As Electronic Waste Surges, Countries Look for Answers

Humanity produces 62 million tons of electronic waste every year, enough to fill 1.5 million transport trucks, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams, according to a 2024 UN report. Less than a quarter of that is properly recycled, leaving mountains of electronics to rot away in unregulated dumpsites, where they can leach chemicals into the soil and water table. Poor electronic waste management practices cause $78 billion in externalized costs to human health and the environment each year. You can read more about this story here: