The Global E-waste Monitor (GEM) report alerts that the global electronic waste (e-waste) generation is increasing five times faster than recycling.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) published a report on Wednesday.
The report stated that in 2022, the amount of electronic waste produced was 62 million tonnes, equivalent to filling around 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks. If you line up these trucks, they would encircle the equator.
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E-waste generation skyrockets
The report shows that metals like copper, gold, and iron make up 50% of the total 62 million tonnes worth around $91 billion. These crucial raw metals and cobalt are necessary to make batteries.
Vanessa Gray, who is in charge of the Environment & Emergency Telecommunications Division at the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, highlighted the importance of proper electronic waste management for economic and environmental benefits. Without it, the digital goals of future generations could be at risk.
Plastics comprise 17 million tonnes, while composite materials and glass, among others, account for the remaining 14 million tonnes.
Worldwide, the amount of electronic waste produced yearly is increasing by 2.6 million tonnes. By 2030, it is estimated to hit 82 million tonnes, marking a 33% surge from the 2022 total.
The report predicts that the reported collection and recycling rate will decrease from 22.3% in 2022 to 20% by 2030. This is due to the growing difference between recycling efforts and the increase in global e-waste generation.
Challenges that contribute to such an increasing gap are advancements in technology, increasing consumption, limited repair options, the short lifespan of products, increasing reliance on electronics in society, and insufficient infrastructure to manage electronic waste.
According to Kees Baldé, the main author from UNITAR, the current electronic waste recycling only meets less than 1% of the demand for the important rare earth elements. He highlighted the urgent need for more investment in developing infrastructure, promoting repair and reuse, building capacity, and stopping illegal e-waste shipments.
Electronic waste, referring to any discarded product with a plug or a battery, harms health and the environment as it contains toxic substances like mercury. It can damage the human brain as well as the coordination system.
Based on the amount of electronic waste generated per person, Europe is the highest at 17.6 kg, followed by Oceania at 16.1 kilograms, the Americas at 14.1 kilograms, Asia at 6.4 kilograms, and Africa at 2.5 kg.
In terms of e-waste collection and recycling, Europe and Oceania had more than 40% of their e-waste managed correctly. In contrast, the Americas had 30%, Asia had 11.8%, and Africa had just 0.7%.
Europe and Oceania handled more than 40% of their e-waste correctly, while the Americas managed 30%, Asia managed 11.8%, and Africa managed only 0.7%.
The lag in recycling efforts
The number of countries implementing e-waste policies has slowed down. Only 81 countries (42%) have adopted e-waste policies, falling short of the ITU target of 50% (97 countries) by 2023.
The global e-waste generation was 34 billion kilograms in 2010, and it has been increasing by an average of 2.3 billion kilograms annually since then. However, the formal collection and recycling rate increased by 0.5% from the 13.8 billion kilograms figure in 2010.
The number of patent applications for e-waste management has significantly increased from 148 per million in 2010 to 787 per million in 2022. However, technology has remained the same.
Despite the importance of rare earth minerals for future technologies, the world heavily relies on a few countries for their production.
Around 20 billion kilograms of e-waste, about one-third of the total, comes from small devices like toys, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, and e-cigarettes. However, only 12% of this group gets recycled.
