The 62 billion USD treasure is being forgotten in...a landfill, if not exploited, it will harm humanity.

The total value of recyclable electronic waste is up to 62 billion USD , which is falling into oblivion, while bringing the risk of pollution and exacerbating health problems globally.

A report recently published by the United Nations shows that in 2022 alone, humans will generate more than 68 million tons of electronic waste, enough to fill a row of 40-ton trucks over a distance equivalent to the length of e-waste. equator (40,075km). This number continues to increase and according to UN predictions, each year there will be nearly 3 million tons of electronic waste released into the environment.

However, e-waste recycling activities, on the contrary, are on a decreasing trend. 

Most of the waste is small items or equipment.

In 2022, only about 22.3% of the total volume of e-waste will be collected and recycled. By 2030, the UN predicts this rate will decrease to 20% while the amount of waste generated will increase by 33%, equivalent to 82 million tons/year. The reason is due to higher consumption, shorter product life cycle while the number of components that can be recovered and processed is narrower. 

Much of the waste is small items or equipment that, after becoming irreparable or abandoned due to obsolescence, many continue to be transported around the world in an uncontrolled state, mostly from countries with high income to low or middle income countries.

CBS News said they have been tracking the above problem since 2008 when they followed the recycling route of computer parts in Denver (USA) to a toxic landfill in China. According to UN estimates, more than 550,000 tons of electronic waste are transported from one country to another each year, but tracking is extremely difficult because most shipments are exported illegally.

Under the 1989 Basel Convention, most countries are bound by provisions governing cross-border movement and disposal of hazardous waste, including the requirement for each country to have its own waste policy. electronic. But of the 193 countries analysed, only 81 have policies, laws or regulations in place regarding e-waste.

The economic damage is huge. The United Nations report estimates the annual net economic cost of e-waste at up to $37 billion. This number is expected to increase to $40 billion by the end of the decade if the electronics industry does not significantly improve management and policy.

The total value of recyclable electronic waste is a "treasure" of up to 62 billion USD, which is falling into oblivion, while also bringing the risk of pollution and exacerbating health problems globally. .

The United Nations warns that electronic waste or any discarded product that has an electrical plug or uses a battery contains toxic substances that are dangerous to human health. It also directly impacts the environment, even from the initial extraction of raw materials.

For example, to create 1kg of gold used to produce printed circuit boards in electronic components, people must mine up to 3,000 tons of mineral ore. In turn, mining those resources from similar electronic waste could reduce millions of tons of CO ₂ emissions into the atmosphere. 

People can also limit chemicals released into the environment when recovering and processing specific types of electronic waste such as refrigerators, freezers or air conditioners. If these chemicals are released uncontrolled, they can react with other molecules to thin the ozone layer, increasing the level of ultraviolet rays at the Earth's surface, leading to many health consequences. and causes climate change.

The United Nations emphasizes that immediate attention and action is needed to address the growing concern of widespread e-waste. Although the gap between the amount of e-waste and recycling efforts tends to widen, this ratio can still improve if appropriate policies are applied, such as increased investment in infrastructure development. floors, promoting the need to repair and reuse electronic devices; At the same time, build capacity and propose measures to prevent the import of illegal electronic waste shipments.