In view of the ever-increasing number of broken and unused electrical appliances, environmentalists are appealing to consumers. They should have discarded electrical appliances repaired or recycled, they said on International E-Waste Day on October 14. According to estimates, the amount of e-waste generated each year will reach a new high of 57.4 million tons in 2021. According to environmental experts from the Brussels WEEE Forum, the mass of discarded fridges, monitors and cell phones will even exceed the weight of the Great Wall of China. WEEE stands for 'Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment'.

Despite all efforts to reduce e-waste, the mountain continues to grow: according to the 'Global E-Waste Monitor 2020' co-authored by the United Nations University, 53.6 million tons of e-waste were generated in 2019, which represents a growth of 21% within five years. And a trend reversal is not in sight: if the trend continues, 74 million tons can be expected by 2030.

Precious raw materials in the landfill

However, the problem is not just the volume, but also how it is handled. According to calculations by UN experts, only 17.4% of the e-waste produced in 2019 was collected and recycled. Many precious raw materials - including gold and silver - were instead incinerated or ended up in landfill sites. Hazardous substances such as mercury pose a risk to people and the environment.

There is also another environmental aspect: "As long as citizens do not return, sell or donate their used, broken equipment, we will have to continue to mine completely new materials that cause major environmental damage," said Pascal Leroy, Director of the WEEE Forum and the organizer of the 'International E-Waste Day'.

It is true that the EU addressed this problem early on with measures and directives aimed at ensuring the proper disposal of old electrical appliances and obliging appliance manufacturers to take responsibility for the collection, sorting and recycling of their products. Nevertheless, according to a study by the United Nations Training and Research Institute, some EU member states are lagging far behind their own targets when it comes to reducing e-waste.

This is another reason why this year's 'International E-Waste Day' will focus on end users and "on the responsibility we all have as citizens to shape a circular economy", said Leroy.