Fastest growing component of municipal waste

According to the World Resources Institute, electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is the fastest growing component of municipal waste worldwide with 20-50 million tonnes generated annually. In the United States alone, 14 20 million PCs are thrown out each year. According to a WRI EarthTrends environmenet report, "E waste is laden with toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium that can leach into water, soils and the atmosphere, posing significant environmental and human health risks."