E-waste is a growing problem
E-waste is the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world. We generate about 50 million tons of it every year. This is equivalent to throwing out 1000 laptops every single second. In some places the amount of e-waste increases with 500 % in the years to come.
Why is electronic waste a growing problem?
E-waste contains extremely toxic chemicals, including: Lead, Cadmium, Dioxins, Furans, Arsenic, Mercury, DDT, PCB, Chromium, Vinyl chloride, Antimony, Beryllium...
The health effects of electronic waste
Birth defects; damage to central and peripheral nervous systems; distorted blood composition; damaged lungs, livers, and kidneys; and death.
Where does the e-waste go?
A lot of e-waste is shipped to Asia or Africa for “recycling”. This may sound good, but in fact it’s just an easy and cheap way to get rid of the enormous amounts of e-waste we generate. A lot of it is simply burned - often by children. Children working in the recycling yards are at an even higher risk for damaging their health than adults.
E-waste is extremely polluting
A vicious circle
Villagers cannot grow their own food because the soils are heavily polluted. To survive, they must work in the recycling industry further degrading their health and surrounding environment.
It’s our everyday products - types of e-waste:
- 31 % - Small electronic equipment such as microwaves, shavers or cameras
- 28 % - Large electronic equipment such as dishwashers and washing machines
- 17 % - Temperature exchange equipment such as fridges or air-conditioners
- 15 % - Screens
- 7 % - Small IT such as computers or phones
- 2 % - Lamps
Distribution of e-waste generation
In absolute terms, Asia produces the most electronic waste followed by Europe and North America. However, Europe has the highest generation of e-waste per capita with 16 kilograms per person and Africa the lowest with 1.7 kilograms per person.
With a growing world population, the problem of e-waste will only get bigger.
World population
All of us, right now
