Today is International E-Waste Day , designed to raise awareness of the huge and still growing problem of all of the electrical and electronic waste that we are busy filling the world up with. As part of that awareness raising the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum (WEEE Forum) has released some pretty worrying statistics . According to their figures, in 2021, human beings will throw away around 57.4 million tonnes (approximately 63.3 million U.S. tons) of electronic waste . To put that number into perspective, it will weight more than the the Great Wall of China, the world's heaviest human construction. This is why the WEEE Forum is calling out for these items to be repaired or recycled instead of discarded. "This year's focus for International E-Waste Day is the crucial role each of us has in making circularity a reality for e-products," Pascal Leroy, the Director General of the WEEE Forum said in a statement. "This is more important than ever as our Governments go into COP26 to discuss global action to reduce carbon emissions . Every tonne of WEEE recycled avoids around 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions. If we all do the right thing with our e-waste we help to reduce harmful CO2 emissions." 2021's mountain of waste didn't grow out of nowhere. In 2019, humans generated 53.6 million tonnes (approximately 59.1 million tons), up 21 percent from 2014. If nothing changes, that number is supposed to hit 74 million tonnes (approximately 81.6 million tons) by 2030, meaning that e-waste is growing by about three to four percent every year. The WEEE Forum attributes this growth to the growing consumption of electronics, smaller periods between new product releases and limited options for repairing broken items. The perfect example of this cycle is in the way that we buy and discard smartphones at an incredible rate. "Fast mobile phone development, for example, has led to a market dependency on rapid replacement of older devices," Leroy told BBC News . In the U.S. alone, around 151 million phones end up in landfills or incinerators every year, which amounts to 416,000 a day, WEEE Forum said. Overall, only 17.4 percent of electronic waste is properly recycled worldwide. Clearly, this is waste on an epic scale both financially and ecologically. "A tonne of discarded mobile phones is richer in gold than a tonne of gold ore," Dr. Ruediger Kuehr, director of the UN's Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme, said in a statement. "Embedded in 1 million cell phones, for example, are 24 kg of gold, 16,000 kg of copper, 350 kg of silver, and 14 kg of palladium — resources that could be recovered and returned to the production cycle. And if we fail to recycle these materials, new supplies need to be mined, harming the environment." Recovering these metals from electronic waste would also burn fewer greenhouse gas emissions than mining for new materials. In honor of International E-Waste Day, the WEEE Forum is calling on everyone to do their part by making sure they dispose of their waste correctly. "We hope to raise awareness among citizens of the importance of returning electricals that are no longer functioning or are unused," Leroy told Australia's ABC News . "In Europe, one out of seven electricals in the household is sitting in drawers because they are not used or not functioning." However, industry and policymakers also have important roles to play in creating the recycling and repair systems consumers can easily use. As Magdalena Charytanowicz of the WEEE Forum says "Consumers want to do the right thing but need to be adequately informed and a convenient infrastructure should be easily available to them so that disposing of e-waste correctly becomes the social norm in communities." Industry needs to implement improvements, governments need to encourage information and initiatives like the French Repairability Index , and we all need to be a lot more conscious about how often and how we dispose of our electonic devices.

Not surprised that mobile phones are a huge contributor. People tend to chuck them away when their contracts end so that they can get a nice, new device (myself included). Although, I won't be doing it this time

Ash Although, I won't be doing it this time Glad to hear it 🙂

The main e-waste at our house is USB cables I don't know why, but they get damaged, and some ot them is not the cheapest ones. I am glad that there are the centers which collect all waste and recycle it. Especially if it is a big fridge or washing machine.

We have the same problem, they seem to just destroy themselves after almost no time.

Piri The main e-waste at our house is USB cables I have sooooooo many that don't work!

International E-Waste Day - The huge amounts we throw away - EKO Diena

International E-Waste Day - The huge amounts we throw away

Piri

I am Ashlynn Don't feel one in this 😉

Ash

Piri This is a huge problem with Android Auto if you want to connect your phone to your car. For some reason, the cables just stop working with AA but the cable itself won't actually have a problem. And no one knows why it happens.

Piri

Ash Didn't know I have a car charger, but it is a bit old fashion not USB and I am not sure how does it call, but never had any issues.

Ash

Would that be the cigarette lighter socket thing? I think those tend to be a lot more reliable. The USB ports are always a bit buggy. Hopefully, my next car will have wireless functionality to connect my phone to the car.

Piri

Ash Would that be the cigarette lighter socket thing?

Yes!

Arvīds

My supermarket has a collection box for old electronic items, I'm not sure where they send them after that though.

Piri

Actually in Lidl here in Lithuania we have small electronic items like cables collection, battery collection, ect. It is quite comfortable because anyway people going to the store.

Still it is important don't collect all the waste or just buy and buy more.

I am Ashlynn

Piri Actually in Lidl here in Lithuania we have small electronic items like cables collection, battery collection, ect.

Lidl here in the UK has the same thing.

Ash

I love that supermarkets have collections for old batteries. We tend to collect them for a bit and then drop them off at one of the supermarkets in one go.

Piri

I am Ashlynn we kind of consider this shop eco friendly. At least they offer ecological products for very good affordable price. So to buy olive oil, tofu, plant based 'milks' ect. Is.very comfortable. You don't need to go to a special store.

As well I had noticed a massive improvements in all of main general stores. In the last couple of years everywhere there is a great section of vegan/vegetarian products. We almost tasted already all of them and with some we are super happy.

Ash

Lidl is definitely eco-friendly. It is the one store near us that has containers to store things like cereal and nuts in-store. You can then just grab a bag or something to take what you want. Would love to see more stores do that.

I am Ashlynn

Ash Would love to see more stores do that.

It's really nice. I just forget to take bags or container with me and end up using the plastic ones there, still better than a lot of packaging though probably 🙂

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

I just discovered this.

It's an Elephant sculpture made of 30,000 used batteries. I know it is not the best way to recycle them but I guess they will after it is taken down and it was made to raise awareness of how many get thrown away.

https://www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk/news/life-sized-elephant-made-from-used-batteries-goes-on-display-at-hanwell-zoo/217974/

Ash

Wow, that is a crazy amount of batteries. Looks pretty cool though and I'm sure little kids love seeing that up close.

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

Ash Wow, that is a crazy amount of batteries.

I know right!

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