10 billion dollars of electronic waste is wasted every year
According to the information compiled from the report published by the International Forum on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) on the occasion of October 14, International Electronic Waste Day, the amount of electronic waste reaches 9 billion kilograms annually.
The economic size of the portion of electronic waste that is wasted rather than recycled, such as cables, electronic toys, electronic cigarettes, remote controls, computer keyboards, headphones, speakers, electric toothbrushes and small appliances, which defines the WEEE Forum as the “invisible” category among electronic waste, reaches 10 billion dollars every year.
3.2 billion kilograms of this e-waste consists of electronic toys, including racing car sets, electric trains, musical toys, and other robotic devices. In total, 7.3 billion electronic toys are thrown away every year.
ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES WEIGHT OF 6 Eiffel Towers are being unloaded
844 million electronic cigarettes, six times the weight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and 950 million kilograms of cables containing easily recyclable copper cannot be evaluated even if they are electronic waste.
According to the United Nations, the rate of collection of electronic waste for recycling is on average 17 percent in the world, while in Europe it is 55 percent. It is estimated that this year 8 kilograms of electronic waste will be generated per person. .
According to the WEEE Forum, the lack of awareness in society is one of the factors that prevent countries from developing circular economies towards electronic waste.
INCREASE FASTEST IN ASIA
WEEE Forum CEO Pascal Leroy told the AA correspondent that there is no international protocol or agreement to ensure proper recycling of e-waste and its incorporation into the economy, and that progress has been made in this regard in some regions, especially in Europe.
Stating that e-waste generation is increasing most rapidly in the Asian region, with increased population and economic growth here being important factors, Leroy said: “This e-waste, which we describe as invisible, is not noticed due to its nature or appearance, and consumers cannot overlook its recyclable potential.” “It’s lost,” he said.
Noting that incorporating e-waste into the economy will contribute to the supply of critical minerals used in clean energy technologies, Leroy continued as follows:
THE REQUIRED CAPACITY OF THE FACILITIES VARIES BY REGION
“There is no way for the extraction of critical minerals to end. As the population grows, mining will continue and these minerals will be extracted because the need for supply will continue. With the transition to clean energy, we increasingly see the need for these critical minerals for the production of wind turbines or solar panels.
“E-waste, in which these critical minerals are used, must be recycled to contribute to security of supply and meet the need for the production of technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels or batteries.”
Leroy said the facility capacity required for e-waste recycling varies by region.
Emphasizing that this capacity is high in Europe, but the capacity of recycling facilities is insufficient in regions such as Africa and Asia, Leroy added that incentives are needed for recycling facilities to create an economic and financial business model. (AA)