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Grim forecast for e-waste as technology trash to top 65m tons by 2017
They are on
our person, in our homes and in our workplaces, many of them harbouring heavy
metals and toxic materials which are dangerous to people and the environment
unless they are properly recycled.Yet the soaring international demand for
electric and electronic products is fuelling a global rise in e-waste, which is
set to reach 65.4 million tons annually by 2017.
The grim
forecast is from a new study released today, which has mapped more than 180
countries.It reveals that, in only five years, the yearly amount of e-waste
will rise 33 per cent from the 49 million tons of used electrical and
electronic items generated last year.
The figure
is based on data from a new world map created by the Solving the E-Waste
Problem (StEP) initiative, a coalition of UN organisations, industry,
governments, NGOs and science bodies.It has looked at the amount of electrical
and electronic equipment sold around the world and the amount of waste
electrical and electronic equipment (Weee) generated.Worldwide, the US is the
worst offender – with 9.4 million tons of e‑waste each year, with some 26,500
tons being sent to poorer countries each year.
Mobile
phones form the bulk of the 14 million used electronic products exported, with
most used phones destined for Hong Kong, and countries in Latin America and the
Caribbean. Old computers are generally sent to Asian countries, while heavy
items such as TVs and computer monitors end up in places such as Mexico,
Venezuela, Paraguay and China.
To
read more- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grim-forecast-for-ewaste-as-technology-trash-to-top-65m-tons-by-2017-9005446.html
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