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With April comes Earth Day, a day to reflect on what everyone is doing to protect the planet. This year, eLoop’s Earth Day response is focusing on electronic waste (commonly referred to as e-waste), an ever-growing problem with recycling electronics. 

What is e-waste?

According to the EPA, electronic waste is “a subset of used electronics and recognizes the inherent value of these materials that can be reused, refurbished or recycled to minimize the actual waste that might end up in a landfill or improperly disposed in an unprotected dump site either in the US or abroad.”

Electronics that are improperly disposed of either end up in a landfill or are sent overseas to countries like Ghana where they are melted down on the streets creating highly toxic fumes and runoff that can lead to all sorts of diseases or death.

Read more: Cleaning Up Electronic Waste (E-Waste)

Read more: Electronic Waste in Ghana

What items are considered e-waste?

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the European Union classifies e-waste into 10 different categories:

• Large household appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, microwaves, etc.)

• Small household appliances (coffee machines, irons, hairdryers, etc.)

• Information technology and telecommunications equipment (desktop and laptop computers, servers, printers, telephones, cell phones, etc.)

• Consumer equipment (TVs, video game systems, stereos, etc.)

• Lighting equipment (lamps, light fixtures, etc.)

• Electrical and electronic tools (power drills, saws, sewing machines, etc.)

• Toys, leisure equipment, and sporting goods (electric trains, sports equipment with electronic components, etc.)

• Medical devices (radiotherapy equipment, cardiology equipment, ventilators, etc.)

• Monitoring and control instruments (smoke detectors, heating regulators, thermostats, etc.)

• Automatic dispensers (vending machines, etc.)

Read more: Electronic waste | Encyclopedia Britannica

How much e-waste exists?

The Global E-waste Monitor, a consortium of the United Nations University, the International Telecommunication Union, and a host of other large organizations are the leading source on e-waste.

In 2019, the most recent year the Monitor has stats for, the world generated 53.6 million tons of e-waste. 

With our ever-increasing demand for electronics, this problem will continue to grow. In 2030, that number is expected to grow nearly 40% to 74.7 million tons.

Read more: The Global E-waste Monitor 2020

How do we fix the problem?

With a problem this big and complex, there’s not a quick-fix solution. There’s not even one solution. It’s a multitude of solutions that when combined, will fix the problem.

Columbia University recommends the following:

• Designing electronics that are environmentally-safe

• The right to repair electronics. We are part of The Repair Foundation which is working with state governments across the country to allow citizens to repair their electronics

• Extend the responsibility of recycling electronics to the original manufacturer

• Convenient recycling

• Better recycling techniques

Read more: What Can We Do About the Growing E-waste Problem?

Read more: The Repair Association

What are you doing with your e-waste? Let us know!