The Global E-waste Monitor 2020: Quantities, Flows and the Circular Economy Potential
About this book
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020: Quantities, Flows and the Circular Economy Potential, produced jointly by the United Nations University (UNU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), is the third edition of the most authoritative global database on electronic and electrical equipment waste (e-waste). Published in 2020 with data up to 2019, this edition introduces updated methodology, expanded country coverage, and the first systematic treatment of the circular economy implications of e-waste metal recovery. The 2020 Monitor reports that global e-waste generation reached a record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) in 2019, an increase of 21% in five years (from 44.4 Mt in 2014).
Only 17.4% of this total was formally documented as collected and recycled through authorised channels, leaving approximately 44 Mt with unknown, informal, or environmentally damaging fate. The United States generated the most e-waste per capita (21.3 kg/person), followed by the United Kingdom (23.9 kg/person) and Australia (21.3 kg/person), reflecting the high electronic device ownership in these economies. The circular economy value of e-waste is a distinctive analytical contribution of the 2020 edition.
The secondary raw material value of the 2019 e-waste stream is estimated at $57 billion, including 1 million tonnes of copper, 0.3 million tonnes of aluminium, and 0.05 million tonnes of iron — as well as gold (approximately 321 tonnes, valued at $17 billion), silver, palladium, and other precious metals. Recovering these materials from e-waste rather than primary mining would reduce environmental impacts, energy consumption, and supply chain risks for technology-critical minerals. The report examines the international flows of e-waste, particularly the export of e-waste from high-income countries to informal processing facilities in Ghana, Nigeria, India, China, and Pakistan — in violation of the Basel Convention provisions that restrict hazardous waste exports.
Updated estimates suggest that approximately 18% of formally collected e-waste is exported illegally or in contravention of import regulations. The Monitoring Approach describes a methodology for tracking these flows through port-of-departure monitoring, container inspection, and destination country assessment.