Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, October 14, according to CCTV news, October 14 this year is the fifth international e-waste day. According to a report released by the waste Electrical and Electronic equipment Forum, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, it is estimated that 5.3 billion of the 16 billion mobile phones held by the global public will be abandoned or idle this year.

According to the report, if the average thickness of the phone is 9 mm, the stack height of these discarded phones is about 50, 000 kilometers, which is 120 times the orbital height of the International Space Station and equivalent to 1/8 of the distance from the earth to the moon.

CTOnews.com learned that despite precious gold, copper, silver, palladium and other recyclable ingredients, almost all of these discarded phones can be hoarded, dumped or burned, causing significant damage to health and the environment. According to the 2020 global e-waste monitoring report, discarded mobile phones are only the tip of the iceberg of the 44.48 million tons of unrecycled e-waste produced worldwide each year.

According to a survey conducted in six European countries from June to September 2022, many of the 5 billion abandoned phones were hoarded and left in drawers, cabinets or garages, rather than being sent for repair or recycling.

The report found that the average European household currently hoards up to 5 kilograms of electronic devices per person. Of the 8775 households surveyed, 46 per cent cited potential future use as the main reason for hoarding electronic devices, with another 15 per cent hoarding devices for sale or giving away, while 13 per cent for "emotional value".

This month, the European Parliament passed a new law requiring USB-C to become the single charger standard for all new smartphones, tablets and cameras from the end of 2024. The move is expected to save at least 200 million euros a year and reduce more than 1,000 metric tons of EU e-waste each year.

CTOnews.com has learned that European legislation has led to higher e-waste collection rates in the region than in other parts of the world, according to Kees Balde, a senior scientific expert at the United Nations Institute for training and Research (UNITAR). In Europe, 50-55 per cent of e-waste is collected or recycled. In low-income countries, we estimate this figure at less than 5 per cent and sometimes even less than 1 per cent. "

At the same time, thousands of tons of e-waste are shipped from rich countries, including EU member states, to developing countries every year, increasing their recycling burden. Recipients often lack the financial means to safely dispose of e-waste: hazardous substances such as mercury and plastics contaminate the soil, water and enter the food chain, as is the case near an e-waste dumping site in Ghana.

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.