Electronic waste is now responsible for a large proportion of the world’s mountains of rubbish. But, why are so many devices being thrown away? Among other reasons, many of us want to keep our smartphones, tablets and notebooks up to date. And when new products come onto the market, our current devices quickly become outdated.
When your electronic device breaks, it isn’t always by accident. ‘Planned obsolescence’ or ‘planned breakage’ refers to a manufacturer building in a weak point in a device, that leads it to stop working sooner rather than later. You know how the story ends: when you take the broken device to a repair shop, fixing it is so expensive that you may as well buy a new device. And yet another smartphone, printer or tablet ends up in the bin.
When the electronic waste is not recycled appropriately, it is sometimes illegally shipped to India, China or African countries for ‘further utilisation’. Many of the devices are often repaired here and used for a few more years. But at some point, they end up in mostly illegal rubbish dumps and at the expense of people and the environment. Precious resources are irretrievably lost as far fewer raw materials are extracted from the devices than if they were professionally recycled.
Yearly electronic waste could fill lorries in a line stretching halfway around the world
The World Health Organisation estimates that 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally in 2022—and is among the fastest growing solid waste streams in the world. If all the e-waste generated worldwide each year was put into lorries, they could form a line stretching halfway around the globe.
Increasingly short product cycles are causing this mountain of e-waste to grow ever more rapidly. The amount of European households who own a computer is projected to hit 265 million by 2028. In countries in the global South, device ownership is also steadily increasing, with around 43 percent of people in African countries having access to the internet in 2022. The growth potential for electrical appliances is therefore enormous—especially in the global South. The mountain of e-waste is unlikely to reduce anytime soon.
Since 2012, the EU’s WEEE directive has stipulated that manufacturers are responsible for properly disposing of the electronic devices they produce. However, as of 2022, only 22.3 percent of e-waste was recycled globally. Many devices are certainly gathering dust in basements and garages, but most small appliances end up in household waste. The USA produces the most electronic waste worldwide with around 350,000 smartphones and 120,000 laptops thrown away every year.
Since April 2024, the EU has also had the right to repair. Hopefully, this will allow many electronic devices to be used for longer in future and e-waste can be reduced.
Gold is buried in the rubbish heap
The consequences of throwing away your old device shouldn’t be ignored. Appliances in landfill sites release lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and other toxic substances into the soil. We also waste valuable resources every time we throw away a product with a battery or plug.
And if you hand in old electrical appliances to a recycling company or a municipal collection centre, you cannot assume that they will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Many sell the e-waste to brokerage firms that export the used electrical appliances to other countries with lax environmental standards. There, our discarded appliances are either repaired and resold or disposed of illegally. In some cases, waste collectors remove metals from the appliances. What cannot be recycled is incinerated. This leads to the irretrievable destruction of recyclable components and causes considerable harm to people and the environment. The lack of wastewater filters means that chemicals poison groundwater and make acidified soil unusable for agricultural purposes.
Rare elements also play an increasingly important role in the production of electronic components. One example is indium, a by-product of zinc mining that is used in electrical products such as screens and smartphones. Although indium supplies are slowly running out, the rare metal is hardly ever recycled. Indium is not an isolated case; there is a similarly high demand for the rare elements bismuth and ruthenium.
In some cases, there are massive price increases for rare elements. This shows the finite nature of these resources and makes it all the more important to develop effective recycling processes.
Electronic waste causes health problems
Another issue is the improper handling of electronic waste. Our recycling system offers loopholes for unscrupulous money-makers. Large quantities of hazardous waste end up in countries of the global South; common destinations include Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, India and China. It’s then taken apart by hand in so-called ‘backyard workshops’, often by women and children. Unprotected, they are exposed to toxic substances: lead, which can impair reproduction; mercury, which causes nerve damage and cadmium, which causes kidney damage. A research project by WHO also attributed growth, respiratory and behavioural disorders to contact with electronic waste. Workers also inhale toxic substances such as dioxins, furans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are produced when PVC plastics are incinerated. All of these toxic materials then end up in the environment, polluting soil and poisoning water.
A globally binding guideline for dismantling e-waste and maximising recycling yields is one of the most important StEP goals. ‘Solving the E-Waste Problem’ (StEP) was launched in 2004 by several UN organisations. It promotes partnerships between companies, governmental and non-governmental organisations and the scientific community. Its aims include increasing the lifespan of computers and other electronic devices, reducing environmental pollution during their disposal and recycling and improving the re-utilisation of increasingly valuable components of electronic waste.
Turning electronic waste into gold with whey protein
The recycling of electronic waste is (still) very inefficient. Whey protein is an easy-to-produce product from the food industry. Scientists have developed a process that can recover gold from e-waste using this substance.
What can you do to help?
Companies are still doing little to bring about decisive improvements in the electronics market. However, there are glimmers of hope here and there. Start-ups such as Fairphone and Shiftphone build fair smartphones with easily replaceable block systems. Choosing one of these options over Big Tech companies helps fight against electronic waste.
Electronics: Better to rent than buy
It doesn’t always have to be a new laptop or a new smartphone. Companies such as Commown rent out ecological and modular smartphones, headphones, laptops and computers via a platform. The aim of the cooperative is to make the consumption of electronics more sustainable and responsible.
Many devices can still be repaired, even if you get different information from your nearest shop. If a device is truly unusable, correct disposal is crucial. Here we provide information on how to do this.
Edible electronics: reducing electronic waste with digestible robots and nutritious drones
Ever heard of edible electronics? The term might sound like a contradiction but could be a solution to electronic waste. The drones are mainly made of potato starch and cellulose.
This article was first published in April 2013 and updated in March 2024.
