UK to be top e-waste contributor by 2024
13 September 2023
13 September 2023
A collection of studies highlight that the UK is on track to be the world’s largest e-waste contributor by 2024.
The UK is currently the second largest e-waste producer in the world, generating 23.9kg of waste per capita. Norway is the biggest e-waste contributor at present, generating 26kg of waste per capita, but UK e-waste is anticipated to rise as high as 55,000 tonnes annually by 2030.
e-waste refers to household and business waste electrical and electronic equipment, such as laptops, mobile phones and televisions.
A study by Uswitch into the UK e-waste sector unveils some startling figures, signalling quite a bleak look ahead. According to the research, there were 19,053 tonnes of IT and telecoms waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in 2008, which increased to 52,008 tonnes in 2016; a rise of 173 per cent.
If the UK continues on current trajectories, it is likely to overtake Norway and become the world’s largest e-waste contributor by 2024. This has been made more likely by Norway’s recent strategies to actively reduce its e-waste, such as a “take-back” scheme that encourages businesses to correctly repurpose and reuse returned equipment.
Get impartial end-to-end support when investing in
renewables and energy efficiency technologies.
Get accredited training for your and your teams
to accelerate your sustainability journey
Use our free Carbon Calculator to get an accurate picture of
your organisation's carbon footprint.
Search our Marketplace to find a trusted partner
for your green tech investment.
Share