Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The excessive consumption of technological material in recent years is the subject of a study by the United Nations, which predicts that, by 2030, 74 million metric tons (mt) of electronic waste will be produced worldwide, almost double those produced in the last sixteen years.
So, the report called Global E-Waste Monitor 2020 explains that, in 2019 alone, a record 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste - discarded products with a battery or plug - were generated worldwide, representing 21 percent more in just five years.
Thus, electronic waste - also known as "e-waste" - has become the fastest growing household waste stream in the world, due to higher consumption rates of electrical and electronic equipment, shorter product life cycles and fewer repair options as major constants.
According to the UN study, only 17.4 percent of e-waste generated in 2019 was properly disposed of and recycled. This means that certain materials that these devices are made of, such as gold, silver, copper or platinum and other recoverable materials, were mostly burned.
In that sense, it is estimated that all these materials are conservatively valued at $57 billion, an amount greater than the gross domestic product -GDP- of most countries.
By continent, Asia generated the largest volume of electronic waste in 2019: some 24.9 mt, followed by the Americas - 13.1 mt - and Europe - 12 mt -, while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 mt and 0.7 mt, respectively.
In perspective, the electronic waste generated last year - 53.6 million metric tons - weighed substantially more than all the adults living in Europe, representing the weight of 350 cruises the size of the Queen Mary II, enough to form a line 125 km long.
It should be noted that electronic waste represents a danger to health and the environment, since it contains toxic additives or hazardous substances, such as mercury, which damage the human brain and coordination system.
