As Christmas is approaching for tech lovers as well, there is a surprising environmental cost to be reckoned with: a fresh mountain of obsolete electronic gadgets. On average, the total weight of global Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) consumption increases annually by 2.5 Mt. One of the biggest challenges of the transition to a circular economy is E-Waste. Electronic waste is any electronic equipment that has been discarded; it includes phones, computers, printers, microwaves and many other electrical devices.
According to the Global E-Waste monitor, the world generated 53,6 Mt of e-waste in 2019. And it is meant to reach 74,4 Mt of e-waste by 2030 if nothing is done.
In 2019, Asia generated the highest quantity of e-waste in the world, accounting for 47% of it. Though, Europe has actually the highest generation of e-waste per person. This gap can be explained when looking at how developed countries dispose of their electronic waste. A common practice among First World countries is to use the developing countries as their dumpster. E-Waste is no exception to the rule and so it is massively shipped to the poorest countries for an insignificant amount of money. This partly explains why the disposal of E-waste today is barely tracked: only 17,4% of the total electronic waste was declared as collected and recycled.
Electronic waste is not only viewed as an environmental issue but also regarded as a health issue. Disposed electronics contain a colossal amount of toxic chemicals such as mercury, lead, beryllium and cadmium. And when those electronics are not properly handled during disposal, all the listed chemicals end up in our soil, water and air.
The economic loss cannot be overlooked either: Americans throw away an estimated $55 billion in e-waste material annually.
Though here, the mass-consumption society is not the only one to blame for the exponential increase of electronic waste; the brands behind the products share part of the blame. In the world of today, most electronics do not reach their full life expectancy with the first user. In recent decades, more and more electronics are made not to last. Even more than in the fashion world, electronics such as phones, computers, TVs and even earphone are considered almost obsolete when the new version comes out. This concept was emphasized with Apple: as soon as Apple releases a new iPhone it proposes new updates that can only be done on the new phone. As applications in the Appstore follow the new update, several apps stop functioning on the older versions of the iPhone (an iPhone 4 is completely obsolete today). So even if you did not want a new phone you would be forced at some point to change.
Hence, what can be done to solve the e-waste crisis? The easiest option, which might sound the hardest to us consumers, is to reduce our electronics consumption. Even though companies keep advertising their newest tech products, it does not disclose the true environmental cost of the product. Instead of buying that shiny new gadget, stick to the one you have as long as it is perfectly functioning. Another alternative is to reuse: do not toss away your PS4; regift it, sell it or even donate it. In addition, even if sometimes it can be more expensive to properly repair your electronics than buying a new one, still try to fix it. Take the environmental cost into account and make sure to use your electronics for their full useful life. As a last resort, you can recycle your e-waste as long as you make sure that it is done correctly. Many communities have e-waste recycling events and drop-off depots that can handle the electrical materials.
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