Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a growing problem globally as technology develops more and more. With each year, consumers toss last year’s smart watches and cell phones for the latest model. The international Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum estimates that in 2022, over 5.3 billion mobile phones alone will be thrown out. According to WEEE Forum, there are about 16 billion phones owned worldwide, and over 5 billion of those are expected to become e-waste this year. Consumers will either throw their old phones in the trash or hoard them away, despite the fact that there are many valuable resources that can be recycled from old phones, including gold, copper, silver and palladium.

Source: CNN October 15, 2022 00:05 UTC