How many computers are discarded each year

Here are some electronic waste facts that you will find interesting and alarming: We generate around 40 million tons of electronic waste every year, worldwide. An average cellphone user replaces their unit once every 18 months.

Only Electronics contain lead which can damage our central nervous system and kidneys. E-waste contains hundreds of substances, of which many are toxic. This includes mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, chromium, and flame retardants. Is E-Waste Bad? Why we should recycle Electronics Cellphones and other electronic devices contain precious metals like gold and silver. Recycling 1 million laptops saves energy equivalent to the energy used by homes in the US annually. Most of the components of E-Waste are electronic equipments that can be re-used and recycled for materials recovery.

What can we do about our personal E-Waste There are several options when it comes to the proper disposal of your electronic devices. Your old cellphone can still be used by another person. Same with your old computer or television.

Europe leads the world in e-waste recycling, collecting, and processing Asia, with Asia also recycles more of its e-waste, at The United States generated 6. The value of the raw materials contained in the e-waste produced in the U. We threw away billions of dollars worth of materials that could be used again. Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3, U. For every million cell phones that are recycled, 35, pounds of copper, pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered, according to the EPA.

Recycling circuit boards can be more valuable than mining for ore! One ton of circuit boards is estimated to contain 40 to times more gold than one metric ton of ore. There is 30 to 40 times more copper in a ton of circuit boards that can be mined from one metric ton of ore. Old television sets, as well as CRT cathode ray tube monitors, contain approximately 4 to 8 pounds of lead, a neurotoxin.

Improper disposal means this toxic substance can leach into the ground. It takes pounds of fossil fuel, 50 pounds of chemicals, and 1. Companies like Ebay and Olx offer the means, but obsolescence still hampers second-hand use.

If older devices are not supported by manufacturers and developers, these gadgets end up back in landfills. Emerging economies such as Pakistan and Nigeria, where purchasing power is low, offer promising markets for the reuse of such devices. Pakistan has a thriving second- and third-hand market for older phones already; even older Nokia phones are common, complete with the monochrome snake game. The conditions at e-waste processing facilities are dire. Devices have to be laboriously manually sorted and then disassembled.

Furthermore, used electronic devices contain hazardous materials like mercury, lead, silver, and flame-retardants. They also contain small amounts of valuable raw materials, such as gold, copper, titanium, and platinum; one ton of electronic waste might yield grams of gold. This sometimes makes the business of e-waste recycling unviable. Manufacturers have a role to play here, too: for example, by assisting in the creation of e-waste recycling centers in developing countries rather than using them as dumping sites.

Everyone has a role to play in reducing electronic waste. Consumers can resist, or at least delay, acquiring new devices until they really need them. They can repair devices when possible rather than abandoning them. And after a new purchase, they can resell or recycle their old devices.

But consumer intervention only goes so far. Governments need to regulate electronic waste, and the companies that make the consumer electronics they sell over and over again to the same people, at great profit.

This article appears courtesy of Object Lessons. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic. But since only Only 4 million tonnes of raw materials was made available for recycling. Thankfully, the world is slowly waking up to the scale of this problem. Festival of Social Science — Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire.

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