E-waste generation worldwide has nearly doubled since 2010, from **** million metric tons to roughly ** million tons in 2022. Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams, with global e-waste generation projected to reach ** million metric tons by 2030. What makes up electronic waste? In 2022, small equipment, such as vacuum cleaners, microwaves, toasters, and electric kettles made up the largest share of global electronic waste generation, at more than **** million metric tons. Another ** million metric tons of large equipment waste was also generated that year. Although still accounting for less than one percent of e-waste generated worldwide, the growth in solar PV capacity worldwide has seen photovoltaic panels as a growing waste stream. Where is electronic waste generated? China is by far the largest e-waste generating country worldwide, with more than ** million metric tons generated in 2022. In fact, Asia accounted for nearly half of all e-waste generated that year. Nevertheless, when it comes to e-waste generation per capita, four of the top five countries were located in Europe, with Norway leading the ranking at **** kilograms per inhabitant.

Electronic waste generation worldwide stood at roughly 62 million metric tons in 2022. Several factors, such as increased spending power, and the availability of electronics, has fueled e-waste generation in recent decades, making it the fastest growing waste stream worldwide. This trend is expected to continue, with annual e-waste generation forecast at 82 million metric tons in 2030.

How much e-waste do people produce?

Globally, e-waste generation per capita averaged 7.8 kilograms in 2022. However, this differs greatly depending on the region. While Asia produces the most e-waste worldwide in volume, Europe and Oceania were the regions with the highest e-waste generation per capita, at 17.6 and 16.1 kilograms respectively.

E-waste disposal

In 2022, the share of e-waste formally collected and recycled worldwide stood at 22.3 percent. Meanwhile, around 48 million metric tons are estimated to have been collected informally, with 29 percent of this value being disposed as residual waste, most likely ending up in landfills. Due to the hazardous materials that are often used in electronics, improper e-waste disposal is a growing environmental concern worldwide.

From January to September 2024, approximately 375 thousand metric tons of household waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were collected in the United Kingdom. On average, some 120,000 metric tons of household electronic waste are collected each quarter. The UK is one of the biggest producers of e-waste in the world. Types of e-wasteWEEE, often referred to as e-waste, consists of electronic products that are discarded at the end of their useful life. Types of e-waste include phones, computers, and light bulbs, as well as large household appliances such as fridges, microwaves, and washing machines. The latter category makes up the largest volume of collected e-waste in the United Kingdom. E-waste a growing problemE-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. There are health concerns over the way it is disposed of, as large amounts are exported to developing countries. With a lack of proper waste management, electronics are often burnt, resulting in the likely contamination of soil, water, and food. It is estimated that less than one-third of electronic waste generated worldwide is formally collected and recycled.

China is by far the largest producer of electronic waste worldwide, generating more than ** million metric tons worth in 2022. The United States followed, with roughly ***** million metric tons produced. Global electronic waste generation amounted to approximately ** million metric tons in 2022 and is expected to increase further in the coming years. What is electronic waste? Electronic waste is often referred to as e-waste, and is the fastest growing waste stream worldwide. E-waste consists of electronic equipment that has reached the end of its useful life. It includes a wide variety of products used in everyday life such as old phones, televisions, fridges, and air conditioners. The most common type of e-waste is small equipment as microwaves, electric kettles, and cameras. E-waste disposal Due to electronic products often containing harmful components, proper disposal of e-waste is imperative. However, the destination of e-waste generated worldwide still goes mostly undocumented, with millions of tons estimated to end up annually in landfills. Improper disposal can not only cause major environmental hazards, such as toxic chemical leaching; e-waste contains valuable resources such as gold, silver, and platinum. It is projected that billions of dollars’ worth of these valuable metals are discarded with e-waste every year.

Presence of various types of household electronic waste (eWaste) and disposal methods used in previous 12 months.

