As many as 5.3 billion smartphones are expected to be thrown away this year, according to the International Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum (WEEE).
The number of smartphones expected to be discarded this year was issued as part of a new report aimed at highlighting the growing environmental problem caused by electronic waste or “e-waste,” as it is popularly known.
Many people throw out old mobile phones rather than recycle them, the forum said in its report.
Precious minerals not extracted from electronic waste, such as copper and cobalt, can pollute ground water and lead to environmental hazards when not properly recycled.
Today, there are an estimated 16 billion smartphones worldwide. But almost a third of them are believed to no longer be in active use.
The WEEE research showcases a “mountain” of e-waste that incudes everything from washing machines and toaster ovens to tablet computers and global positioning system (GPS) devices.
E-waste is forecast to grow to 74 million tonnes a year by 2030.
Currently, only about 17% of the world’s e-waste is properly recycled, according to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union. The UN has set a target to raise that recycling level to 30% by the end of 2023.
The U.S. is estimated to produce about seven million tons of e-waste each year, equal to nearly 50 pounds per person. It is estimated that only about 15% of electronics in the U.S. are recycled annually.
Earlier this year, the Royal Society of Chemistry launched a global campaign promoting the mining of e-waste to produce new electronic devices.
