrowing images reveal one of west-Africa's vast electronic graveyards where …

India came in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany, the report said-India TV News
9 years, 11 months ago

India came in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany, the report said-India TV News

India TV News  

India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tonnes of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014, a UN report has said warning that the volume of global e-waste is likely to rise sharply by 21 per cent in next three years. The 'Global E-Waste Monitor 2014', compiled by UN's think tank United Nations University, …

Is e-waste an untapped treasure?
11 years, 1 month ago

Is e-waste an untapped treasure?

BBC  

Is e-waste an untapped treasure? If current trends continue, by 2017, the annual amount of e-waste produced globally will reach 65.4 million tonnes – that’s roughly 20% of the weight of all the people living on Earth. “The e-waste issue has exploded, and will continue to explode because of increased production of electronic equipment – anything with a battery or …

Inside Ghana’s electronic wasteland
11 years, 4 months ago

Inside Ghana’s electronic wasteland

Al Jazeera  

Accra, Ghana – On a piece of charred land near the centre of this sprawling capital city, the detritus of modern technology is put to flame. “We don’t want to dispose, we want to recycle,” Jürgen Meinel, City Waste’s founder, told Al Jazeera. He envisions setting up a network of electronic waste collection points spread around Ghana’s regional capitals, and …

Researchers worried precious metals lost in e-waste recycling
11 years, 9 months ago

Researchers worried precious metals lost in e-waste recycling

ABC  

Gold, copper, platinum and palladium are all precious metals Australians are throwing away by sending old televisions, telephones and computers overseas. "Currently in Australia there's no one doing 100 per cent recycling," he said. It means Australia is losing out on precious metals, for example one tonne of old mobile phones can contain well over 100 kilograms of copper, three …

E-waste: Rethink, Reuse, Recycle
13 years, 11 months ago

E-waste: Rethink, Reuse, Recycle

Firstpost  

Technology is ever changing. Apart from the rising local e-waste, countries like China, India and South Africa also have to deal with e-waste that is dumped in from around the world, and this calls for stringent measures in handling e-waste as it not only impacts the environment, but also has several health hazards. Rohan Gupta, COO, Attero Recycling, points out …

US communities adopt electronic waste laws, recycling programs
14 years ago

US communities adopt electronic waste laws, recycling programs

China Daily  

There is a growing problem of what to do with electronic waste such as old televisions, computers, radios, cellular telephones and other electronic equipment. National Solid Wastes Management Association state programs director Chaz Miller says the large amount of electronic waste Americans generate is not unexpected. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 400 million consumer electronic items are …

Toxic electronic waste poses increasing risk
15 years, 1 month ago

Toxic electronic waste poses increasing risk

The Hindu  

Developing countries face increasing environmental and health hazards from electronic waste unless toxic materials are collected and recycled properly, according to a United Nations report released on Monday. China produces an estimated 2.3 million tons of e-waste annually, and though the country has banned e-waste imports, it remains a major dumping ground for waste from developed countries, the report said. …

E-waste: a fortune of future?
16 years, 11 months ago

E-waste: a fortune of future?

Hindustan Times  

As heaps of obsolete and discarded electronic components are fast becoming a matter of concern in most third world countries, e-waste could be easily converted into a fortune using some microbes. HT Image The discarded electronic products often contain several hazardous and toxic materials, including metals like lead, mercury and iron, which can be retrieved from the trash in pure …

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