Dive Brief:

• The UN has released an e-waste study comparing data collected on discarded electronic waste and the longevity of the products in several countries.
• The report predicted that e-waste is expected to grow by a third by 2017, from 53.9 million tons in 2012 to 72.09 million tons in 2017.
• Findings call for increased monitoring of e-waste exports, citing the lack of consistent categories make it difficult to create effective guidelines for electronic processing.

Dive Insight:

The study is the first publicly released report produced using data collected from around the world. The study was published in conjunction with a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. National Center for Electronics Recycling, which tracked the movement of e-waste across borders. An e-waste world map was included as part of the study.

The U.S. generated the largest amount of e-waste last year, at 10.36 million tons, while China created 8.05 million tons of electronic waste. Mobile phones account for the most prolific discarded electronic in the U.S.