Obsolete telephones, out of order computers, old televisions… Every year, humanity dumps millions of tons of electronic waste in nature. The figures from the Global E-waste Monitor 2020 draw a clear conclusion.
74.7 million tonnes of electronic waste by 2030
Designation ” waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) » includes: household appliances (batteries, bulbs, telephones, hair dryers, washing machines); IT equipment (computers, printers, cartridges); tools (drills, mowers); leisure equipment (televisions, game consoles); safety equipment (smoke detector, fire extinguisher); photovoltaic panels.
The toxic substances contained in many electronic equipment (mercury, brominated flame retardants [RFB]chlorofluorocarbons [CFC]) pose a serious risk to the environment and public health if not handled in an environmentally sound manner.
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According to Global E-waste Monitor 2020a record of 53.6 million tonsof electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, an increase of 9.2 Mt in five years. The report also predicts that the amount of e-waste will reach 74.7 million tonnes by 2030 . The reason: the increase in the rate of consumption of electrical and electronic appliances, the reduction of life cyclesequipment and the limitation of the possibilities of repair .
The volume of e-waste produced in the world, per day and per year
In 2030, humanity will produce the equivalent of One World Trade Center of e-waste each year.
To better visualize the magnitude of the e-waste problem, electronic hub compared the amount of e-waste in the world with famous architectural buildings. The portal has also established a classification by country of the quantities of electronic waste generated annually.
Thus, according to the calculations of Electronics Hub, humanity produced in terms of electronic waste for the year 2019: each day, the equivalent of Taj Mahal (140,000 tons); each month, the equivalent of the London skyscraper, Gherkin (4.47 Mt); throughout the year, the equivalent of The empire state building(53.6 Mt).
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By 2030, the world’s annual volume of e-waste is expected to engulf the tallest building in the West: the One World Trade Center . It is 74.7 million tonnes. Additionally, the Global E-waste Monitor 2020 indicates that in 2019, only 17.4%electronic waste was properly collected and recycled.
Who are the biggest e-waste producers in Africa?
Although the African continent is best known for representing the graveyard of electronic waste, its inhabitants nevertheless participate, “on their small scale” in its production.
So here are, according to the calculations of Electronics Hub, the ten peoples of Africa who generate the most e-waste (in kilograms per capita ):
- Seychelles — 12.6 kg/capita
- Libya — 11.5 kg/capita
- Mauritius — 10.1 kg/capita
- Gabon — 8.7 kg/capita
- Botswana — 7.9 kg/capita
- South Africa — 7.1 kg/capita
- Algeria — 7.1 kg/capita
- Tunisia — 6.4 kg/capita
- Namibia — 6.4 kg/capita
- Swaziland — 6.3 kg/capita
Top 10 e-waste producers in Africa
The Seychellestherefore produced 12.6 kg of e-waste per capita in 2019. This makes it the largest producer in Africa. Not far behind are Libya and Mauritius, which produced 11.5 kg and 10.1 kg respectively.
As for Algeria, it arrives in 7e position , tied with South Africa. Thereby, each Algerian generates,on average, a little more than 7 kg of electronic waste per year . But that does not make the Algerian a “big polluter” for all that. At the world level, Algeria occupies the 94th placelargest producers of e-waste per capita.
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Furthermore, eighteen of the 20 countries producing the least e-waste are in Africa.
Mapping of global e-waste generation
Amount of electronic waste generated per capita per year in each country
E-waste is not evenly distributed across the world. Manufacturers source components from low income countries. Consumers use them and dispose of them Western and Asian high-income countries.
In the world top 10, we find 7 European countries, in addition to the United States, Australia and Japan. It is to Norway, with 26 kg/inhabitant/year, that goes the palm of the country which produces the most electronic waste. It is closely followed by the United Kingdom (23.9 kg) and Switzerland (23.4 kg). Americans generate 21 kg of e-waste per year (7e) and the Japanese, 20.3 kg (10e).
Nevertheless,these figures do not necessarily reveal the actual quantities, because the collection of electronic waste is more or less regulated and documented depending on the country. This explains why we find in the top of the ranking countries like Norway, Switzerland and the Island, while China and India, among other big polluters, come far behind.
