Forgotten at the bottom of a drawer or in a closet. A third of the 16 billion smartphones in circulation worldwide will become e-waste by 2022, according to a study by the non-profit association the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment International Forum (WEEE).
Disused mobile phones are the tip of the iceberg of 44.48 million tonnes of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE or D3E) worldwide. From razors to tablets to washing machines, the mountain of unused household electrical waste will reach 74 million tonnes per year by 2030, according to the 2020 Global E-Waste Monitor. “People tend not to understand that all these seemingly insignificant things have great value. Together, globally, they represent huge volumes.”says Pascal Leroy, Director of the WEEE Forum.
Indeed, WEEE represents untapped wealth. Many of them contain strategic metals such as cobalt in batteries or copper in wires. Resources that can be used to produce new electronic devices or equipment, such as solar cells.
UN researchers estimated the value of all these components for 2019 at 48 billion euros, almost equal to the GDP of Côte d’Ivoire. Due to the low recycling rate, one in seven wastes is reused, only $8.5 billion can be recovered.
Devices are stacking up
Equipment that is not recycled is actually kept by its owners. WEEE surveyed 8,775 households in six European countries. On average, each household has 74 electronic products, excluding light bulbs. Out of this total, 13 are unused. If some have acquired the habit of reselling their old terminals, every second person believes that the device can be reused. To explain their choice not to recycle devices, respondents also emphasize sentimental attachment and the potential increase in property value.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations has set a goal of recycling 30% of WEEE. And European legislation is moving in this direction.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.