The World’s Worst Electronic Waste Offenders

from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Niall McCarthy

In this world of rapidly evolving technology, electronic items quickly become obsolete.

What happens to them when they are no longer up to date and relevant? Even though some are recycled, many end up as e-waste. 2014 saw a record amount of e-waste discarded across the globe, according to a report compiled by the United Nations University. 41.8 million tons of assorted electronic devices such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines and countless other electronic applicances were thrown away last year. That’s equivalent to 1.15 million heavy trucks forming a long that stretches 14,300 miles long.

The report mentions that waste that could have been recovered for recycling contained an estimated 16,500 kilotons of iron and 300 tons of gold, worth about $52 billion. Who were the worst offenders in 2014? Even though the United and States and China generated the most e-waste last year (32 percent of the global total), several countries famed for their strong environmental records lead the way on a per capita basis. Norway comes first for per capita e-waste, generating 62.4lbs per inhabitant in 2014. Switzerland is in second position with 58lbs while Iceland rounds off the top three with 57.3lbs.

This chart shows the biggest per-capita e-waste generators in 2014.

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