More than 5.3 billion mobile phones alone are expected to be discarded this year.Barano Zdemir/iStock/Getty Images
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Electronic waste, or e-waste, has become a major global problem as technology becomes more and more developed. Every year, consumers toss last year’s smartwatches and phones for the latest models. Some people send their old devices out for recycling, but many keep them in junk drawers or throw them in landfills. The International Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum estimates that in 2022, more than 5.3 billion mobile phones alone will be discarded.
According to the WEEE Forum, there are approximately 16 billion mobile phones in use worldwide, of which more than 5 billion are expected to end up in e-waste this year. Despite the many valuable resources such as gold, copper, silver and palladium that can be recycled from old mobile phones, consumers either throw them in the trash or hoard them.
The WEEE Forum conducted a survey from June to September this year and found that the average European household has 74 electronic products such as phones, tablets, laptops, hair tools, appliances and other devices. I understand. Of that, the average European household stores 9 unused and 4 broken electronics.
LED lamps are one of the top litter items, and washing machines and discarded white goods are the largest amount of e-waste by weight. Phone Rank No. 4 Small electronic items that are unused or damaged but kept or kept.
A survey revealed the top five reasons people keep unused or broken electronics.
- 46% say they may use the item again someday
- 15% said they plan to sell or give away the item
- 13% say they keep these items for their emotional value
- 9% say the value of the product may increase over time.
- 7% simply don’t know how to dispose of these products.
WEEE Forum Executive Director Pascal Leroy said in a statement: “This year’s focus has been on small e-waste because it accumulates unused and unnoticed at home or in ordinary trash cans. “People realize that all these seemingly insignificant things have a lot of value and that when taken together on a global level they represent a huge amount.” tend not to notice.”
The findings were shared as part of International E-Waste Day. The WEEE Forum makes it easy for consumers to collect her E-waste through various initiatives, such as placing collection boxes in grocery stores and providing mailers for consumers to have their products mailed. We want to be able to recycle. We provide recycling and collection services for old products when companies deliver new electronics.
Recycling keeps these products out of landfills, but the WEEE Forum also stresses that hoarding of old electronics is also contributing to e-waste and needs to be cleared for recycling.
Magdalena Charytanowicz, Communications Manager at WEEE Forum and Head of International E-Waste Day, said: All solar panels are integral to the green digital transition to a low-carbon society. ”
In addition to individual action to reduce e-waste, we also need policies and initiatives by governments and businesses. The United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the WEEE Forum, and the Initiative to Solve the E-Waste Problem (StEP) have published a paper outlining ideas for broader solutions to e-waste.
“Each year, International E-waste Day is a reminder of the avalanche of problems we face unless we do something about it. It could more than double tonnes,” says the Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) program of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). “We need to understand this increase and address it with all stakeholders: national authorities, enforcement agencies, producer responsibility organisations, OEMs, recyclers, researchers and consumers themselves.”
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