2024-04-12 12:40:59
The planet is drowning in e-waste. This is the conclusion of latest report of the United Nations (UN) published on March 20. Powered by digitalization and constant electrification in the four corners of the globe, the quantity of electrical and electronic equipment reached 96 million tonnes in 2022, leading to a massive increase in related waste. In twelve years, these have almost doubled, to an average of 2.3 million tonnes each year: in 2022, the world will have produced 62 million tonnes of electronic waste.
In Europe, France comes fourth among the countries producing the most e-waste per capita, behind Norway, Great Britain and Switzerland, with 22 kg per French person per year. This colossal figure includes smartphones, electronic cigarettes, hair dryers, tablets and cookers, as well as washing machines and even photovoltaic panels. But if waste explodes, recycling does not follow. Over the same period, only 22.3% of discarded equipment was collected and recycled in an environmentally friendly way, increasing from 8 million tonnes in 2010 to 13.8 million in 2022.
23% of e-waste ends up in landfill
A progression noted by the authors of the report, who however emphasize that the recycling rate is increasing five times slower than the production of electronic waste. And this gap could widen. “In a status quo scenario”this rate would drop to 20% by 2030. Behind this lack of treatment of e-waste, UN experts point out “technological advancements, higher consumption, limited repair options, short life cycles, increasing digitalization and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure.”
Used equipment that is not taken care of by official recycling circuits does not all benefit from the same treatment. 16 million tonnes are collected and recycled in middle and high income countries in informal structures, while 18 million are processed by unofficial actors in poor countries. Finally, 14 million tonnes end their life in landfill. Note that more than 5 million tonnes of e-waste are shipped abroad each year, including 65% from rich countries to low-income countries which do not systematically have the necessary treatment infrastructure. These cross-border movements can then be the cause of pollution that is dangerous for the environment and the health of local residents.
A costly source of pollution
Because this is one of the negative impacts of inadequate waste treatment: each year, 58 tonnes of mercury and 45,000 tonnes of plastic end up in nature. Some of these components contain brominated flame retardants which contaminate soil, water and air, or refrigerants, particularly from temperature exchange equipment, which contribute to climate change and have a harmful effect on the layer of ozone. In total, these sources of pollution generate $78 billion in externalized costs, estimates the United Nations. At the same time, the treatment of e-waste costs $10 billion, partly financed by producers subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), as is, for example, the case in France.
Recycling discarded electronic equipment also represents an economic opportunity. If the associated costs are higher than the benefits today, the situation could quickly reverse, the authors of the report project. If the global recycling rate reaches 60% in 2030, “improving electronic waste management” could even “result in a global net profit of $38 billion”, underlines Ruediger Kuehr, head of the Sustainable Cycles program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Unitar). By this time, however, we will have to deal with nearly 82 million tonnes of e-waste, warns the UN.
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