Circular Economy

Mounting e-waste is harming the planet. Here’s how we solve the problem

Electronic waste or e-waste from computers is pictured in a junk shop in Makati City, Philippines.

Most of the world’s electronics are not recycled, posing health and environmental risks. Image: REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Callie Babbitt
Associate Professor of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology
Shahana Althaf
Sustainability Scientist, Yale School of the Environment
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a junkyard full of electronic waste
Sending electronics to junkyards or landfills wastes an opportunity to recycle valuable materials inside them. Image: Joe Sohm/Visions of America /Getty Images
a researcher takes apart a smartphone to recycle the contents
A researcher takes apart a smartphone to find out what materials are inside. Image: Shahana Althaf
a dissected tablet, demonstrating the utility of recycled electronics
This dissected tablet shows the components inside, each of which were logged, weighed and measured by researchers. Image: Callie Babbitt
Apple's robot which can recycle nine different iPhone models
Apple’s new robot, Daisy, can disassemble nine different iPhone models to recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot. Image: Apple
two charts showing the concentration of different materials like lead and cobalt within the U.S. e-waste stream
Concentration of hazardous (left) and valuable (right) materials within the U.S. e-waste stream. Image: Althaf et al. 2020
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Related topics:
Circular EconomyPlastics and the EnvironmentMining and MetalsGlobal Risks
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