World will sink in 52 mn tonnes of e-waste by 2021: UN

Washington, December 16: The United Nations has warned that waste from discarded electronics like mobile phones, laptops and refrigerators is piling up worldwide, and urged for better recycling of the hazardous rubbish.

“Environmental protection is one of the three pillars of sustainable development E-waste management is an urgent issue in today’s digitally dependent world, where use of electronic devices is ever increasing,” said Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

“The Global E-waste Monitor serves as a valuable resource for governments developing their necessary management strategies, standards and policies to reduce the adverse health and environmental effects of e-waste,” said Zhao.

In 2016, 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste were generated, an increase of 3.3 million metric tonnes, or 8 per cent, from 2014. Also, only about 20 per cent, or 8.9 million metric tonnes, of all e-waste was recycled.

With 53.6 per cent of global households now having Internet access, national e-waste policies and legislation play an important role governing the actions of stakeholders who are associated with e-waste.

Currently 66 percent of the world population, living in 67 countries, is covered by national e-waste management laws, a significant increase from 44 percent in 2014.

Low recycling rates can have a negative economic impact. In 2016, it was estimated that e-waste contained rich deposits of gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium and other high value recoverable materials, whose total value is estimated at $55 billion, a figure exceeding the gross domestic product of most countries in the world.