This reduction is equivalent to removing over 33 million cars from the road for one year. While every generation of electronics gets a little more efficient, we should make our phones, tablets, TVs, and computers last as long as possible to reduce the amount of e-waste sent to landfills and most of our electronics still go unrecycled. Coffee cups, Styrofoam plates, and thin, film-like plastics are among the commonly used items that are often found in offices and also cannot be recycled . Many items can be repaired rather than replaced, often much more cheaply than simply spending on a newer model.
E-waste management market value worldwide 2020-2028, Global electronic waste management market value in 2020 and 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars), E-waste management market size worldwide 2021-2029, Global electronic waste management market size in 2021 and 2029 (in million tons), E-waste management market size in Asia-Pacific region 2020-2021, Asia-Pacific electronic waste management market size in 2020 and 2021 (in million tons), Global electronics recycling market size 2022-2027, Size of the global electronics recycling market from 2022 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars), Outlook on global e-waste generation 2019-2030, Projected electronic waste generation worldwide from 2019 to 2030 (in million metric tons)*, Global e-waste generation per capita outlook 2019-2030, Projected electronic waste generation worldwide per capita from 2019 to 2030 (in kilograms per capita)*. The United States produces too much trash. ICT e-waste includes computers, laptops, smartphones, and other similar devices. 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%. In 2018, the recycling, composting, combustion with energy recovery and landfilling of MSW saved over 193 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E). There has been an increase year on year since e-waste data started being collected in 2014. Generation decreased 1 percent between 2005 and 2010, followed by a rise in generation of 7 percent from 2010 to 2017. 1 billion mobile phones and 300 million computers are produced every year. This trash ends up in landfills, is burned in incinerators, or finds its way into our environment, where it litters our parks and beaches, pollutes our oceans, and can harm the wildlife that come into contact with it. There was an increase from 23.4 million to 24.9 million tons of food and yard trimmings composted between 2015 and 2018. Most e-waste does not get disposed of properly and releases harmful pollutants into the environment. In 2018, 17.7 million tons of food (28.1 percent of generation of wasted food) was managed through animal feed, co-digestion/anaerobic digestion, bio-based materials/biochemical processing, donation, land application and sewer/wastewater treatment. In 2018, plastic products generation was 35.7million tons, or 12.2 percent of generation. Every year, as of 2017, New Zealand generates approximately 99,000 tonnes (20.1 kg per capita) of electronic waste, of which 97,000 tonnes is disposed of in landfills. With lack of ease and possible fees to recycle e-waste, it seems like an uphill battle to tackle this growing waste problem that comes with toxic materials that are thought to be detrimental to human health upon exposure. There are huge opportunities here for smart entrepreneurs, said Gray. Best of Earth911 Podcast: Biodel Ag CEO Ben Cloud on Accelerating Soil Restoration With Sequester, Solar Panel Recycling in the US: a Looming E-waste Concern, Tips for Recycling Computers, Phones, & Other E-waste Successfully.\n \t
That has left the transport of spent e-waste overseas a controversial practice. Thankfully, the world is slowly waking up to the scale of this problem. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. For starters, more countries need to enact responsible e-waste legislation. Currently, only 78 countries have adopted any sort of e-waste legislation or policy. In 2018, it was about 12 percent. The generation rate in 1960 was just 2.68 pounds per person per day. 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. As the report notes, hiding inside all of that unrecycled e-waste is also $57 billion worth of recoverable gold, silver, platinum, and other precious metals. It's never been done at this scale, but experts think the plan might work. 103 million tons (206 billion pounds) of food waste was generated in the United States in 2018, the equivalent of over 450,000 Statue of Liberties. It feels as if electronics were made to be thrown out every year, right? What do you do with older electronics that are no longer useful to you? When e-waste materials are not recycled, new raw materials are required to create new EEE. The amount of MSW combusted with energy recovery increased from zero in 1960 to 14 percent in 1990.\n \t
In lower income countries, the picture is less clear, as e-waste is mostly managed informally. The recommendations and analytical framework under the Road Ahead encouragethe consideration of multiple environmental benefits when developing materials management strategies. E-waste is unique among the many rivulets making up our larger waste stream. This chart shows the change in global greenhouse gas emissions over time. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Estonia, Norway, and Iceland have the best electronic waste recycling rates in terms of the percentage of waste that each country produces, according to the latest available data. This is one issue that each of us can help to tackle at an individual level. Brands spend billions creating consumer demand for the latest models, leaving older technology obsolete and unwanted even when it remains serviceable. Last year the ITU approved a new environmentally friendly standard for a universal charger for laptops and other portable devices. Several electronic stores will accept electronics for recycling at no cost, including Best Buy and Staples. Cant live without that new phone that just came on the market? 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. Other nonferrous metals are calculated in WARM as mixed metals. data than referenced in the text. Recycling rates have varied over the years and may have been lower initially before global awareness of the issue was raised, and more countries introduced legislation to enable proper recycling. The International Telecommunication Union, one of the groups behind the publication of the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, has set a target of getting 50 percent of the worlds nations to enact such legislation by 2023which would mean getting the current number up from 78 to 97 over the next three years. The total generation of MSW in 2018 was 292.4 million tons, which was approximately 23.7 million tons more than the amount generated in 2017. Researchers cannot accurately track where it ends up. The toxic materials such as mercury and BFR plastics that are found in e-waste have a negative effect on the environment and health of people or animals that come into contact with it. When disposed of improperly, these chemicals can be released indefinitely into the air, soil or water which is detrimental to ecosystems as well as human populations. However, using the latest data that we do have, it is possible to make an estimate. 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