UN Report Says E-Waste Production Far Outpacing Recycling, Raising Environmental and Economic Concerns

According to the report, 68 million tons of e-waste were produced worldwide in 2022 but only around 15.4 million tons were recycled.

Old laptop casings are stacked on shelves in the local NGO Electronic Waste Initiative Kenya (E-WIK) workshop as the NGO collects electronic wastes to be processed, recycled, and repurposed in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, on Dec. 3, 2021. ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images

Global production of electronic waste has outpaced the growth in global e-waste recycling by five times, raising serious environmental and economic concerns, according to the United Nations’ Global E-waste Monitor.

According to the U.N., electronic waste, or e-waste, is any household or business item with circuitry, electrical components, power, or battery supply that has been discarded. In different regions around the world, it is also referred to as electronic equipment, electrical waste, or e-scrap.