The amount of worldwide e-waste generation is expected to exceed 50 million tons by 2020, with an annual growth between 4% and 5%.
This quantity includes 16.8 million metric tons of small equipment; 9.1 million metric tons of large equipment; 7.6 million metric tons of temperature exchange (freezing and cooling) equipment; 6.6 million metric tons of screens and monitors; 3.9 million metric tons of small IT,; and 0.7 million metric tons of lamps.
UN agencies have come together with the World Economic Forum, the Global Environment Facility, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to call for an overhaul of the current electronics system.
A total of 67 countries have legislation in place to deal with the e-waste they generate.
Japan generated 2,139 kilotonnes of e-waste, only 26% of which was formally collected.
On a per capita average basis, each Japanese resident discarded 16.9 kilograms of e-waste, less than the USA and UK average levels (19.4 kg and 24.9 kg per person, respectively) but far above the Asian per capita average of 4.2kg.
The Nigerian Government, the Global Environment Facility and UN Environment have announced a $15-million initiative to kick off a circular e-waste system in Nigeria in 2019.
The amount of global e-waste is expected to grow by 8% per year.
Roughly 40% of e-waste generated in the U.S., Canada, and Europe is exported to Asia, a trade flow that is a source of considerable controversy.
As much as 7% of the world’s gold may currently be contained in e-waste, with 100 times more gold in a tonne of e-waste than in a tonne of gold ore.
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