AMN /United Nations
The United Nations has warned that waste from discarded electronics like mobile phones, laptops and refrigerators is piling up worldwide, and urged for better recycling of the hazardous rubbish.
A report by UN’s International Telecommunication Union, the UN University and the International Solid Waste Association said, full 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste was generated around the world in 2016 which was eight percent up from two years earlier.
It said, by 2021, the world will likely be cluttered with a full 52.2 million tonnes of such waste. The report said, the waste, which can pose serious risks to human health and the environment, is rarely recycled or properly discarded.
Ruediger Kuehr of UNU’s Sustainable Cycles Programme said the most promising approach to reducing e-waste is a system where consumers no longer purchase devices, but instead only the services they provide.