Electronics are becoming more disposable. Indeed, built-in obsolescence, high cost of repair, as well as leaps in technology have shortened their lifespan. The Global E-waste Monitor 2017, a study on electronic waste (e-waste) undertaken through a collaboration of the United Nations University, the International Telecommunication Union, and the International Solid Waste Association, found that in 2016 there were 44.7 million metric tonnes (Mt) of e-waste globally—the equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel towers worth. By 2021 it predicted there would be 52.2 million Mt of e-waste globally. The shortened lifespan of electronics has brought about a whole new environmental crisis. Unknown fates E-waste can be categorized into six groups, according to the study: cooling and freezing equipment, such as freezers or air conditioners; screens/monitors, such as TVs and laptops; lamps, such as fluorescent or LED lamps; large equipment, such as washing machines
Gaby Kassab, president of ECOSERV, has a long-standing career in telecommunications and IT and has experienced first hand the challenge of e-waste treatment.
