Despite Americans’ increased dependence on cell phones and other technology, the amount of electronic waste generated in the United States has shrunk 10 percent since 2015. The decline is due to the phasing out of bulky products, such as large cathode-ray tube televisions and computer monitors, according to a new study.
The research, published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, found that in addition to a decline in total e-waste mass, the sheer number of electronic devices entering the waste stream is also leveling off or shrinking. That’s because devices nowadays serve multiple purposes: gaming consoles, for example, also act as DVD players, and smartphones as cameras and video recorders.
The findings “cut against the widely held idea that electronic waste is the ‘fastest-growing waste stream,’” said Reid Lifset, the editor-in-chief of the Yale University-based Journal of Industrial Ecology. “It shifts our understanding of the problem with e-waste.”
