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TAKE IT BACK.MAKE IT GREEN.RECYCLE RESPONSIBLY.

FactsandFiguresonEWasteandRecycling

Thisisasummaryofavailablestatisticsthatquantifytheproblemsofelectronicwasteande

wasterecyclingefforts.Eachitemincludesitssourceandlinktotheoriginaldocuments(where

available),tomakeiteasyforreporterstoconfirmdatabacktotheoriginalsource.

Weassembledthesestatisticsprimarilyformediaandforlegislatorsandadvocatesofewaste

policies.Thislistwillbeupdatedperiodicallyasnewstatisticsarereleased.

Contents

Topic Page

Howmuchewasteisbeingdiscardedtrashedor

recycled?

2

Howmuchewastegetsstockpiledorstored? 3

Salesofelectronicshowmuchisbeingsold 4

Computers

Televisions

CellPhones

Allconsumerelectronics

DigitalTVConversionstatistics 6

Resourcerecoveryfromelectronicsrecycling 6

Resourcesusedinelectronics(energy,water,etc) 6

Updated:June4,2010

Electronics TakeBack Coalition www.electronicstakeback.com Page 1 of 8

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E-Waste Facts and Figures

HowMuchEwasteisBeingDiscarded?Whethertrashedorrecycled,whatarewegettingridofeachyearintheUS?(Seenextsectionforwhat

westockpile.)

EWastein2007WasitTrashedorRecycled

Products Total

disposed**

Trashed Recycled RecyclingRate

(millionofunits) (millionofunits) (millionofunits) (byweight)

Televisions 26.9 20.6 6.3 18%

Computer

Products*

205.5 157.3 48.2 18%

CellPhones 140.3 126.3 14 10%

*ComputerproductsincludeCPUs,monitors,notebooks,keyboards,mice,andhardcopyperipherals,whichare

printers,copiers,multisandfaxes.

**Thesetotalsdontincludeproductsthatarenolongerused,butstored.

Source:EPA1

41.1milliondesktops&laptops TheEPA(inreportsummarizedabove)estimatesthat29.9million

desktopsand12millionlaptopswerediscardedin2007. Thatsover

112,000computersdiscardedperday!

31.9millioncomputermonitors TheEPAreport(above)estimatesthat31.9computermonitorswere

discardedin2007bothflatpanelandCRTs.

400millionunitsof

ewaste

Ina2006report,theInternationalAssociationofElectronicsRecyclers

projectsthatwiththecurrentgrowthandobsolescenceratesofthe

variouscategoriesofconsumerelectronics,(abroaderlistthantheEPA

usedabove,includingDVDs,VCRs,mainframes)somewhereinthe

neighborhoodof3billionunitswillbescrappedduringtherestofthis

decade,oranaverageofabout400millionunitsayear.2

Over3milliontonsofewaste

disposedin2008inUSA

In2008,wegenerated3.16milliontonsofewasteintheU.S.Ofthis

amount,only430,000tonsor13.6%wasrecycled,accordingtothe

EPA.Therestwastrashedinlandfillsorincinerators.(Thetotal

generatedincreasedfrom3.01milliontonsofewastegeneratedin

2007,buttherecoveryratestayedat13.6%.3

SelectedconsumerelectronicsincludeproductssuchasTVs,VCRs,

DVDplayers,videocameras,stereosystems,telephones,and

1ElectronicWasteManagementintheUnitedStates,Approach1Table3.1EPA530R08009USEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,July2008.http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app1.pdf2InternationalAssociationofElectronicsRecyclersIndustryReport,2006.Availableat

http://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htm33MunicipalSolidWasteGeneration,Recycling,andDisposalintheUnitedStates: FactsandFiguresfor2008.UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,OfficeofSolidWaste(EPA530F009021,November2009.Dataisfrom CharacterizationData

Tables1214,beginningonpage14: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdf4IBID

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htmhttp://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdfhttp://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdf

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computerequipment.4

Note:EPAs2009dataisexpectedinNovemberorDecember2010.

20to50millionmetrictonsof

ewastedisposedworldwide

eachyear

Some20to50millionmetrictonnesofewastearegenerated

worldwideeveryyear,comprisingmorethan5%ofallmunicipalsolid

waste.Whenthemillionsofcomputerspurchasedaroundtheworld

every

year

(183

million

in

2004)

become

obsolete

they

leave

behind

lead,cadmium,mercuryandotherhazardouswastes.IntheUSalone,

some14to20millionPCsarethrownouteveryyear.IntheEUthe

volumeofewasteisexpectedtoincreaseby3to5percentayear.

