The recent news that more than five billion mobile phones across the world will simply be thrown away this year has brought the issue of electronic waste back into sharper focus. Here WEEE Technology, a leading computer recycling business based in central London, look at the latest figures, and how we are doing something about it.
The Facts and Figures
The 5.3 billion figure that has been hitting the headlines is the result of research done by the International Waste Electrical and Electronic Forum. In total, there are thought to be around 16 billion mobile phones in the world, with around a third of these no longer in use.
It’s not just mobiles that are the problem. There’s a ‘mountain’ of washing machines, toasters, computers, tablets and GPS-capable devices that all have a fairly limited shelf life and could all end up in landfill.
Last year the Forum estimated that the amount of e-waste discarded globally was more than 57 million tonnes. This is heavier than the entire length of the Great Wall of China. E-waste is expected to become an even bigger problem in the future with the Forum estimating that the figure could rise to 74 million tonnes by 2030.
Why It’s a Problem
The problem is that electronic devices all contain precious metals which have to be mined. Examples of these include copper for wires and cobalt for rechargeable batteries.
Every time these are not recycled, more of the mineral has to be mined from the Earth’s scarce resources - some of which are fast running out, according to scientists.
There’s also the issue of the global supply chains, which have been disrupted by the conflict in Ukraine. This has particularly affected the price of lithium, another key ingredient in modern batteries.
A Nationwide Campaign
The Royal Society of Chemistry, which previously highlighted how many old devices were simply languishing in drawers, has launched a new campaign. They are saying that rather than mining this waste, we should be looking to reuse this vast untapped resource of existing electronic devices and look to recycle and reuse these instead.
"Our tech consumption habits remain highly unsustainable and have left us at risk of exhausting the raw elements we need," said Professor Tom Welton, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, adding that those habits were "continuing to exacerbate environmental damage".
Why You Should be Using WEEE Technology
One way of minimising the amount of e-waste is by using WEEE Technology, whenever you or your business has some high-tech items such as PCs or tablets which you no longer need. We operate under the hierarchical model of disposing of e-waste, which has five main principles, in line with the UK’s WEEE Directive - Prevention, Re-use, Recycle, Recovery and Disposal.
This means we try to reduce the amount of e-waste in the first place (prevention), which can be challenging and difficult to achieve. We always try to reuse items, or recycle or recover individual elements.
We also work with an Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF), where the e-waste is processed and broken down. Over 90% of the equipment sent to the treatment facility can be processed.
After the AATF processes, the individual materials can then be crushed together and sold by the tonne to energy and manufacturing industries, who separate and recover the raw materials to reproduce new goods. Sending items to the landfill (disposal) is always a last resort.
For more details on how we apply the hierarchical model, follow this link.
WEEE Technology – a Leading Computer Recycling Business in Central London
At WEEE Technology, as well as our computer recycling business, we also offer a number of other services. These include data erasure and destruction services, plus IT recycling and audits, all from our London base.
If you would like to know more, call us on 020 7859 4669. You can also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
