Electrical waste contains hazardous but also valuable and scarce materials and up to 60 elements can be found in complex electronics.
The United States and China are the world leaders in producing electronic waste, each tossing away about 3 million tons each year.[2] China also remains a major e-waste dumping ground for developed countries.[2] The UNEP estimate that the amount of e-waste being produced - including mobile phones and computers - could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade in some developing countries, such as India.