LONDON, 07 June. - (ANA) - Global levels of e-waste have surged in line with the increased use of electronic devices. The world generated 62 billion kilograms of e-waste in 2022, up from 34 billion kilograms in 2010, according to a report  by the Global E-waste Monitor. 

 

Only 22% of that e-waste was documented as properly collected and recycled. 

 

The surge in e-waste has also been seen in African countries, which generated 3.5 billion kilograms in 2022, just 0.7% of which was formally collected and recycled. 

 

Most of the top generators of e-waste roughly match the size of the economies (see chart). But on a per capita basis, countries with smaller populations — like Libya, Mauritius, and Seychelles — lead the list. South Africa is fifth on that list producing 9 kilograms of e-waste per capita. 

 

The report notes there has been an improvement in e-waste regulation across the continent since 2010, but only 11 countries had developed national e-waste policy, legislation or regulation by the end of 2022.

 

 

 

 

The world is experiencing significant electronification, including a digital transformation, with technologies profoundly changing the way we live, work, learn, socialize and do business. Many people own and use multiple electronic devices, and the increasing interconnectivity of urban and remote areas has led to a rise in the number of devices and objects linked to the Internet. These include the usual computers and phones, but also a growing list of objects such as household

appliances, e-bikes and e-scooters, health monitors, environmental sensors, electronics embedded in furniture and clothes, more and more toys and tools, and energy-saving equipment such as LEDs, photovoltaics and heat pumps.

 

This growth has seen a concomitant surge in the amount of EEE and e-waste. When EEE

is disposed of, it generates a waste stream that contains both hazardous and valuable

materials, collectively known as e-waste, or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The Global E-waste Monitor has been the foremost source of reporting on this pressing issue since 2014, providing the most up-to-date overview of global e-waste data, statistics, and progress in policy and regulation since 2014. It also provides a look at what the future holds if things change or stay the same. 

 

In 2022, a record 62 billion kg of e-waste was generated globally (equivalent to an

average of 7.8 kg per capita per year); 22.3 per cent of this e-waste mass was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner.

 

In 2010, the world generated 34 billion kg of e-waste, an amount that has since increased annually by an average of 2.3 billion kg. The documented formal collection and recycling rate has increased as well, growing from 8 billion kg in 2010 at an average rate of 0.5 billion kg per year to 13.8 billion kg in 2022.

 

The rise in e-waste generation is therefore outpacing the rise in formal recycling by a factor of almost 5 - driven by technological progress, higher consumption, limited repair options, short product lifecycles, growing electronification and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure - and has thus outstripped the rise in formal and environmentally sound collection and recycling. - (ANA) -

 

To download the full report,visit: https://api.globalewaste.org/publications/file/297/Global-E-waste-Monitor-2024.pdf

 

 

AB/ANA/07 June 2024