The International Telecommunication Union and the
WEEE Forum collaborated again for the
International E-waste Day 2020 which took place on 14 October 2020. For the 2020 edition, the WEEE Forum and ITU partnered in the preparation of a thought paper on
'Internet Waste' as public knowledge is limited about waste derived from connectivity infrastructure.
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.
