E-waste outbreak turns Earth into a toxic graveyard

As we dispose of a battery, an old charger, or a broken mobile phone, simply and spontaneously, we may not think at the time of the extent of the damage this action causes to the environment and human health compared to other types of waste, especially if this waste is not treated and recycled in an optimal manner.

According to a recent United Nations report, humans produce electronic waste nearly five times faster than we recycle it. This report, titled Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, was prepared by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

E-waste, a health and environmental hazard, contains toxic additives and materials hazardous to the environment such as lead, mercury, cadmium, etc., which can seriously harm the human brain and the human nervous system.

To imagine the magnitude of what this shocking and exhausting acceleration is causing compared to what we got rid of in 2022 alone, 62 million tons of electronic waste could fill 1.55 million 40-ton trucks, that is, enough trucks to encircle the equator.

In contrast, less than a quarter (22.3%) of the mass of electronic waste collected and recycled was properly documented in 2020.

Worldwide, the annual harvest of electronic waste rises by 2.6 million tons, reaching 82 million tons by 2030, a further 33% increase on the 2022 figure.

While the report expects a decline in the documented collection and recycling rate from 22.3% during 2022 to 20% by 2030 due to the widening difference in recycling efforts in relation to the amazing growth in electronic waste generation.

Challenges that contribute to the widening gap include technological advances, rising consumption, limited recycling options, shorter product life cycles, increasingly more electrons in society, design deficiencies, and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure.

The report asserts that if countries can raise e-waste collection and recycling rates to 60 percent by 2030, the benefits — including reduced human health risks — would exceed the costs by more than $38 billion.

The most effective solution remains to dispose of this waste responsibly, not to throw it in containers, and to hand it over to specific parties concerned with recycling it without harming the environment or humans.