Where Does the E Waste Go

However, most electronic waste still ends up in landfills or gets incinerated, wasting useful resources and releasing toxic chemicals and other pollutants — such as lead, mercury, and cadmium — into the soil, groundwater, and atmosphere to the detriment of the environment.

Does e-waste go to landfill?

E-waste represents 2% of America’s trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste. 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed worldwide every year. Cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals like gold or silver.

Where does Australia send e-waste?

All e-waste that is dropped off at any TechCollect site is sent directly to our approved recycling partner network in Australia. Our recycling partners: ensure at least 90% of all materials recovered from the e-waste we collect and recycle are reintroduced as raw materials in the manufacture of new products.