cswastesite

1. In 2009, discarded TVs, computers, peripherals (including printers, scanners, fax machines) mice, keyboards, and cell phones totaled about 2.37 million short tons.
2. E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.
3. 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed worldwide every year.
4. Cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals like gold or silver. Americans dump phones containing over $60 million in gold/silver every year.
5. A large number of what is labeled as "e-waste" is actually not waste at all, but rather whole electronic equipment or parts that are readily marketable for reuse or can be recycled for materials recovery.
6. Only 12.5% of e-waste is currently recycled.
7. For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 lbs of copper, 772 lbs of silver, 75 lbs of gold, and 33 lbs of palladium can be recovered.
8. Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year.
9. E-waste is still the fastest growing municipal waste stream in America, according to the EPA.
10. It takes 530 lbs of fossil fuel, 48 lbs of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture one computer and monitor.

Sources

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Wastes - Resource Conservation - Common Wastes & Materials - eCycling." Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
2.  Slade, Giles. "iWaste." Mother Jones, 2007. Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
3. United Nations. "Waste Management." Web Accessed April 11, 2105.
4. Voakes, Greg. "The Lesser-Known Facts About E-Waste Recycling." Business Insider, 2012. Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
5. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Wastes - Resource Conservation - Common Wastes & Materials - eCycling." Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Fact Sheet: MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC WASTE IN THE UNITED STATES." Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
7. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Wastes - Resource Conservation - Common Wastes & Materials - eCycling." Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Wastes - Resource Conservation - Common Wastes & Materials - eCycling."Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Wastes - Resource Conservation - Common Wastes & Materials - eCycling." Web Accessed April 11, 2015.
10. Electronics TakeBack Coalition, A Project of the Tides Center. "Facts and Figures on E-Waste and Recycling." Web Accessed April 11, 2015.