On International E-Waste Day, Klean Industries reaffirms its commitment to advancing global electronics recycling and clean technology solutions that recover valuable resources from end-of-life devices while supporting a circular economy.

The amount of e-waste is ever-increasing, offering recyclers a chance to profit from this highly valuable waste stream. The 14th of October is International E-Waste Day (#ewasteday). This year, it focuses on small items of e-waste under the slogan ‘Recycle it all, no matter how small!’

The UN estimated that in 2019, over 22 million tonnes of small e-waste were produced worldwide, making it 40% of the about 57 million tonnes of e-waste arising globally. If the quantity of these small items keeps on increasing at the same rate as total e-waste (around 3% per year), by 2030, there will be 29 million tonnes of small e-waste per year. Also, only 17.4% of that whole amount of e-waste was recycled.

Due to their size, items such as electric toothbrushes, mobile phones, toasters, and blow dryers are often thrown in regular waste bins and subsequently landfilled or incinerated. This, of course, means that important raw materials are lost. In Europe, up to 1.4 kg of e-waste per inhabitant is estimated to be in the general waste bin every year.

Only recently the Parties to the Basel Convention agreed to the “Swiss-Ghana Amendments”, establishing not only new definitions of hazardous and non-hazardous electronic waste but also banning those two categories from the trade or at a minimum requiring notification by the exporting country and consent by the importing country prior to export.

For recyclers, e-waste has a big economic potential. It is estimated that 82.6 % of e-waste that is not recycled globally is worth $47 billion. Specific high-value parts like whole PCBs can be sold if they are sorted out before shredding. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals are of high value and can all be sold as they are for refining.

Apart from the value of the materials, many types of e-waste contain hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These must be addressed separately to avoid harming both humans and the environment.

Learn how we are helping track and trace e-waste enabling the recovery of valuable resources » GO.

E-Waste is a Global Challenge — Klean is a Global Solution

Over 50 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated worldwide every year. On International E-Waste Day, Klean Industries is proud to advocate for advanced, scalable solutions that transform e-waste into valuable materials through sustainable recycling systems and circular innovation.

Why It Matters:

✅ Reduces pollution and illegal dumping of electronics
✅ Recovers precious metals and rare earth elements
✅ Promotes ESG compliance in electronics manufacturing
✅ Empowers a global shift to circular tech ecosystems

Partner with Klean Industries to support or deploy next-generation e-waste recycling solutions that deliver measurable environmental, economic, and social impact » GO.

About Klean Industries

Klean Industries (“Klean”) provides best-in-class technologies and solutions in the waste-to-value industry. Our international team of award-winning experts has decades of experience in designing, engineering, and manufacturing the highest-quality equipment to convert waste streams into valuable energy and resources. Our unique products and services result from combined know-how in the design of recycling, resource recovery, waste management, and power generation projects. Our global project management expertise safeguards timelines and budgets, enabling projects to be delivered in less time and at lower costs.

Klean uses proprietary technologies to rapidly develop projects that produce the highest quality fuels, recovered Carbon Blacks (“rCB”), and green hydrogen from various kinds of feedstocks. Our knowledge and skillfulness provide a specialization in building projects that use advanced thermal technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, and carbonization, which convert end-of-life tires, waste plastics, and municipal solid waste into domestic energy, sustainable commodities, and new cleantech jobs. We create a symbiosis between waste, resources, and energy. Klean Industries is the link between the low carbon, circular economy, and the goal of zero waste to landfill.

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