India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014, a UN report says.
According to the ‘Global E-Waste Monitor 2014’, compiled by UN’s think tank United Nations University (UNU), the volume of global e-waste is likely to rise sharply by 21 per cent in next three years.
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India came in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany. The report says that at 32 per cent, the US and China produced the most e-waste overall in 2014.
Key Highlights
- Most e-waste in the world in 2014 was generated in Asia at 16 Mt or 3.7 kg per inhabitant.
- The top three Asian nations with the highest e-waste generation in absolute quantities are China (6.0 Mt), Japan (2.2 Mt) and India (1.7 Mt).
- The lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant was generated in Africa (1.7 kg/inhabitant). The continent generated 1.9 Mt of e-waste in total.
- The volume of e-waste is expected to rise by 21 per cent to 50 Mt in 2018.
