‘Reasonable estimates [of the amount of electronic waste worldwide] are in the order of 40 million tons per annum’.

‘there was no scientific data available to explain where over 6 million tons of e-waste is going each year. (…) Enough is known to suggest a few explanations, such as illegal trade to developing countries, like China and India, domestic ‘informal’ processing centers as well as e-waste that remains in the sheds, attics and storage rooms of sentimental owners.’

‘In recipient countries [developing countries] the recycling and separation of electronic waste is now a main source of income for a growing number of people. However, in most cases this is done with poor health and safety standards in place, exposing workers to extensive health dangers as well as leading to substantial environmental pollution.

Moreover, recycling in this context usually focuses on a few valuable elements like gold and copper (with often poor recycling yields, while most other metals are discarded and inevitably lost’

‘Up to 60 elements from the periodic table can be found in complex electronics.’

From: StEP Initiative, United Nations University (2008) Annual Report 2008.