WEEE Forum highlights potential for recovering critical raw materials.
In 2022, 62 million tonnes of electronic waste were generated worldwide, which corresponds to almost eight kilograms per person. Only slightly more than 22 percent of this material is officially recycled, according to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2024. Improper disposal is becoming an increasing problem, as waste volumes grow and potentially harmful substances enter the environment. At the same time, e-waste contains many resources that could be recovered, including materials that an increasing number of countries consider critical for the functioning of their industries.
For the WEEE Forum (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment), which connects actors from the recycling industry, this is reason to mark the E-Waste Day it initiated in 2018 under the motto “Recycle your e-waste – IT’S CRITICAL.” The association aims to raise awareness that elements such as cobalt, lithium, and also gallium, for example, can be recovered from electronic waste, thereby improving the supply of raw materials.
Against the background of the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), this issue is gaining significance, as the law stipulates that recycling must cover 25 percent of the demand for certain resources by 2030. To achieve this, not only industry is called upon to develop new technologies, but also consumers. Countless unused electronic devices sit in drawers or storage rooms, making their valuable materials unavailable for recovery. According to BITKOM, the German association for the information and telecommunications industry, people in Germany alone are “hoarding” 195 million old mobile phones.
Read more:
- The German Mineral Resources Agency investigated which raw materials are contained in mobile phones in a study a few years ago (PDF)
- The E-Waste World trade fair in Frankfurt am Main annually presents progress and new approaches for recycling electronic waste.
Photo: PN_Photo via Canva