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 (UN), which forecasts that by the year 2030 there will be 74 million metric tons (mt) of electronic waste worldwide, almost double the amount produced in the last sixteen years.
Thus, 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 that have a battery or plug - were generated worldwide, which was 21 percent more in just five years.
Thus, e-waste - also known as "electronic 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 few repair options as major constants.
According to the UN study, only 17.4 percent of the e-waste generated in 2019 was properly disposed of and recycled. This means that certain materials from which these devices are made, such as gold, silver, copper or platinum and other recoverable materials, were mostly burned.
In that sense, all these materials are conservatively estimated to be valued at US$57 billion, a sum greater than the gross domestic product (GDP) of most countries.
By continent, Asia generated the largest volume of e-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.
For perspective, the e-waste generated last year - 53.6 million metric tons - weighed substantially more than all the adults living in Europe, which is the weight of 350 cruise ships the size of the Queen Mary II, enough to form a 125 km long line.
It should be noted that e-waste represents a health and environmental hazard, as it contains toxic additives or hazardous substances, such as mercury, which damage the human brain and coordination system.
