The "invisible" e-waste amounts to nine billion kilograms every year worldwide, with the related raw materials worth $9.5 billion, around one-sixth of the estimated 2019 total of $57 billion for all e-waste, UNITAR said
In Europe, 55 percent of electric and electronic waste is recycled, but the global average drops to a little over 17 percent. Image: Shutterstock
Consumers discard or possess disused electronic goods containing raw materials critical for the green energy transition and worth almost $10 billion every year, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Toys, cables, electronic cigarettes, tools, electric toothbrushes, shavers, headphones and other domestic gadgets contain metals like lithium, gold, silver and copper.
Demand is expected to soar for these materials due to their crucial role in rapidly growing green industries such as electric vehicle battery production.