ADAM-Data-Repository This repository contains all the data needed to run the case studies for the ADAM manuscript. ## Biogas production The directory "biogas" contains all data for the biogas production case studies (Figs 13 and 14). Specifically, "biogas/biogas_x" contains the data files for the scenario where "x" is the corresponding Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) value. ## Plastic waste recycling The directory "plastic_waste" contains all data for the plastic waste recycling case studies (Figs 15 and 16). Different scenarios share the same supply, technology site, and technology candidate data, as specified by the "csv" files under "plastic_waste". Each scenario has a different demand data file, which is contained in "plastic_waste/Elec_price" and "plastic_waste/PET_price". ## How to run the case studies In order to run the case studies, one can create a new model in ADAM and upload appropriate CSV file at each step (e.g. upload biogas/biogas_0/supplydata197.csv in step 2 where supply data are specified). This dataset is associated with the following publication: Hu, Y., W. Zhang, P. Tominac, M. Shen, D. Göreke, E. Martín-Hernández, M. Martín, G.J. Ruiz-Mercado, and V.M. Zavala. ADAM: A web platform for graph-based modeling and optimization of supply chains. COMPUTERS AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 165: 107911, (2022).

The Report Covers India Waste Management Industry Overview and It is Segmented by Waste Type (Industrial Waste, Municipal Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, E-Waste, Plastic Waste, and Bio-Medical Waste), by Disposal Methods (Collection, Landfills, Incineration, and Recycling). The Report Offers Market Size and Forecasts for the India Waste Management Market in Value (USD) for all the Above Segments

The western Indian state of Maharashtra produced over ****** metric tons of municipal solid waste per day in the financial year 2022. It was the highest amount generated by any state and represented roughly ** percent of municipal solid waste generation in the country that year. Other significant contributors to India’s municipal waste generation were Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Municipal waste management in India With India’s municipal solid waste generation growing year after year, the South Asian country has had to adapt its waste management capacity and infrastructure accordingly. The share of waste processed in India reached a high of ** percent in 2023, up from less than ** percent in 2016. The country still has plans for more, and by the end of financial year 2023 there were ** waste treatment plants under construction, the majority of which were material recovery facilities. Electronic waste: a new waste stream Municipal solid waste is not the only waste stream in India that has grown in recent years; India’s electronic waste generation has more than doubled since 2018, having surpassed *** million metric tons in financial year 2022. Only about one-third of this volume was collected and processed. In face of the growing concern, the Indian government set an e-waste collection target which has increased by ** percent every year, with plans to collect ** percent of the e-waste generated from financial year 2024 onwards.

As of November 2024, Thailand imported over ******* metric tons of plastic waste, pairings, and scrap. Within the examined period, the year with the highest number of plastic waste imports was 2018, accounting for nearly ******* metric tons. Thailand’s waste imports The influx of electronic waste from abroad has worsened Thailand’s sting waste management problem. In 2023, Thailand ranked 11th among the countries importing plastic waste globally. In the same year, the export volume of plastic waste from Japan to Thailand amounted to approximately **** million kilograms. The purpose of imports varies from recycling for reuse to simply relocating non-recyclable items from their countries of origin. However, from 2025, Thailand will completely ban imports of plastic scraps. Starting in 2023, the government limited the plastic waste import, allowing only ** Thai factories in free trade zones to import around ******* metric tons and half of the amount for the following year. Single-use plastic ban According to a poll on the recycling rate of single-use plastic bottles among consumers in Southeast Asia in 2023, Thai respondents led with the highest percentage for always recycling single-use plastic bottles. Aiming to tackle the proliferation of single-use plastic waste in Thailand, the Thai government prohibited single-use plastic bags at supermarkets and department stores in 2020. Since April 2022, polystyrene foam containers and single-use plastics have been banned from *** national parks around the country, as it was deemed necessary to protect the ecology and wildlife.

The construction, demolition, and excavation (CD&E) sector is the largest source of waste generation in the United Kingdom, accounting for 61 percent of the total in 2020. Commercial and industrial waste had the second- biggest contribution, but by a wide margin, with a share of 21 percent. Trends in waste generation and treatment In 2020, the UK generated 191.2 million metric tons of waste, a 14 percent decrease from 2018. Nevertheless, this decline was at least partially attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, waste generation in the UK grew continuously between 2012 and 2018, with an 11-percent increase recorded in the period. Despite the growth in waste generation, the share of waste managed by recovery operations, including energy recovery, and recycling and other recovery operations, grew from 48 percent in 2012 to nearly 58 percent in 2020. Household waste Although only contributing 14 percent to the UK's total waste generation in 2020, household waste is an important indicator of consumer behavior and waste management infrastructure. In 2022, the UK’s generation of waste from households totaled 25.7 million metric tons, the lowest figure recorded in at least seven years. England accounted for more than 80 percent of household waste generated in the UK, while Northern Ireland contributed with less than five percent.