Developingcountriesareexpectedtotripletheiroutputofewasteby

2010.5

Ewasteisstillthefastest

growingmunicipalwaste

streamintheUS

Thecategoryofselectedconsumerelectronicproductsgrewby

almost5%from2007to2008,from2.84milliontonsfrom3.01million

tonsto3.16milliontons.6 Whileitsnotalargepartofthewaste

stream,ewasteshowsahighergrowthratethananyothercategory

ofmunicipalwasteintheEPAsreport.Overall,between2007and

2008,totalvolumesofmunicipalwasteDECREASED,whileewaste

volumescontinuetoincrease.

Only13.6%ofdisposed

ewastewasrecycledin2007

and2008

Only13.6%oftheconsumerelectronicproductsgeneratedintothe

municipalwastestream(meaning,thatpeopletossedout)were

recoveredforrecyclingin2008.Thiscomparestotheoverall

recoveryrateofallcategoriesofmunicipalwastewas33.2%in2008.A

totalof430,000tonsofelectronicswererecoveredin2008.7

HowMuchElectronicWasteGetsStoredorStockpiled?

68%ofconsumersstockpile 68percentofconsumersstockpileusedorunwantedcomputer

equipmentintheirhomes.8

235millionunitsinstorageas

of2007,including99million

TVs

TheEPAestimatesthefollowingquantitiesofelectronicswerein

storageby2007(notincludingcellphones)

Televisions:99.1million

Desktopcomputers:65.7million

Desktopmonitors: 42.4million

Notebookcomputers:2.1million

Hardcopyperipherals:25.2million(printers,copiers,faxes,multis)

TOTAL: 234.6millionunitsinstorage9

5PressRelease,BaselConferenceAddressesElectronicWastesChallenge.November27,2006, UnitedNationsEnvironment

Programme(UNEP).Availableat:

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5431&l=en6MunicipalSolidWasteGeneration,Recycling,andDisposalintheUnitedStates: FactsandFiguresfor2008.UnitedStates

EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,OfficeofSolidWaste,November2009.Dataisfrom CharacterizationDataTables1214.

Report:http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdf7Ibid.Table13.Note:Seepage33ofreportfordefinitionsofgenerationandrecovery.

8HPFactSheet,EarthDay2005.

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/environment/earthdayfs.pdf9ElectronicWasteManagementintheUnitedStates,Approach1Table3.1EPA530R08009USEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,July2008,Table3.4onpage25. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app1.pdf

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5431&l=enhttp://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5431&l=enhttp://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008data.pdfhttp://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5431&l=en

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SalesinElectronics HowMuchElectronicsAreBeingSold

Note:Manystatisticsonsalesareexpressedintermsofunitsshippedfromthemanufacturersintotheirvarioussaleschannels.

ConsumerElectronics

500millionunitsin2008inUS AccordingtotheConsumerElectronicsAssociation(CEA),consumers

wereexpectedtopurchase500millionunitsofconsumerelectronics

intheUSin2008.UShouseholdsspendabout$1407peryearon

hardware.10

Spending:$1380perhouseholdon

consumerelectronicslastyear.

TheaverageU.S.householdspent$1,380onconsumerelectronics

(CE)productsinthepast12months,anincreaseof$151fromlast

year,accordingtoanewstudyreleasedinMay2010bytheConsumer

ElectronicsAssociation(CEA).11

$165billioninconsumerelectronics

productsprojectedfor2010

AccordingtotheConsumerElectronicsAssociation,USconsumerswill

purchase$165billioninconsumerelectronicsin2010,aslight

increaseover2009sales.12

[SeeTVsalesnumbersbelow.]

ComputerSales

305millioncomputerssoldin

2009worldwide.TheUS

bought96millionofthem.

AccordingtoGartner,Inc,manufacturersshipped305.8million

computersin2009. 55%oftheseweremobilePCs(notebooks,

netbooks,tablets).13

NinetysixmillionoftheseweretotheU.S.14

Computersalesprojections:

366millionworldwidein2010,

up20%over2009.70%of

thosewillbemobilePCs.

WorldwidePCshipmentsareprojectedtototal366.1millionunitsin

2010,a19.7percentincreasefrom305.8millionunitsshippedin2009,

accordingtothelatestpreliminaryforecastbyGartner,Inc.Worldwide

PCspendingisforecasttoreach$245billionin2010,up12.2percent

from2009.15

TelevisionSales

3.3MillionTVsboughtforthe

superbowlin2009.

2.6MillionHDTVsboughtfor

SuperBowl2009.

