LIBRARY
Sound e-waste management
for a healthy environment
Photo by ITU ©
What is e-waste ?
The term "e-waste" is an abbreviation of "electronic and electrical waste". A key part of the definition is the word "waste" and what it logically implies – that the item has no further use and is rejected as useless or excess to the owner in its current condition. E-waste includes almost any household or business item containing circuitry or electrical components with either power or battery supply.
Although e-waste is a general term, it can be considered to denote items such as TV appliances, computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, white goods - for example, fridges, washing machines, dryers.
E-waste categories
Infographics by ITU, Baldé et al., 2015a
The challenge
The world produces 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste a year. By 2050, e-waste generation is expected to reach 120 million tonnes. We must come together to address this growing challenge.
E-waste is one of the fastest growing and most complex waste streams. It is often managed informally and traded illegally, with severe impact on the environment and human health.
Many countries do not have suitable infrastructure for e-waste collection, reuse and repair, and recycling rates are low. The e-waste challenge is further fuelled by a lack of awareness.
By not managing e-waste, we are losing valuable resources, valued at €55 billion every year. By management e-waste better, we can generate sustainable enterprises and green jobs and bring about a thriving circular electronics economy.