According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2017 report our worldwide e-waste rose with 8 procent in de last two years. The report predicts that e-waste will increase an additional 17 percent by 2021 and will reach 52.2 million metric tons.
In 2016 44,7 million metric tonnes of e-waste were generated, its equivalent to the weight of 4,500 Eiffel Towers.
As ITU reported: “Discarded equipment, such as phones, laptops, fridges, sensors, and TVs contain substances that pose considerable environmental and health risks, especially if treated inadequately. Most e-waste is not properly documented and not treated through appropriate recycling chains and methods. At the same time e-waste streams challenge the efforts towards a circular economy as valuable and scarce resources are wasted.”
The Global E-waste Monitor 2017 is a joint effort of the ITU, the United Nations University (UNU) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).
Download the Global E-waste Monitor 2017.
Read also this Reuters article about this report and also this article at the Huffington Post.
