The global mountain of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) is set to reach an estimated 57.4 million tons this year, greater than the weight of the Great Wall of China, Earth’s heaviest artificial object, according to data cited by Brussels-based WEEE Forum to mark International E-Waste Day 2021 on 14 October. The figure compares to the 53.6 million metric tons generated in 2019, which was 21 percent higher than in 2014, said the association, adding that the e-waste mountain is set to grow to 74 million metric tons by 2030.
The annual growth of around 2 million tons, or about 3 to 4 percent a year, is attributed to higher consumption rates of electronics, shorter product lifecycles and limited repair options. In Europe, around 11 of 72 electronic items in an average household are no longer in use or are broken, meaning another 4 to 5 kg of unused electrical and electronic products are hoarded in Europe prior to being discarded.
With regard to mobile phones, WEEE Forum cited a French study indicating that 54 to 113 million mobile phones, weighing 10 to 20 tons, are being held in drawers and other storage spaces. In the US, around 151 million or more phones a year, some 416,000 a day, end up incinerated or in landfill, resulting in 40 percent of heavy metals in US landfills coming from discarded electronics.
The association called on households, businesses and governments to get behind efforts to get more dead or unused plug-in or battery-operated products to facilities where they can be either repaired or recycled to recover valuable materials worth billions and reduce the need for new resources.
