E-waste is the waste produced by all of the electrical and electronic goods we throw out. If you’re imagining towering piles of computers, phones, microwaves, etc... you’d be right.
According to the World Economic Forum, we produced almost 57.4 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021—outweighing the Great Wall of China, the world's heaviest human construction! If nothing changes, the WEF predicts that e-waste will hit 74 million tonnes by 2030.
The main drivers of this e-waste explores comes down to our increasing consumption of electronics globally; shorter periods between new product releases; and limited options for repairing items.
Why is e-waste a problem?
Electronic goods are energy expensive, from cradle to grave. Raw materials and precious metals must be extracted and/or processed, then brought together and turned into a product; that product must then be transported from the factory to your home or office—likely with a few stops along the way.
Once it's there, that item will spend the rest of its days sipping on your domestic power supply. With so much embodied carbon wrapped up in their life cycle, sending electronic items to landfill is a wasteful way to spend our world's remaining carbon budget!
What’s more, some e-waste slowly releases greenhouse gases as it rots. According to the World Economic Forum, in 2019 'about 98 million tonnes are thought to have leaked from discarded fridges and air conditioners, which is approximately 0.3% of global energy-related emissions.'
E-waste can also contain mercury, brominated flame retardants, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons—toxic substances which put scrapyard workers and people who live near landfill sites at risk, as well as endangering natural habitats and biodiversity.
How much e-waste do we produce in the UK?

In 2019, the average UK citizen generated more than three times the global average in e-waste. This puts us pretty high up on the leaderboard for ‘most e-waste generated per capita’—second only to Norway. Still, not a great place to be.
What can businesses do to reduce e-waste?
A lot of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) can be refurbished, recycled or resold. Businesses can support the drive to reduce e-waste in the UK by:
- Creating a circular model which ensures all viable EEE is put back into the system
- Only purchasing new equipment from responsible suppliers or purchasing refurbished equipment.
- Considering how long products will live for and what the end-of-life process will be before buying them
A circular model for EEE will look different in every business, because it depends on variables like how much, what type and what the residual value of the equipment is plus the capacity of the business to handle its ‘waste’ management.