Our thirst for new gadgets has created a vast empire of electronic waste
Our thirst for new gadgets has created a vast empire of electronic waste
Technological improvements mean that the phones, tablets, computers and other electric devices we find so essential are cheaper and more powerful than ever. But this means we upgrade them sooner and they quickly become unwanted or obsolete, and are thrown away. The huge amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment – WEEE, or e-waste – that results is quickly becoming a major worldwide environmental, economic and health problem. A recent report by the European Union-funded Countering WEEE Illegal Trade project found that only just over a third of Europe’s e-waste ended up in official collection and recycling programs. The rest, amounting to over 6m tonnes a year, was either exported (1.5m tonnes), recycled in ways that fell outside the law (3.15m tonnes), scavenged (750,000 tonnes), or simply thrown in the bin (750,000 tonnes). Considering the vast quantities of e-waste produced worldwide, where this waste ends up is a serious concern. Considering the energy and materials-intensive process of manufacturing it in the first place, so is the impact on the world’s natural resources and environment.
eWaste, WEEE, Waste management, Consumption
Williams, Ian
c9d674ac-ee69-4937-ab43-17e716266e22
10 February 2016
Williams, Ian
c9d674ac-ee69-4937-ab43-17e716266e22
Williams, Ian
(2016)
Our thirst for new gadgets has created a vast empire of electronic waste.
The Conversation.
Abstract
Technological improvements mean that the phones, tablets, computers and other electric devices we find so essential are cheaper and more powerful than ever. But this means we upgrade them sooner and they quickly become unwanted or obsolete, and are thrown away. The huge amounts of waste electrical and electronic equipment – WEEE, or e-waste – that results is quickly becoming a major worldwide environmental, economic and health problem. A recent report by the European Union-funded Countering WEEE Illegal Trade project found that only just over a third of Europe’s e-waste ended up in official collection and recycling programs. The rest, amounting to over 6m tonnes a year, was either exported (1.5m tonnes), recycled in ways that fell outside the law (3.15m tonnes), scavenged (750,000 tonnes), or simply thrown in the bin (750,000 tonnes). Considering the vast quantities of e-waste produced worldwide, where this waste ends up is a serious concern. Considering the energy and materials-intensive process of manufacturing it in the first place, so is the impact on the world’s natural resources and environment.
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Published date: 10 February 2016
Keywords:
eWaste, WEEE, Waste management, Consumption
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Local EPrints ID: 479310
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/479310
PURE UUID: 89c5b155-fdb0-4a28-9444-f363a9c36027
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Date deposited: 20 Jul 2023 16:54
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:01
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