E-Waste

E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. Between 50 and 60 million tons of e-waste are produced every year.  75-80% of e-waste is shipped to Africa and Asia, where poor and marginalized communities suffer health and environmental consequences. 

According to a 2013 report by the Consumer Electronics Association, the average American household uses about 28 electronic products, such as personal computers, mobile phones, televisions, and electronic readers (e-readers). With an ever-increasing supply of new electronic gadgets, EPA’s facts https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling show that Americans generated 2.7 million tons of consumer electronics goods in 2018, representing less than one percent of all municipal solid waste generation.

Materials such as iron, gold, aluminum, palladium, platinum, lithium, copper, and plastics play crucial roles in the high-tech electronic products that affect our daily lives. The EPA estimates that in 2009, U.S. consumers and businesses discarded 2.37 million tons of televisions, computers, cell phones, and hard copy peripherals (including printers, scanners, and faxes). Approximately 25 percent of these electronics were collected for recycling, with the remainder disposed of primarily in landfills, where the precious metals cannot be recovered.

Did You Know…?

  • When the iPhone was released in 2007, 1.4 million units were sold that year. Now, the same amount of phones are sold every 2.5 days. 
  • The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that has not acted on the Basil Convention, an international treaty that prevents developed countries from dumping hazardous waste on poorer nations. 
  • In 2019, only 17.4% of global e-waste generated was collected and properly recycled due in part to the complexity of the process. 
  • The e-waste discarded in 2021 alone weighs more than the Great Wall of China, the heaviest man-made structure in the world. The discarded e-waste in 2019 alone was worth more than U.S. $57 billion.

E-Waste in Taos County

E-waste must be transported to an Albuquerque company that charges per pound to recycle it. Future “E-waste Recycling Days” are planned at central locations in Taos and will ask for a per-pound fee for the service.

Before donating or recycling your computer or laptop:E-WASTE - E-waste collected by recycling crew

  • Delete all personal information from your electronics.
  • Remove any batteries from your electronics, as they may need to be recycled separately. 
  • Lithium-ion batteries and devices containing them should NOT be thrown in household garbage or recycling bins, as they may catch fire. (See Batteries page.)
  • Consider upgrading the hardware or software instead of buying a brand-new product.

Some History

In 1986, a cargo vessel carrying 14,000 tons of toxic waste left Philadelphia and traveled around the world for more than five months, continually being turned away from areas where it attempted to dump its contents. Eventually, much of the toxic waste was dumped into the Indian Ocean. This event sparked some of the current efforts to regulate the flow of electronic waste and ensure the health and safety of the global environment.

The U.S. has not enacted a federal law to regulate the domestic recycling of e-waste. Still, since 2001, some states have implemented policies to address in creasing accumulation of e-waste.