e-waste

agbogbloshie, accra, ghana is the center of the world’s electronic waste

Around 50 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, is being thrown away each year, according to [a report published this year by the United Nations](http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_New_Circular_Vision_for_Electronics.pdf). That figure is projected to double by 2050. At the same time, only 20 percent of e-waste is thought to be recycled appropriately. The rest “ends up in landfill, or is disposed of by informal workers in poor conditions,” the UN found.