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General |
E-waste totals at 41.8 million metric tonnes in 2014
In 2014, people worldwide discarded all but a small fraction of an estimated 41.8 million metric tonnes (megatonnes – Mt) of electrical and electronic products.
Most of the 41.8 Mt waste were end-of-life kitchen, laundry and bathroom equipment like microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers. And the volume of e-waste is expected to rise by 21% to 50 million Mt in 2018.
The new figures were released in the Global E-Waste Monitor 2014, compiled by the United Nations University (UNU), the UN’s think tank.
Just 7% of e-waste last year was made up of mobile phones, calculators, personal computers, printers, and small information technology equipment.
Almost 60% was a mix of large and small equipment used in homes and businesses, consisting of:
- 12.8 Mt of small equipment (vacuum cleaners, microwaves, toasters, electric shavers, video cameras, etc.);
- 11.8 Mt of large equipment (washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, electric stoves, photovoltaic panels, etc.);
- 7.0 Mt of cooling and freezing equipment (temperature exchange equipment);
- 6.3 Mt of screens;
- 3.0 Mt of small IT (mobile phones, pocket calculators, personal computers, printers, etc.); and
- 1.0 Mt of lamps