The Global E-waste Monitor 2017
About this book
The Global E-waste Monitor 2017, produced by United Nations University (UNU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), is the second edition of this authoritative annual survey and provides the most comprehensive compilation of e-waste data available for reference year 2016. With data for 180 countries, the Monitor introduced standardised methodology for national e-waste statistics and established the benchmark for international comparisons. The 2017 edition reports that 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste were generated globally in 2016, equivalent to approximately 6.1 kg per person.
Only 20% was documented as formally collected and recycled, leaving the vast majority (roughly 36 Mt) in undocumented flows including informal recycling, landfill disposal, and illegal export. The total value of raw materials embedded in 2016 e-waste was estimated at approximately $55 billion, demonstrating the scale of the missed economic opportunity from inadequate formal recycling. The 2017 Monitor introduced important methodological advances.
A first quantification of 'small IT' e-waste (smartphones, tablets, laptops) as a separate category highlighted the growing importance of this fastest-growing e-waste segment, driven by short product replacement cycles (smartphones averaging 2-3 years). The Monitor also introduced the 'Circularity Index' as a country-level indicator comparing formal collection and recycling rates to potential secondary material recovery values. Regional disparities are documented: Europe achieved the highest formal collection rates (35% of waste generated), driven by the EU WEEE Directive binding national targets, while Africa achieved only 0.9% formal collection and many Asian countries fall between 6-15%.
The report examines the health and environmental consequences of informal e-waste processing — particularly the burning of cables to recover copper and the use of acid baths to dissolve circuit boards for gold recovery — which expose workers and communities to persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals.