How much electronic waste is in landfills

More e-waste ends up in our landfills and incinerators than is being recycled, although recycling numbers continue to rise. The primary data comes from an annual estimate by the EPA , whose most recent data as of summer is for We doubt that recycling rates actually increased this much in one year. Or update your wardrobe with clothes from our modest but growing selection of sustainably sourced and crafted clothes. The World Counts. Shop Support. Shop Thousands of Verified Sustainable Products.

Visit the Arbor Marketplace. Shop Products. Find ethical companies when you are browsing. See more here. See more. Can you imagine how much electronic waste we generate? Where does it all go? A culture of use and throw-away E-Waste are electronic devices and gadgets nearing or at the end of its useful life.

Here are some electronic waste facts that you will find interesting and alarming: We generate around 40 million tons of electronic waste every year, worldwide. China generated For example, on average each American generated By , Kuehr expects the volume of end-of-life TVs, phones, computers, monitors, e-toys and other products to be enough to fill a 15,mile line of tonne lorries.

In Europe, Germany discards the most e-waste in total, but Norway and Liechtenstein throw away more per person. No figures are available from government or industry on how much is exported.

Although it is legal to export discarded goods to poor countries if they can be reused or refurbished, much is being sent to Africa or Asia under false pretences, says Interpol. Few countries understand the scale of the problem, because no track is kept of all e-waste, says the European Environment Agency, which estimates between , tonnes and 1.

Nearly million mobile phones were collected, most of which were shipped to Hong Kong, Latin America and the Caribbean. More interesting topics Related topics. Waste Management in the United States. Waste Energy in the U. Plastic waste in the United States. Waste generation worldwide. Plastic waste in Europe. Global plastic waste. Waste management in Europe.

Global waste trade. Go to report. Contact Get in touch with us. We are happy to help. Vianny Gutierrez-Cruz. Sales Manager — Contact United States.