USconsumersbought3.3 millionHDTVsforSuperBowl2010,up

from2.6millionin2009.16

Americansbought 3.9millionTVsforthe2008SuperBowl,

accordingtotheNationalRetailFederation.17

Thatsupmorethan

10ConsumerElectronicsAssociation,PresentationbyParkerBruggetoEScrapConference,Sept17,2008.

11ConsumerElectronicsAssociationPressRelease,May6,2010.

http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=1190012

Consumer

electronics

Association

Press

Release,

January

7,

2010.


GartnerSaysWorldwidePCShipmentstoGrow20Percentin2010,March4,2010.

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=131351314

GartnerSaysWorldwidePCShipmentsinFourthQuarterof2009PostedStrongestGrowthRateinSevenYears,January13,

2 ,http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=127921501015GartnerSaysWorldwidePCShipmentstoGrow20Percentin2010,March4,2010.http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=131351316

SuperBowlisspurringablitzofTVsalesforretailers,IndianapolisStar,quotingConsumerElectronicsAssociation,Feb4,2010.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/02/04/4606159.htm17

PressReleasefromNationalRetailFederation:AsSuperBowlSalesNear$10Billion,RetailersPlanBigPromotions,Accordingto

RAMA,January213,2008.Availableat: http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=461

http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11900http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11900http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11861http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1313513http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1313513http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1279215http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1279215http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1313513http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1313513http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/02/04/4606159.htmhttp://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/02/04/4606159.htmhttp://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1313513http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1279215http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1313513http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11861http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11900

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50%fromthe2.5millionweboughtforthe2007superbowl.We

bought1.7in2006.

34.5milliondigitalTVsin2009

26.8milliondigitalTVsin2008

TheConsumerElectronicsAssociation(CEA)predictsthatin2009,

wewillbuy34.5milliondigitalTVsintheUS,upfrom26.8soldin

2008.

They

predict

that

29.8

million

of

these

will

be

HD

TVs.

18

Manufacturersearnedover

$25BILLIONsellingdigitalTVs

in2007.

AccordingtonewCEAsalesprojections,manufacturerswillpost

11percentrevenuegrowth,toover$25billion,fromsalesof

digitaltelevisionsin2007.CEAalsoforecasts13percentrevenue

and17percentunitsalesgrowthfordigitaltelevisionin2008.19

211millionTVssoldworldwide

in2009MarketresearchfirmDisplaySearchsaid211millionTVsweresold

worldwidein2009.20

Thiswas2%higherthan2008,despite

expectationsthatsaleswoulddecreaseduetoeconomic

conditions.

NorthAmericaaccountsfor

83%ofthe50+TVmarket

WearebuyingBIGTVs.WhiletheaverageTVsizeinNorth

Americais29.5inches,NorthAmericaaccountedfor83%ofthe

50"+marketand52%ofthe40"+market21

3DTVsales DisplaySearchforecasts3.4million3DTVstobeshippedin2010,

withthemarketexpectedtoreach42.9millionin2014.Basedon

thisforecast,3DTVmarketpenetrationisexpectedtogrowfroma

5%shareoftotalflatpanelTVsin2010to37%in2014.Justover

2millionofthesewillbetoNorthAmerica.22

CellPhoneSales

1.211billioncellphonessold

worldwidein2009

AccordingtoGartner,Inc,1.21billionmobilephonesweresoldin

2009,aslightdecreaseover2008.Ofthose,172.4millionwere

smartphones.

23

4BILLIONcellphoneusers

worldwide

Bytheendof2008,animportantmilestoneintheICT

[informationandcommunicationstechnologies]developmentrace

wasachieved:over4billionmobilecellularsubscriptions

worldwide24

18PressReleasefromConsumerElectronicsAssociation,Jan30,2009.


IBID20

DisplaySearchpressrelease:GlobalLCDTVShipmentsReached146MUnitsin2009,FasterGrowthThan2008,Feb22,2010,

http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100222_gobal_lcd_tv_shipments_reached_146m_units_in_2009

_faster_growth_than_2008.asp21

DisplaySearchpressrelease,November27,2006;DisplaySearchReportIndicatesSamsungTakestheTopPositioninGlobalTV

UnitsandRevenues,http://www.displaysearch.com/press/?id=101422

DisplaySearchpressrelease,July28,2010,3DTVShipmentsExpectedtoReach3.4Min2010and42.9Min2014,

http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100728_3d_tv_shipments_expected_to_reach_3_4_m_in_2010_

and_42_9_m_in_2014.asp

23GartnerSaysWorldwideMobilePhoneSalestoEndUsersGrew8PerCentinFourthQuarter2009,Gartner,Inc.,Feb23,2010,

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=130651324

MeasuringtheInformationSociety.AreportfromtheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion,2009,Page3.

