Archive review: Global E-waste Monitor published 20 March 2024. Retrospective article prepared and reviewed 6 October 2026.
More digital equipment means more decisions about what happens when it is retired. Electronic waste is a growing global challenge, and UK businesses can help by recycling the electrical equipment they no longer need.
The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 findings
Published on 20 March 2024, the ITU and UNITAR Global E-waste Monitor announcement reported 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated worldwide in 2022. Only 22.3% was documented as formally collected and recycled. The report projected annual generation of 82 million tonnes by 2030.
These are global figures based on 2022 data and a projection. They are not a measurement of UK waste in 2026, nor proof of a particular recycling company’s performance.
Where businesses see electrical turnover
Offices replace laptops and screens; retailers handle returned electronics; hospitality businesses retire appliances; industrial sites change controls and tools. Growing use of connected equipment also creates less obvious waste, such as chargers, sensors and accessories.
Those examples describe practical sources of electrical waste. They do not establish that one industry is growing faster than another. For a business, the useful question is where equipment leaves active use and who takes responsibility for it afterwards.
Turn a store-room problem into a routine
An old equipment cupboard often contains several replacement cycles at once. It becomes harder to tell what is broken, what still belongs to a lease provider and which items hold company data.
Build disposal into the purchasing or upgrade plan. Give retired equipment a designated area, check ownership and arrange a collection before the space becomes difficult to use. A rough pallet count or overall photograph is enough to begin many enquiries.
Data security belongs in the recycling plan
Computers and mobile devices need a clear data route as well as a materials route. With Quality Waste, data-bearing media collected through our services are shredded as standard and a Certificate of Data Destruction is included.
Ask which records will accompany the collection, then keep them with the relevant project or asset information. This makes an equipment upgrade easier to close out internally.
Start with the equipment you have
Explore mixed WEEE recycling or IT recycling for businesses. Request a quote using a short description and your postcode. Recycle today. A cleaner tomorrow.