Electronic Products & Technology

E-waste is piling up, recycling not enough, U.N. says

By Moses Ndungu and Jamey Keaten, Nairobi, Kenya (AP)   

Electronics Environmental Supply Chain E-waste environmental

More than 22% of the e-waste mass was properly collected and recycled in 2022

U.N. agencies have warned that electrical and electronic waste is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further. The agencies define “e-waste” as any discarded device with a plug or battery, including cellphones, electronic cars and toys, TVs, e-cigarettes, laptop computers and solar panels.

In a new report released on Mar. 20, 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 up bumper to bumper around the globe. It’s on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030.

Employees dismantle laptop waste at WEEE center recycling plant, a collection point where people can deposit old electric equipment in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, March. 20, 2024. U.N. agencies have warned that electrical and electronic waste is piling up worldwide while recycling rates continue to remain low and are likely to fall even further. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Metals — including copper, gold and iron — made up half of the 62 million tons, worth a total of some $91 billion, the report said. Plastics accounted for 17 million tons and the remaining 14 million tons include substances like composite materials and glass.

The U.N. says just over 22% of the e-waste mass was properly collected and recycled in 2022. It is expected to decline to 20% by the end of the decade because of the “staggering growth” of such waste due to higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, growing “electronification” of society, and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure, the agencies said.

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Half of all e-waste is generated in Asia

They said some of the discarded electronic devices contained hazardous elements like mercury, as well as rare Earth metals coveted by tech industry manufacturers. Currently, only 1% of the demand for the 17 minerals that make up the rare metals is met through recycling.

About half of all e-waste is generated in Asia, where few countries have laws on e-waste or collection targets, according to the report. Recycling and collection rates top 40% in Europe, where per-capita waste generation is highest: nearly 18 kilograms (39 pounds). In Africa, which generates the least of any of the five big global regions, recycling and collection rates hover at about 1%, it said.

“The latest research shows that the global challenge posed by e-waste is only going to grow,” said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, head of the ITU telecommunication development bureau. “With less than half of the world implementing and enforcing approaches to manage the problem, this raises the alarm for sound regulations to boost collection and recycling.”

Searching trash for coveted commodities

For some, e-waste represents a way to earn cash by rummaging through trash in the developing world to find coveted commodities, despite the health risks.

At the Dandora dumpsite where garbage collected from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi ends up — even though a court declared it full over a generation ago — scavengers try to earn a living by picking through rubbish for e-waste that can be sold to businesses as recycled material.

Steve Okoth hopes the flow continues so he can eke out an income, but he knows the risks.

“When the e-waste comes here, it contains some powder which affects my health,” he said, adding that when electronic devices heat up, they release gases and he “can’t come to work because of chest problems.”

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