The fourth edition of the Global E-waste Monitoring Report, released by the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research on Wednesday, shows that a record 62 million tons of electronic waste were generated worldwide in 2022, an increase of 82% from 2010. However, only 22.3% of the waste received documented recycling and reuse.
The report vividly points out that these 62 million tons of electronic waste will fill 1.55 million trucks with a load capacity of 40 tons, which can basically circle the equator with their heads connected. These wastes are equivalent to the weight of 107000 of the world's largest (853 seats) and heaviest (575 tons) passenger planes, fully capable of forming a connected fleet from New York to Athens, from Nairobi to Hanoi, or from Hong Kong to Anchorage.
The so-called electronic waste refers to any discarded electronic products with plugs or batteries. Among them, small devices such as toys, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, and electronic cigarettes accounted for 33% of electronic waste in 2022, with a weight of 20.4 million tons; In addition, electronic waste in the categories of small information technology and telecommunications equipment (such as laptops, mobile phones, global positioning system equipment, routers) weighs 4.6 million tons.
Serious shortage of electronic waste recycling
However, the report shows that the recycling and reuse rates of these two types of electronic waste are only 12% and 22% respectively; Meanwhile, the estimated weight of discarded electronic waste in 2022 will reach 14 million tons, with the majority being landfilled.
Geographically speaking, the officially documented recycling and reuse rate of electronic waste in Europe is 42.8%, while the proportion of electronic waste officially recycled in African countries is less than 1%. In addition, Asian countries generate about half of the world's electronic waste, but only a relatively small number of countries have enacted legislation or set clear targets for electronic waste recycling.
The report also found that the cross-border transportation of electronic waste reached 5.1 million tons in 2022, accounting for 8.2% of the global total; Among them, approximately 3.3 million tons (65%) were transported from high-income countries to middle-income and low-income countries in an uncontrolled and unrecorded manner.
Be alert to health and environmental hazards
The report reminds that a large amount of electronic waste has not been recycled, which not only increases the risk of pollution to communities around the world, but also poses a threat to human health; Because these products contain toxic additives or harmful substances such as mercury, which may damage the human brain and coordination system.
Vanessa Gray, Director of the Environment and Emergency Communications Division at the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication Development Bureau, also pointed out that due to insufficient recycling of electronic waste, valuable metals worth $91 billion are currently being wasted. She emphasized that 'we must seize the economic and environmental benefits that proper management of electronic waste can bring, otherwise the digital vision of future generations will face significant risks'.
The gap between the generation and recycling of electronic waste is widening
However, the future situation predicted by the report is not optimistic: the amount of electronic waste generated globally is increasing by 2.6 million tons per year, reaching 82 million tons by 2030, an increase of 33% from 2022; The recycling rate with documented records is expected to decrease from 22.3% in 2022 to 20% in 2030.
The report states that the gap between the generation and recycling of global electronic waste will further widen, influenced by factors such as technological advancements, consumption growth, limited maintenance options, shortened product lifecycles, increasing electronicization of social life, design flaws, and inadequate infrastructure for managing electronic waste.
However, the report still emphasizes that if countries can increase the collection and recycling rate of electronic waste to 60% by 2030, the benefits generated (including minimizing human health risks) will be $38 billion more than the recycling cost.