http://www.itu.int/ITUD/ict/publications/idi/2009/material/IDI2009_w5.pdf

http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11679http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100222_gobal_lcd_tv_shipments_reached_146m_units_in_2009_faster_growth_than_2008.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100222_gobal_lcd_tv_shipments_reached_146m_units_in_2009_faster_growth_than_2008.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/press/?id=1014http://www.displaysearch.com/press/?id=1014http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100728_3d_tv_shipments_expected_to_reach_3_4_m_in_2010_and_42_9_m_in_2014.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100728_3d_tv_shipments_expected_to_reach_3_4_m_in_2010_and_42_9_m_in_2014.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100728_3d_tv_shipments_expected_to_reach_3_4_m_in_2010_and_42_9_m_in_2014.asphttp://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1306513http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/material/IDI2009_w5.pdfhttp://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/material/IDI2009_w5.pdfhttp://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/material/IDI2009_w5.pdfhttp://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/material/IDI2009_w5.pdfhttp://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1306513http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100728_3d_tv_shipments_expected_to_reach_3_4_m_in_2010_and_42_9_m_in_2014.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100728_3d_tv_shipments_expected_to_reach_3_4_m_in_2010_and_42_9_m_in_2014.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/press/?id=1014http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100222_gobal_lcd_tv_shipments_reached_146m_units_in_2009_faster_growth_than_2008.asphttp://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/100222_gobal_lcd_tv_shipments_reached_146m_units_in_2009_faster_growth_than_2008.asphttp://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11679

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SmartPhones174million

soldworldwidein2009

AccordingtoIDC,174.2millionsmartphonesweresoldin2009

worldwide,up15.1%fromthe151.4millionunitsin2008.

Smartphonesaccountedfor15.4%ofallmobilephonesshippedin

2009,upslightlyfrom12.7%in2008.25

DigitalTVConversionStatistics

AreweexperiencinganEWasteTsunami?

WebelievealargenumbersofTVsarebeingdisposedofinconjunctionwiththedigitalconversion(now

andinthefuture).ConsumershavealotofTVsinstorage(notused,readyfordisposal).Nowthatwe

havepassedthedigitalconversiondeadline,anyexpectationsofsomedayreusingordonatingthese

analogTVswilldisappear,sincefewpeoplewillwantanalogTVs. Herearesomestatistics.

26.9milliontelevisions

disposedin2007

TheEPAestimatesthatin2007,wegotridof26.9millionTVs

eitherbytrashingorrecyclingthem.26Thatsequivalentto

910,600tons.

99millionTVsstockpiled TheEPAestimatesthatbytheendof2007,therewereover99

millionTVsstockpiledorstoredintheUS.27

Over35%ofUShouseholdsare

affectedbydigitaltransition

AccordingtothefederalGovernmentAccountabilityOffice,15%of

householdsrelysolelyonovertheairTVsignalthesignalthat

willbeunavailableifyoudonthaveadigitalTVorconverterbox.

Another21%ofhouseholdshaveatleastoneTVthatreceivesover

theairsignal.28

Withabout110millionhouseholdsintheUS,that

meansthatapproximately40millionTVsmaybeaffected.

HowmanyTVswillbe

discarded?

Thereisnogooddataavailableforthisquestion.Weestimatetens

ofmillions,buthavenoexactnumber.

ResourceRecoveryfromRecyclingElectronics

Goldrecoveryfromewaste

recycling

One metric ton (t) of electronic scrap from personal computers

(PCs) contains more gold than that recovered from 17 t of gold

ore.

In1998,theamountofgoldrecovered fromelectronicscrap

25WorldwideConvergedMobileDeviceMarketGrows39.0%YearOverYearinFourthQuarter,SaysIDC,Feb4,2010;

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?sessionId=&containerId=prUS22196610&sessionId=BB21CD29B9FB122C65B341DA0E4D9B9626

ElectronicWasteManagementintheUnitedStates,Approach1Table3.1EPA530R08009USEnvironmental

ProtectionAgency,July2008.http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app1.pdf27

IBID.Page25.28

DigitalTelevisionTransition.TestimonybeforetheHouseSubcommitteeonTelecommunicationsandtheInternet,

June10,2008.MarkGoldstein,GovernmentAccountabilityOffice(GAO).P11

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08881t.pdf

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?sessionId=&containerId=prUS22196610&sessionId=BB21CD29B9FB122C65B341DA0E4D9B96http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08881t.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08881t.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/docs/app-1.pdfhttp://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?sessionId=&containerId=prUS22196610&sessionId=BB21CD29B9FB122C65B341DA0E4D9B96

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intheUnitedStateswasequivalenttothatrecoveredfrommore

than2millionmetrictons(Mt)ofgoldoreandwaste.29

ResourcesUsedinElectronicsManufacturing

Tomanufactureonecomputer

andmonitor,ittakes530

poundsoffossilfuels,48

poundsofchemicals,and1.5

tonsofwater.

