DATA ARCHIVE: E-WASTE STATS

ELECTRONIC WASTE INFORMATION

COMPREHENSIVE DATA ON E-WASTE GENERATION, RECYCLING STATISTICS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

E-WASTE OVERVIEW

ELECTRONIC WASTE (E-WASTE) ENCOMPASSES DISCARDED ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND COMPONENTS. IN 2018, THE TOTAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW) GENERATION REACHED 292.4 MILLION TONS, WITH E-WASTE BEING A SIGNIFICANT AND GROWING PORTION.

E-WASTE CONTAINS VALUABLE RECOVERABLE MATERIALS SUCH AS GOLD, SILVER, COPPER, AND RARE EARTH ELEMENTS, AS WELL AS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING. PROPER E-WASTE RECYCLING CONSERVES NATURAL RESOURCES, REDUCES POLLUTION, AND PREVENTS ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

  • REDUCED LANDFILL SPACE USAGE
  • PREVENTION OF TOXIC CHEMICAL LEACHING
  • CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
  • REDUCED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
  • PREVENTION OF WATER AND SOIL CONTAMINATION
  • PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE AND ECOSYSTEMS

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

  • RECOVERY OF VALUABLE METALS
  • JOB CREATION IN RECYCLING INDUSTRY
  • REDUCED COSTS FOR NEW RESOURCE EXTRACTION
  • ENERGY SAVINGS IN MANUFACTURING
  • EXTENDED LIFESPAN OF LANDFILLS
  • REDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP COSTS

WASTE GENERATION STATISTICS

THE TOTAL GENERATION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW) IN 2018 WAS 292.4 MILLION TONS

TOTAL MSW GENERATED BY MATERIAL, 2018

292.4 MILLION TONS

PAPER23.05%
GLASS4.19%
METALS8.76%
PLASTICS12.20%
YARD12.11%
FOOD21.59%
WOOD6.19%
RUBBER3.13%
TEXTILES5.83%
OTHER2.95%

KEY INSIGHTS:

  • PAPER AND PAPERBOARD PRODUCTS MADE UP THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE AT 23.1% OF TOTAL GENERATION
  • FOOD WASTE COMPRISED 21.6% OF TOTAL GENERATION (63.1 MILLION TONS)
  • PLASTICS GENERATION WAS 35.7 MILLION TONS (12.2% OF TOTAL)
  • IN 2018, 2.7 MILLION TONS OF CONSUMER ELECTRONICS WERE GENERATED
  • PLASTICS GENERATION HAS GROWN FROM 8.2% IN 1990 TO 12.2% IN 2018

RECYCLING STATISTICS

THE TOTAL MSW RECYCLED IN 2018 WAS MORE THAN 69 MILLION TONS

TOTAL MSW RECYCLING BY MATERIAL, 2018

69.1 MILLION TONS

PAPER AND PAPERBOARD (66.54%)
66.54%
METALS (12.62%)
12.62%
RUBBER, LEATHER AND TEXTILES (6.05%)
6.05%
WOOD (4.49%)
4.49%
PLASTICS (4.47%)
4.47%
GLASS (4.43%)
4.43%
OTHER (1.40%)
1.40%

MOST RECYCLED PRODUCTS:

  • CORRUGATED BOXES (32.1 MILLION TONS)
  • MIXED NONDURABLE PAPER PRODUCTS (8.8 MILLION TONS)
  • NEWSPAPERS/MECHANICAL PAPERS (3.3 MILLION TONS)
  • MAJOR APPLIANCES (3.1 MILLION TONS)
  • LEAD-ACID BATTERIES (2.9 MILLION TONS)
  • SELECTED CONSUMER ELECTRONICS (1 MILLION TONS)

E-WASTE TYPES & PRICING

CURRENT PRICING AND RECOVERY VALUE FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF ELECTRONIC WASTE

COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

DESKTOPS$5-15 PER UNIT
LAPTOPS$10-30 PER UNIT
SERVERS$20-100 PER UNIT
HARD DRIVES$1-5 PER UNIT
COMPUTER PERIPHERALS$0.10-1 PER LB
RECOVERY MATERIALS:

GOLD, SILVER, PALLADIUM, COPPER, ALUMINUM, STEEL, PLASTICS, RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

MOBILE DEVICES

SMARTPHONES$10-50 PER UNIT
TABLETS$5-30 PER UNIT
SMARTWATCHES$2-15 PER UNIT
CELLULAR PHONES (OLDER)$1-5 PER UNIT
BATTERIES$0.15-0.60 PER LB
RECOVERY MATERIALS:

GOLD, SILVER, COPPER, COBALT, LITHIUM, NEODYMIUM, TANTALUM, RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

DISPLAYS & MONITORS

LCD MONITORS$1-10 PER UNIT
CRT MONITORS-$10-5 PER UNIT
LCD TVs$0.10-0.30 PER LB
PLASMA TVs$0.05-0.20 PER LB
CRT TVs-$0.20-0.10 PER LB
NOTE:

NEGATIVE VALUES INDICATE A RECYCLING FEE MAY BE CHARGED DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS HANDLING COSTS AND LOWER VALUABLE MATERIAL CONTENT

OTHER ELECTRONICS

PRINTERS/COPIERS (SMALL)$0-5 PER UNIT
PRINTERS/COPIERS (LARGE)$10-100 PER UNIT
NETWORK EQUIPMENT$0.50-2 PER LB
CIRCUIT BOARDS$1.50-4 PER LB
POWER SUPPLIES$0.15-0.30 PER LB
PRICE FACTORS:

PRICING VARIES BASED ON CONDITION, AGE, COMMODITY MARKET VALUES, VOLUME, AND LOGISTICS COSTS. CONTACT US FOR CURRENT PRICING ON YOUR SPECIFIC E-WASTE.

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