🌱 How much e-waste was produced?
According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced in 2022. This amount would be enough to “fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough trucks to form a bumper-to-bumper line encircling the equator”. The annual production of e-waste is rising by 2.6 million tonnes annually. From 2010 to 2022, the global e-waste production rose by 82%. By 2030, the annual production of e-waste is predicted to rise by another 32% and reach 82 million tonnes.
🌱 How much was properly collected?
Less than a quarter (namely 22.3%) of the e-waste mass produced in 2022 was recorded as “properly collected and recycled”. Notably, “[s]ince 2010, the growth of e-waste generation is outpacing the formal collection and recycling by almost a factor of 5”. The report outlines that there is a “widening difference in recycling efforts relative to the staggering growth of e-waste generation worldwide”. By 2030, it is therefore predicted that the documented collection and recycling rate will drop 20%. The report says that “technological progress, higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, society’s growing electronification, design shortcomings, and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure” all contribute to the gap between what is produced and what is recycled.
🌱 How much e-waste was there in Europe?
On average, Europeans produced 17.6kg of e-waste per capita in 2022. The largest amounts of e-waste per capita were produced in Norway (27kg), the UK (24kg), Switzerland (23kg), France (22kg) and Iceland (22kg). A total of 13 billion kg of e-waste were produced in Europe in 2022. The production of this e-waste released 16.6 billion kg of CO2 equivalents and 6 million kg of mercury emissions into the environment. Of the e-waste produced in Europe in 2022, 5.6 billion kg or 42.8% were recorded as “properly collected and recycled”.
🌱 What potential for recycling is there?
In 2022, recoverable natural resources from e-waste worth US$ 62 billion were left unaccounted for globally. While these resources are strategically valuable, they were dumped or wasted in huge quantities. Currently, only 1% of the global demand for rare earth elements is met through e-waste recycling. This means that most countries are heavily dependent on a select few countries for the rare earth elements they need for future technologies. Amongst others, rare earth elements are needed for e-mobility and renewable energy technologies. The report finds that “if countries could bring the e-waste collection and recycling rates to 60% by 2030, the benefits […] would exceed costs by more than US $38 billion”. As e-waste contains hazardous and toxic components, proper collection would also minimize the risks to the environment and to human health.
Read the full report here: https://ewastemonitor.info/the-global-e-waste-monitor-2024/