According to the UN website, the 2017 Global E-waste Monitoring Report released by agencies such as the International Telecommunication Union and the UNU on the 13th showed that in 2016, 44.7 million tons of e-waste were generated around the world. The gold, silver and copper in these e-waste The value of such high value materials is as high as 55 billion U.S. dollars, but only 20% of them are recycled.
As a result of falling prices, most people in the world are able to afford electronic and electrical equipment, while in richer countries, people are encouraged to replace new equipment sooner, resulting in a global increase of 3.3 million tons of e-waste in 2016 compared to 2014 , An increase of 8%.
E-waste generated in 2016, from scrapped refrigerators and TV sets, to solar panels, cell phones and computers, is almost equivalent to the nine Great Pyramid of Giza, or 4500 Eiffel Tower, or equivalent to 1.23 million full load Eighteen large trucks, enough to be lifted to New York to Bangkok and back again.
Experts predict that by 2021, e-waste will increase by 17% to 52.2 million tons, which is the fastest growing part of the world's household waste.
The report shows that while e-waste contains high-value recyclable materials such as gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium, only 20% of e-waste was collected and recycled in 2016.
About 4% of e-waste in 2016 was directly thrown into landfills, 76% of which is equivalent to 34.1 million tonnes which may eventually be incinerated, landfills, or recycled in informal operations or left to people Home.
In 2016, the average per capita e-waste in Australia is 17 kg per person, while Africa has the least per capita e-waste at 1.9 kg per capita.