International E-waste Day (IEWD) is a yearly awareness raising celebration initiated by the WEEE Forum and its members. It takes place every year on 14 October, with the goal of highlighting the growing issue of electronic waste (e-waste) and promoting responsible e-waste management.
Globally, from 2010 to 2022, the amount of e-waste generated per year nearly doubled, outpacing the documented formal collection and recycling rate by a factor of almost 5. In 2022, the world generated a record 62 billion kg of e-waste (equivalent to an average of 7.8 kg per capita annually). Only 22.3 per cent (13.8 billion kg) was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner. The growth in e-waste is largely the result of technological progress, increased consumption, limited repair options, short lifecycles and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure.
International E-Waste Day serves as a platform for raising awareness about the e-waste issue. In 2022, 194 organizations from 72 countries across six different continents registered as #ewasteday participants, with many more entities marking the day with activities, news reports, and online campaigns.
Associated Learning Resources
Fast Tech: Don't bin it, bring it!
On International E-waste Day 2026, we highlight our work supported by our partners (Australia, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and the UK) to address the growing e-waste challenge, driven in part by the rise of “Fast Tech” and the rapid disposal of small electronic devices even before the end of their useful life. Through partnerships, policy support, capacity building, and global initiatives, we help countries strengthen e-waste management systems and advance the transition to a circular economy for electronics, ensuring a more sustainable digital future.
Watch the featured IEWD 2026 videos below:
Recycle your e-waste – it’s critical!
On International E-waste Day 2025, we feature this
project video, developed by the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Telecommunication Development Bureau and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space & Technology Commission under the project Developing and implementing e-waste policy and regulation for a circular economy in Paraguay, Rwanda, and Zambia. Watch and learn about the impact of this ITU-Saudi Arabia collaboration towards digital sustainability and circularity of electronics through a regulatory approach to e-waste management.
Global and complementary actions for electronics extended producer responsibility (EPR)
As part of a collaboration for International E-waste Day 2022 ITU, the WEEE Forum and StEP have prepared a thought paper presenting complementary solutions and concepts to propel e-waste collection rates in line with EPR-based regulation, whilst also delving into the perceived need for an international regime around EPR to assist with harmonization efforts. New and complementary solutions and concepts are urgently needed to turn the tide on the side of e-waste collection and to move towards a circular economy. Complementary actions can be wide in scope, from commercially or not-for-profit driven to solution-based actions, including deposit-return or refund schemes, public-private-partnerships, as well as the all-actors-approach and the best-of-two worlds philosophy. Complementary actions can operate across national borders, but these would benefit greatly from an international regime, with the objective of overseeing a global approach to tackling e-waste and of ensuring the harmonization of national EPR approaches.
Digital solutions for a circular electronics value chain
This thought paper explores the applicability and scope of digital technologies for enabling circularity in the lifecycle of electronic devices and was released on International E-waste Day 2021. The current linear economy model is highly unsustainable and vulnerable to economic shocks from the disruption of resources, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. A systemic transformation towards a circular electronics value chain is vital for stability and sustainability. Digital technologies can support transparency, efficiency, ease, and accountability in existing economic systems to shift towards circularity. The paper maps out major digitalization trends and highlights use cases of digital technologies across the electronics value chain, ranging from simple digital platforms and online materials marketplaces to AI-enabled e-waste recognition. Such examples are drawn from both established and emerging digital solutions, while case studies provide a deeper look into real-world applications of digital technologies across the electronics value chain.
Internet waste
For International E-waste Day 2020, the ITU and the WEEE Forum collaborated again in the preparation of a thought paper on internet waste as public knowledge about waste derived from connectivity infrastructure is limited. The full impact and regulation of materials and components critical to the digital economy is difficult to assess as the infrastructure and end-of-life management are less visible. This is true especially to individual consumers that use personal ICT devices supported by data centres and telecommunication networks. The thought paper focuses on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) derived from wireless infrastructure for mobile Internet connectivity, connected devices and data storage with examples from mobile networks, IoT and data centres. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness about waste from infrastructure that supports connectivity and the need for sustainable WEEE management practices within data centre and telecommunications industries considering forecasted growth.