E-waste: About 5 billion phones to be thrown away in 2022

The international waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) forum said this year, 5.3 billion mobile phones will be thrown away not recycled.

Based on global trade data its estimate highlights the growing environmental problem of e-waste. The research suggests that many people keep old phones rather than recycle them. Precious minerals such as copper in wire or cobalt in rechargeable batteries are not extracted from waste electronics rather they are mined.

There are approximately 16 billion mobile phones worldwide and in Europe, almost one-third are no longer in use. According to WEEE’s research the mountain of electronic and electrical waste from toasters and washing machines to computers, tablets, and global positioning system (GPS) devices, together will grow to 74 million tons a year by 2030.

Only about 17% of the e-waste is properly recycled in the world. The United Nations International Telecommunication Union set a target to raise the recycling of e-waste by up to 30% by next year. International Telecommunication Union also highlighted that it is one of the most complex and fastest-growing waste streams that affect both environment and human health, as it contains harmful substances.