Electronic waste from old, unused mobile phones, laptops and other electronics, known as e-waste, is said to have become the fastest-growing global refuse stream over the past few years.

But just how bad is the problem really becoming? We’ve analysed the total amount of tech junk produced over the past 10 years, to highlight the growing issue that is non-recycled technology and electronics.

So, over the last 10 years, we have been experiencing more e-waste year on year, with 2019 seeing a mountain of 50 million tonnes of technology going to waste.

Efforts to recycle technology have been underway for a number of years, but there’s still a long way to go. The data suggests that 2020 will be on track to have the highest amount of e-waste yet, but the good news is that reducing your e-waste doesn’t have to be difficult - simply selling or donating working electronics and educating yourself on which materials in your electronics are recyclable or not, are straightforward ways to actively reduce your e-waste.

We hope to start seeing a decline in the amount of tech going to waste, and an increase in recycled technology in the next couple of years.


Click here to view the source data.