An incredible 14 million tons of electronic waste are improperly thrown out with regular household rubbish globally every year, UN study shows.
Scots are being urged by experts to stop binning their electronics amid an astonishing global e-waste crisis.
Ahead of International E-Waste Day on Monday, the UN study warned this squanders billions of pounds worth of copper, gold and other precious metals, along with valuable plastics and glass. Proper disposal and recycling of our e-waste, meanwhile, could slash global carbon emissions by 93million tons per year - comparable to 20million cars.
Pascal Leroy, Director General of the Brussels-based Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum, said: "Small electronic and electrical goods such as mobile phones, toys, remote controls, game consoles, headphones, lamps, screens and monitors, heating and cooling equipment, and chargers are everywhere. And electronic components embedded in consumer products large and small – even clothing – are now omnipresent.
Magdalena Charytanowicz of the WEEE Forum, in charge of International E-Waste Day, said hoarding of electronic goods in our drawers is another problem - with European households storing around 700million unused or non-functioning mobile phones. She added: "We know what to do, and we can do better.
Electronics Mobile Phones Retail And Consumer
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