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Just a few years ago, it was difficult to consider discarded flower pots as e-waste. However, continuous technological advances such as digital self-watering flower pots are transforming even ordinary products. And the amount of e-waste is increasing.
The world’s growing e-waste pile includes all discarded products with batteries and plugs, from mobile phones, dishwashers and small toys to the latest generation of flowerpots.
According to the latest Global E-waste Monitor, the world produced a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022. Only 22% of that waste was formally recycled. An equal amount of e-waste ended up in landfills, including circuit boards, wires, and the metals, glass, and plastics that encase electronic components.
It’s time to tackle the global e-waste crisis. All of us – consumers, manufacturers and governments – need to do better to tackle this growing challenge.
As we focus on the world’s larger sustainability and development challenges, we must accept the fact that e-waste is one of the world’s fastest growing waste streams.
E-waste not only increases the overall amount of waste, but also billions of dollars in lost valuable resources such as gold, copper, and silver, which are prevented from being reused. This increases the risk of contamination in the community. And additional mining will be required to meet demand. In 2022 alone, $62 billion worth of natural resources were discarded without being recovered.
What can you do?
Everyone, including manufacturers and purchasers of electronic equipment, should strive to follow the ‘waste hierarchy’. We all need to prevent electronic waste by reusing, repairing and recycling our electronic devices.
When a cell phone no longer serves an individual’s needs, it should be given to someone who can use it. Products that can be fixed should be fixed. You also need to ensure that equipment is disposed of in a responsible manner once it reaches the end of its useful life.
Manufacturers must adopt smarter designs and produce products with longer lifespans. Electronic equipment should be easy to repair. Design elements such as reducing the amount of adhesive used on circuit boards make them easier to recycle. Engineers can also design products with fewer structural materials such as plastics, which also reduces waste.
Governments also have an important role to play.
In February, the EU reached an agreement on new ‘right to repair’ legislation to encourage manufacturers and resellers to adopt more sustainable business models, extend lifespans and promote repair and reuse. Strengthening regulations at national and regional levels will help address the growing e-waste problem.
By recognizing the e-waste challenge and addressing it through legislation, governments can set clear goals, create a fair and economically viable regulatory environment, and drive the transition to a circular economy for electronics. need to do it.
Currently, only 42% of countries have laws regarding e-waste. Yet, only a few companies are properly implementing, enforcing, and properly funding environmentally responsible e-waste management.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is co-creating the Global E-waste Monitor with UNITAR and is providing technical assistance to increase the number of countries covered by e-waste laws globally. Data shows that countries covered by the law have an average e-waste collection rate of 25%. In the majority of countries without laws, the proportion remains close to zero.
Electronics are essential to the functioning of our world. In the case of information and communication technology, electronic devices can also be the engine that supports development. One of our key global challenges is connecting the 2.6 billion people around the world who are not online. They too deserve the benefits of digital connectivity.
Enabling everyone to connect everywhere will inevitably require new electronics, but while ensuring the critical raw materials mined for today’s electronics are collected and recycled, waste is We also need to reduce the generation of.
Behind the data is Global e-waste monitor Billions of people around the world are feeling the impact of the growing challenge to e-waste. Our planet also bears the brunt of mineral extraction and pollution. Fortunately, this research also points the way to a cleaner, more sustainable future. If we all do our part, that future will be ours.
Cosmas Luckyson ZabazawaPhD is Director of the Department for Telecommunications Development (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
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The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary articles are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the author’s opinions or beliefs. luck.
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