electronic waste

4 Stories

UN: Our E-Waste Problem Is Getting Out of Control

The planet generated 62M tons of it in 2022

(Newser) - UN agencies have warned that electrical and electronic waste is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further. In a new report released Wednesday, the UN's International Telecommunications Union and research arm UNITAR said some 62 million tons of "e-waste"—...

Apple Won't Like New EU Rule on Charging Cords

USB-C cable will be required for devices, from phones to headphones to GPS units, from 2024

(Newser) - Forget rummaging through the junk drawer. Soon, Europeans will need to reach for just one cable to charge their smartphones and other devices, the AP reports. European Union officials said they inked a provisional agreement Tuesday that will require a uniform charging cord in the 27-nation bloc. The new rules,...

Apple's Recycling Program Brings in $43M in Gold

Apple recycled two-thirds of nearly 90M pounds of electronic waste in 2015

(Newser) - Apple has released figures on its Apple Renew recycling program, and it's clearly paying dividends. Out of nearly 90 million pounds of electronic equipment it recovered last year, 61 million pounds were recycled, Apple reports . Specifically, it reclaimed 23 million pounds of steel; 13 million pounds of plastic; 12...

Downside of Our New Gizmos: Mounting E-Waste

But we can mitigate the worst problems: Bryan Walsh

(Newser) - Apple's rollout of the new iPad comes with the usual fanfare, but Bryan Walsh at Time raises a related problem that gets only a fraction of the same attention: our rising piles of electronic garbage and their very real environmental risks. These days, tablets and smartphones aren't meant...

4 Stories