Each year, International E-Waste Day is held on 14 October, an opportunity to reflect on the impacts of e-waste and the necessary actions to enhance circularity for e-products. ​​​​​

International E-Waste Day was developed in 2018 by the WEEE Forum to raise the public profile of waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling and encourage consumers to recycle.

About E-Waste

According to the latest UN’s General E-Waste Monitor, in 2022, 62 billion kg of e-waste were generated globally. This means 1.55 million trucks filled with e-waste lined up along the Earth’s equator. The quantity of e-waste is expected to rise to 82 billion kg by 2030. Currently, the amount of e-waste is growing five times faster than formal recycling collection rates since 2010.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) also indicates that e-waste is one of the largest and most complex waste streams in the world. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, the world generated 53.6 Mt of e-waste in 2019, only 9.3 Mt (17%) of which was recorded as being collected and recycled. E-waste contains valuable materials, as well as hazardous toxins, which make the efficient material recovery and safe recycling of e-waste extremely important for economic value as well as environmental and human health. The discrepancy in the amount of e-waste produced and the amount of e-waste that is properly recycled reflects an urgent need for all stakeholders including the youth to address this issue.

2025 Theme: Recycle Your E-waste – It’s Critical!

Geopolitics are highlighting how important these materials are. And while many people have heard about CRMs by now, not all of them know that these elements can be recovered from unused or broken electronic products sleeping in our drawers and attics. This is why the 8th edition of the International E-Waste Day (#ewasteday) will focus on raising awareness about this fact.

In Europe, the recent CRM Act sets ambitious targets: by 2030, 10% of annual CRM consumption should be sourced domestically, 40% should be processed within the EU, and 25% should come from recycling. This last goal cannot be reached without higher volumes of e-waste being collected and more specialised technology being developed.

Pushed by this legislation, there are currently new innovative technologies being developed to enable efficient recycling of CRMs, which are only available in very small quantities in the used electronic equipment and require a very elaborate treatment. Well-functioning processes have been in place for many years, though, for materials such as copper or aluminium.

A recent study authored by TNO shows that selective recovery of CRMs from e-waste could contribute up to 31% of the EU’s current CRM demand. However, the weight-based focus of the WEEE legislation fails to create incentives for the recovery of these materials. Current systems prioritize volume over value. Other reports, such as the recently issued study of Deloitte, also insist on changes in this Directive to allow more circular approaches.

What Can be Done?

Legislation and technology will not be of much help, unless consumers make the crucial step of bringing their end-of-use electricals to dedicated collection points.  A study of WEEE Forum and UNITAR showed that households own an average of 74 EEE items (excluding lamps and luminaires), of which 61 items are in use, nine are hoarded but working, and four are hoarded and not working. The total mass of items in households is 90 million tonnes (Mt) of which 7 Mt is hoarded and working, and 3 Mt is hoarded and broken.

Most people have old phones, laptops, chargers or other electronic items sitting forgotten in drawers. By returning these items through official collection channels, consumers play a direct role in keeping critical resources in the loop and supporting the circular economy. International E-Waste Day organisers will provide guidance, tools, and local events to help citizens make informed choices and dispose of their electricals responsibly.

Register to get involved in International E-Waste Day 2025

Organisations, municipalities, schools, businesses, and individuals are invited to participate in International E-Waste Day 2025. By signing up, your organisation will be recognised on our map of supporters, and will receive communications material to support your own campaigns in your country.

Registration is now open here.

Events to Celebrate IEWD 2025

To provide everyone with the tools to learn how to cut down on the e-waste we create and see the opportunities that smart e-waste management brings, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions; EIT RawMaterials; University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium); World Health Organization; International Telecommunication Union; and the World Resources Forum launc the Third Edition of the E-waste Challenge MOOC. A webinar series running over a period of five weeks and providing real-time engagement, discussion, and insight with leading experts and fellow learners will focus each on a critical aspect of e-waste management.

Addressing E-Waste From Geneva

E-waste can be toxic, is not biodegradable and accumulates in the environment, in the soil, air, water and living things. A 2019 joint report “A New Circular Vision for Electronics – Time for a Global Reboot” calls for a new vision for e-waste based on the circular economy concept, whereby a regenerative system can minimize waste and energy leakage. The report supports the work of the E-waste Coalition, which includes the ILO, ITU, UNEP, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNU and Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions. The organisations and many more in Geneva are actively working to reduce the environmental and health risks of e-waste. Learn more in our thematic page below.