Ten Facts About E-Waste

Electronics are a ubiquitous part of our lives. The many things that provide us convenience and comfort, are the same things that might eventually destroy this planet we call home. Though it may not happen for generations, the damage that is being done by our ravenous consumption of electronic goods is taking its toll on the environment. We all must do our part to raise awareness about e-waste so that we can be responsible consumers and dispose of electronics safely and re-use them and repair them when we can. Here are ten startling facts about e-waste

E-Waste Facts

1. The US and China discarded one third of all the world’s e-waste in 2014
2. E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.
3. 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed worldwide every year.
4. Cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals like gold or silver. Americans dump phones containing over $60 million in gold/silver every year.
5. 87% of e-waste ends up in a landfill.
6. For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 lbs of copper, 772 lbs of silver, 75 lbs of gold, and 33 lbs of palladium can be recovered.
7. Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year.
8. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States, according to the EPA.
9. It takes 530 lbs of fossil fuel, 48 lbs of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture one computer and monitor.
10. Electronic items that are considered to be hazardous include: Televisions and computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes, LCD desktop monitors, LCD televisions, Plasma televisions, Portable DVD players with LCD screens, refrigerators, copy machines, batteries

Source: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-e-waste#