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Greener Choices Home > Electronics Reuse & Recycle > E-waste statistics
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Electronic equipment has been characterized as a fast growing category of municipal solid waste. Experts predict consumers will be replacing equipment more often in the future, leading to greater waste. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in 2005, discarded electronics totaled about 2 million tons. It’s estimated that only about 15 to 20 percent of this was recycled. Since electronic equipment contains toxic chemicals, this can pose health and environmental risks, particularly in landfills where toxins may leak into the soil and ground water. To learn more about the toxics found in electronics, visit our Toxics in electronics section.
The following results from a March 2006 Consumer Reports online survey provide a glimpse of how Americans with Internet access use and dispose of electronic products:
Computers:
Computers owned and in use: About 9 in 10 consumers own a computer currently in use.
Computers in storage: About 2 in 10 consumers have either a desktop or a laptop that they own and aren't using.
Computers replaced in the last year: About 3 in 10 consumers replaced their computer last year. Of these,
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• About half did so because it was too slow;
• About half did so because they wanted newer technology or features;
• About one-third did so because they either needed more memory (RAM) or could not upgrade (reasons for not being able to upgrade not identified);
• And 14% did so because their computer had been ruined by viruses or spyware
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Computers thrown away in the trash: Nearly 2 in 10 consumers that disposed of a desktop computer or monitor in the past year threw them in the trash. Fourteen percent of those that disposed of a laptop computer last year threw it in the trash.
TV sets:
TVs owned: Consumers own a median of 3.5 TV sets, whether in use or gathering dust.
TVs replaced in the last year: 2 in 10 consumers replaced their TV in the past year. Of these,
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• About one-third had TVs that stopped working
• About one-quarter did so because their screen was too small
• About one-quarter did so because they wanted another TV
• About one-fifth wanted an HDTV for higher picture quality
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TVs thrown away in the trash: 3 in 10 consumers that disposed of a TV in the past year threw away their old TVs in the trash.
Cell phones:
Cell phones owned and use: About 8 in 10 consumers own a cell phone they currently use.
Cell phones in storage: 2 in 10 consumers had cell phones which weren't being used.
Cell phones replaced: About 4 in 10 consumers replaced their cell phones last year. Of these,
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• About one-third wanted new features
• One-fifth just wanted something new
• About one-fifth changed carriers or service plans
• About one-fifth did so because their battery couldn't hold a charge
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Cell phones thrown away in the trash: About 2 in 10 consumers threw away their cell phone in the trash last year.
For more, visit our complete E-Waste survey results. For more information on the estimated amounts of electronics waste generated by different types of electronics, visit our sections on
Computers, TVs, Cell phones and Other electronics.
Last updated March 2008
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