A fresh report from UN experts has found that the rate of e-waste production is five times higher than the reported recycling rate. This literally buries billions of US dollars into the ground every year, simultaneously harming the environment and the health of citizens. Only 1% of the demand for rare elements is met through recycling and this statistic is only getting worse.
According to a report by ITU and UNITAR, the 62 million tons of e-waste generated in 2022 could fill 1.55 million 40-ton trucks—enough vehicles to circumnavigate the Earth bumper-to-bumper at the equator. Of this volume, only 22.3% of e-waste is documented to be recycled. As a result, $62 billion worth of valuable (unrecovered) resources were sent into the ground and into landfills, which also increased the risks of environmental pollution.
The analysis showed that the amount of electronic waste worldwide increases every year by 2.6 million tons. Thus, by 2030, the annual volume of waste production will reach 82 million tons, or 33% more than in 2022. All this, the UN once again emphasizes, poses a risk to human health in the form of toxic substances and compounds that can damage the human brain and nervous system as a whole.
Moreover, taking into account already established recycling practices, experts say that without fundamental changes in this area, the share of recycled waste will decrease. Specifically, from 22.3% in 2022 to 20% in 2030. This will be driven by technological progress, higher consumption, limited repair capabilities, shorter product life cycles, the increasing “electronization” of society, design flaws and inadequate waste management infrastructure. electronic waste.
The report notes that if countries could increase e-waste collection and recycling rates to 60% by 2030, the benefits, including through minimizing risks to human health, would outweigh the costs by more than $38 billion.
Additionally, the report said the world “remains staggeringly dependent” on a few countries for rare earths, despite their unique properties critical to future technologies including renewable energy generation and e-mobility. UN experts are calling for changes in approaches to the collection and disposal of electronic waste, including support for the repair and extension of the life of electronics. The full 37-page report is available here.
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