America's E-Waste Problem - 10 Staggering Facts

Electronic waste the fastest growing municipal solid waste stream. Most of the recoverable resources we use on electronics are wasted in landfills due to a lack of proper recycling infrastructure. Here are 10 Staggering Facts about our current electronic waste crisis.

  1. We generate over three million tons of electronic waste annually. 
     
  2. For every one million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.
     
  3. Only 15% of electronic waste is recycled today
     
  4. Every day, over 416,000 mobile devices and 142,000 computers end up in landfills and incinerators.
     
  5. Over 40% of electronic waste is exported overseas
     
  6. There is more gold in a ton of electronic waste than a ton of gold ore.
     
  7. The amount of global e-waste is expected to grow by 8 percent per year.
     
  8. The average U.S. household spent $1,312 on consumer electronics products and owns twenty four electronic products. 
     
  9. Compared to disposal in landfills or by incinerators, reusing or recycling computers can create 296 more jobs per year for every 10,000 tons of computer waste processed.
     
  10. E-waste comprises 70% of our overall toxic waste

Resources:

http://i.unu.edu/media/ias.unu.edu-en/news/7916/Global-E-waste-Monitor-2014-small.pdf
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-22/the-rising-cost-of-recycling-not-exporting-electronic-waste
http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/e-waste/what-can-be-recycled-from-e-waste
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-0

https://www.ricarecycling.com/blog/

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Where to Recycle Your Electronic Waste

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