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 16.10.2024

The amount of the world’s e-waste should make us stop and think

The world is undergoing a dizzying electronification, the result of a digital transformation and new technologies that profoundly change the way we live, work, learn, socialise and do business.

The United Nations has published a global study on e-waste (The Global E-waste Monitor 2024) in which it reports that in 2022, the world generated 62 billion kg of e-waste, or an average of 7.8 kg per capita. It also adds that only 22.3% of e-waste was properly recycled.

E-waste contains materials such as cobalt, mercury and lead that are toxic and hazardous to the environment and human health. They also contain precious metals that can be recovered and resold to avoid mining, but safe working conditions are necessary for their handling.

The scientific activity carried out in the PCB is associated with electronic equipment, computers, servers, mobile phones, tablets, medical devices and a long list of other devices. Equipment becomes obsolete or breaks down and a large amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is produced.

The PCB tries to reuse materials and equipment and offers various management options:

– Mobile phones and tablets that cannot be repaired can be deposited at the collection points in the lobbies. The Jane Goodall Institute collects mobile phones and properly manages valuable metals and waste to fund projects on chimpanzee protection.
– The PCB sends obsolete or damaged equipment in a good state of conservation and with aesthetic interest to companies in the world of cinema as props. For more information, visit sostenibilitat-pcb@pcb.ub.es.
– Refrigerators, freezers and other household appliances should be managed by authorised companies to avoid possible leakage of greenhouse gases and to ensure that the scrap can be reused. You can make a collection request via magatzem@pcb.ub.es.

Reducing the production of electrical and electronic waste is a priority. As consumers we should try to stop buying new appliances if they are not really necessary, and if we buy or replace equipment, we should try to buy high-quality products, looking for durability and repairability.

Here are some guides and manuals (IFIXIT) to help you repair common problems with home and work appliances.