The State of E-Scrap

Only 25% of used electronics (e-scrap), one of the fastest growing sources of waste globally, are actually recycled, leaving 3.5 million tons available for recycling.

According to dosomething.org, cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals like gold or silver. Americans dump phones containing over $60 million in gold/silver every year. For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.

It’s time for manufacturers and consumers alike to think about solution to end-of-product-life issues.