UN report reveals less than a quarter of the world's e-waste is being recycled

The world produced over 137 billion pounds of e-waste in 2023, according to a recent report from the United Nations. To put that number into reference, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier weighs 100,000 tons.

The world produced over 685 fully-loaded Nimitz-class aircraft carriers worth of e-waste in 2023.

Less than a quarter of it was documented as being properly recycled in the UN report, which means valuable materials including precious metals ended up in landfills around the world. In some countries, people make a living scavenging landfills for electronic components to sell.

Read the full story on KJZZ’s website.