e-waste levels continue to rise- becoming the fastest-growing domestic waste stream according to UN research

Increasing usage of digital goods and electronics has led to a substantial creation of waste. Electronic waste, or ‘e-waste’ is used to refer to all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) discarded as waste and without the intent of re-use. E-waste can also be referred to as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), electronic waste or even e-scrap depending on the region. E-waste is one of the most complex waste streams in the world, and the failure to recycle electronic goods is responsible for significant loss of valuable raw materials.

In its most recent report on the subject, the UN found that e-waste had reached record levels of 53.6 million tonnes globally in 2019. According to the E-waste Monitor 2020 report: “In just five years, the volume of discarded smartphones, laptops, printers and other electronic devices has jumped 21% worldwide. This e-waste reached a record 53.6 million metric tonnes in 2019, an average of 7.3 kilograms per person, and has become the fastest-growing domestic waste stream.”[i]

The economic cost is significant- UN research carried out in 2017 estimated that e-waste streams at the time harboured the equivalent of $55 billion worth of secondary raw materials[ii], this will be considerably more today given the ubiquitous nature of electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, and televisions.  

A recent study exploring the e-waste impact within the US state of Minnesota (MN) found that if 100% of the 266 million pounds (120,000 tonnes) of e-waste was recycled each year, the value of critical elements recovered would surpass $2.8 billion[iii].

Source: Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability

Challenges related to e-waste recycling

Recycling and extracting valuable components is of course an admirable goal that should be achieved, yet at present the world is failing to make headway on this. There are several challenges in recycling e-waste, as the Ellen Macarthur Foundation recently found- they argued that existing recycling infrastructure is set up for destructive shredding recycling which only recovers a limited number of low-grade metals and plastics. To create a new ‘closed-loop’ infrastructure built to extract all materials would require substantial upfront investment. Further, “electronic products are not conventionally designed to be disassembled, and material quantities can be small, which makes collecting economically viable volumes of materials challenging, especially as devices shrink.”^[iv]

To overcome this impasse, there are a range of potential solutions to help reduce the loss of materials. Firstly, circularity and the reuse of goods and components will help remove materials from the waste system- companies should be encouraged to reuse what they can, perhaps even trading materials with other businesses via a marketplace, these can then be integrated into new products or even refurbished items. Secondly, companies have a responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of their products, and they should help support suppliers and consumers in the drive to limit e-waste. potential solutions here include remote monitoring for emissions, or blockchain to support carbon ledgers.

Calls for the ‘right to repair’ to help alleviate e-waste

One of the biggest issues at present is the modern ‘throw away’ culture where electronic devices are either seen as out of date, or no longer work, and are simply discarded rather than being repaired or refurbished.

Increasing demand for high-spec technological devices has caused increased e-waste, given that these devices are often more complex and more difficult to repair. This has been exacerbated by the use of proprietary parts which cannot be recreated by third parties; thus, consumers must go to the device vendor themselves for parts and repair. According to GWI, 31% of consumers still either throw away old electronics with their household waste, or mix them in with other recyclables like metal and plastic[v]

In our previous blog detailing the ‘right to repair’ which you can find here, we explored some of the legislation changes and rules being introduced to enforce the right to repair,

The EU is also seeking laws on the right to repair, with proposals requiring manufacturers to design products that could last longer and be repaired, instead of needing replacement with a new product. In response to this, and as part of a wider policy of responsible business, leading electronics brands are looking for ways to combat the problem of e-waste.

Key statistics on e-waste and device repair

Source: UN, EU studies

A survey by the Royal Society of Chemistry (May 2022) asked consumers from 10 countries across the world, about their purchasing and recycling habits, uncovering the following statistics:

• Almost three quarters (73%) of people surveyed worldwide said they believe governments should take urgent action to tackle e-waste before the situation gets any worse.
• Just over half (57%) say they worry about the environmental effect of the unused tech devices they have at home, but either don’t know what to do with them or are unconvinced the current processes available in their local area deal with e-waste effectively.[vi]

 

References

[i] There’s something easy we can all do to protect the earth (smh.com.au)

[ii] Electronic waste poses ‘growing risk’ to environment, human health, UN report warns | UN News

[iii] E-Waste Recycling — Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability (irpsmn.org)

[iv] Locked in: what is linear lock-in and how can we break free? (ellenmacarthurfoundation.org)

[v] Sustainability in 2022 Statistics: The e-waste Problem (gwi.com)

[vi] Precious elements: new campaign highlights appetite for more sustainable electronics (rsc.org)

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