Asia struggles to contain record e-waste
Source: Asia Insurance Review | May 2024
Asia’s per capita burden of junked ‘phones and other electronic and electrical gadgets is still low, but it struggles to contain this e-waste deluge that is gradually building up according to a new report by the UN.
The 148-page report Global E-waste monitor 2024 released by United Nations Institute for Training and Research in March 2024 reveals that though the region’s per-capita burden is low, its recycling laws cannot handle the sheer volume of junked ‘phones and fridges. Globally, improperly discarded gadgets, including solar panels, add to a mounting health and environmental crisis.
The report says Asia accounted for almost half of all electronic waste discarded worldwide in 2022 but contributed to only a quarter of global e-waste recycling.
Southeast Asia is also increasingly taking in more e-waste from its neighbours, despite its own low recycling rates and often informal nature of refuse collection. The report points to the growing environmental and health challenges that result from e-waste dumping in the region.
Asia generated 30m tonnes of e-waste and formally recovered less than 12% of it in 2022. Documented recycling rates vary markedly in the region: 20% for East Asia, 1% for South Asia, and 0% for Southeast Asia.
Out of 49 Asian countries analysed, only 18 countries have e-waste policies and just four (China, Japan, Cyprus and Türkiye) have recycling targets. A