• Home
  • Topics
    • Industry and air
    • Waste and TFS
    • Water and land
    • Nature protection
    • Cross-cutting tools and approaches
  • Tools
    • Permitting
    • Inspections
    • Doing the right things
    • Better regulation
    • IMPEL Review Initiative
    • PREVENT
  • Projects
    • IMPEL projects
    • IMPEL-ESIX
    • LIFE SWEAP
    • WasteForce
    • SPIDER WEB
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Press releases
  • Publications
    • Outreach material
    • IMPEL Documents
    • General Assembly Meetings
    • Conference reports
    • EU Documents
  • Events
    • Internal meetings
      • General assembly
      • Board meetings
      • Expert team meetings
    • Project meetings
    • Conferences
  • About IMPEL
    • Strategy
    • Organisation
      • Board
      • Secretariat
    • Members and observers
    • Becoming a member
    • Contact
  • 
  • 
  • 

IMPEL

European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law

You are here: Home / Featured / Surge in global e-waste, up 21 % in 5 years, according to Global E-Waste Monitor 2020

Surge in global e-waste, up 21 % in 5 years, according to Global E-Waste Monitor 2020

July 2, 2020

The third edition of The Global E-Waste Monitor 2020, launched by the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), provides comprehensive insight to address the global e-waste challenge. A record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of e-waste – discarded products with a battery or plug such as computers and mobile phones – is reported generated worldwide in 2019, up 21 per cent in five years.

The new report also predicts global e-waste will reach 74 Mt by 2030, almost double the 2014 figure, fuelled by higher electric and electronic (EEE) consumption rates, shorter lifecycles and limited repair options.

According to the report, Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019 (24.9 Mt), followed by the Americas (13.1 Mt) and Europe (12 Mt), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 Mt and 0.7 Mt respectively.

In 2019, only 17.4 per cent of e-waste was officially documented as formally collected and recycled. This means that iron, copper, gold and other high-value, recoverable materials conservatively valued at US $57 billion — a sum greater than the gross domestic product of most countries – were mostly dumped or burned rather than being collected for treatment and reuse in 2019. If valuable materials within e-waste are reused and recycled, this can promote a circular economy through secondary material use.

The number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation or regulation has increased from 61 to 78 between 2014 and 2019. In many regions however, regulatory advances are slow, enforcement is low, and the collection and proper e-waste management is poor.

E-waste is a health and environmental hazard if not handled appropriately, as it contains toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury. The report highlights that 50 tonnes of mercury are likely found in undocumented e-waste flows, which pose harm to workers’ health and the environment if released.

The report also calls for decision-makers to adopt an internationally recognised methodological framework to measure and monitor e-waste which will help assess developments over time, and to set and evaluate targets.

The Global E-waste Monitor is a collaborative effort between the Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme currently co-hosted by the United Nations University (UNU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).

Click here to access the full report.

Source: The Global E-Waste Monitor 2020

« National Peer Review Initiative (NPRI) project Online Seminar 16 September 2020 – save the date
Connecting protected areas with green infrastructure strengthens Europe’s ecosystems »

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join the IMPEL.eu newsletter list and stay up to date on all IMPEL.eu news.

Subscribe

News tags

Air pollution Biodiversity Circular economy Compliance Assurance Conference COVID-19 DTRT E-waste ECA ECHA EEA EIR ENPE Environmental Compliance Environmental crime EUFJE European Commission General Assembly IED IED Implementation Industry and Air INECE IRI landfill Natura 2000 Nature Protection NPRI Plastic waste REACH River development planning SPIDER WEB SWEAP Tender Themis Waste Waste and TFS WasteForce Waste management Waste Shipment Regulation Water Water and Land Water Framework Directive WEEE Wildlife crime WSR

Menu

  • Home
  • Topics
    • Industry and air
    • Waste and TFS
    • Water and land
    • Nature protection
    • Cross-cutting tools and approaches
  • Tools
    • Permitting
    • Inspections
    • Doing the right things
    • Better regulation
    • IMPEL Review Initiative
    • PREVENT
  • Projects
    • IMPEL projects
    • IMPEL-ESIX
    • LIFE SWEAP
    • WasteForce
    • SPIDER WEB
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Press releases
  • Publications
    • Outreach material
    • IMPEL Documents
    • General Assembly Meetings
    • Conference reports
    • EU Documents
  • Events
    • Internal meetings
      • General assembly
      • Board meetings
      • Expert team meetings
    • Project meetings
    • Conferences
  • About IMPEL
    • Strategy
    • Organisation
      • Board
      • Secretariat
    • Members and observers
    • Becoming a member
    • Contact
  • 
  • 
  • 

IMPEL

Chemin des deux maisons 73, box 3
1200, Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +44 (0)20 3289 7442
Email: info@impel.eu
Skype: impelsecretariat


Become a member

Membership of IMPEL is open to organisations or authorities working in the public sector who implement and enforce environmental legislation. Learn all about the benefits​ of being a member to our network.
Read More

Copyright © 2021 IMPEL · Data protection · Cookie policy · Webdesign: Alva Design