Finally,theproductionofelectricandelectronicdevicesisavery

resourceintensiveactivity.Theenvironmentalburdenduetothe

productionofelectricalandelectronicproducts("ecological

baggage")exceedsbyfartheoneduetotheproductionofother

householdmaterials.AUNstudyfoundthatthemanufacturingof

acomputeranditsscreentakesatleast240kg(530pounds)of

fossilfuels,22kg(48pounds)ofchemicalsand1.5tonnesofwater

morethantheweightofarhinocerosoracar(Kuehrand

Williams,2003).30

81%ofadesktopcomputers

energyuseisinMAKINGthe

computer,notusingit

EnergyUse

When

you

add

up

the

energy

usage

during

the

whole

lifecycle

of

a

computerwitha17inchmonitor,youfindmostisusedduring

manufacturing, notusingthecomputer:

Incontrastwithmanyhomeappliances,lifecycleenergyuseofa

computerisdominatedbyproduction(81%)asopposedto

operation(19%).31

Atonofusedcellphones(6000

phones)yields$15,000in

preciousmetals.

Preciousmetalsincellphones

Atonofusedmobilephones,forexampleorapproximately

6,000handsets(atinyfractionoftoday's1billionannual

production) containsabout3.5kilogramsofsilver,340gramsof

gold,140gramsofpalladium,and130kgofcopper,accordingto

StEP.Theaveragemobilephonebatterycontainsanother3.5

gramsofcopper.Combinedvalue:overUS$15,000attoday's

prices.32

Recyclingmetalsfromewaste

usesafractionoftheenergy

neededtominenewmetals

Recyclingaluminumusessaves90%ofenergyofminingnew

aluminum

Recovering10kilogramsofaluminumviarecycling,forexample,

usesnomorethan10%oftheenergyrequiredforprimary

production,preventingthecreationof13kilogramsofbauxite

residue,20kilogramsofCO2,and0.11kilogramsofsulphur

29

USGS

Fact

Sheet

FS

060

01

July

2001.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs060

01/

30Ewaste,thehiddensideofITequipment'smanufacturinganduse,EnvironmentAlertBulletin,UnitedNationsEnvironment

Programme,January2005.Availableat:http://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/download/ew_ewaste.en.pdf

Quotereferencesacompilationcalled,ComputersandtheEnvironment.Understandingandmanagingtheirimpact.

EricWilliamsandRuedigerKuehr,Editors,UnitedNationsUniversity,October2003.31

Energyintensityofcomputermanufacturing:hybridassessmentcombiningprocessandeconomicinputoutput

methods,EricWilliamsUnitedNationsUniversity,EnvironmentalScience&Technology38(22),6166 6174(2004).32UnitedNationsUniversity(2009,September17).SetWorldStandardsForElectronicsRecycling,ReuseToCurbE

wasteExportsToDevelopingCountries,ExpertsUrge.ScienceDaily.RetrievedSeptember21,2009,from

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915140919.htm33

IBID

http://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/download/ew_ewaste.en.pdfhttp://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/download/ew_ewaste.en.pdfhttp://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/download/ew_ewaste.en.pdf

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dioxideemissions,andcausesmanyotheremissionsand

impacts.33

JobsandReuse ReuseCreatesMoreJobs

Comparedtodisposal,computerreusecreates296morejobsper

forevery10,000tonsofmaterialdisposedeachyear.34

Sourcesforinformationandstatisticsontheelectronicsindustry

Gartner AmarketresearchfirmspecializingintheITindustry.

IDCAmarketresearchfirmspecializinginITandconsumerelectronics.

DisplaysearchAmarketresearchfirmspecializinginTVsandotherdisplaytechnology.

34InstituteForLocalSelfReliance,RecyclingMeansBusiness,1997.

http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/recyclingmeansbusiness.html
http://www.gartner.com/technology/why_gartner.jsphttp://www.idc.com/home.jhtmlhttp://www.ilsr.org/recycling/recyclingmeansbusiness.htmlhttp://www.ilsr.org/recycling/recyclingmeansbusiness.htmlhttp://www.ilsr.org/recycling/recyclingmeansbusiness.htmlhttp://www.idc.com/home.jhtmlhttp://www.gartner.com/technology/why_gartner.jsp

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