Computer recycling sits within a rapidly growing e-waste stream. The world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, but only 22.3% was documented as formally collected and recycled. Computer-specific figures are often reported within broader IT, telecommunications, or consumer-electronics categories, so the scope of each statistic matters.
Table of contents
- Global e-waste growth and formal recycling
- Computers and IT equipment in the waste stream
- Regional recycling performance
- How Europeans dispose of old computers
- EU WEEE collection and processing
- Selected U.S. consumer-electronics figures
Global e-waste growth and formal recycling
The Global e-Waste Monitor 2024 reports that the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022. That equals an average of 7.8 kg per person. Only 22.3% of the global total was documented as formally collected and recycled.
The long-term change is substantial. Global e-waste generation rose from 34 billion kg in 2010 to 62 billion kg in 2022. Documented formal collection and recycling also increased, from 8 billion kg in 2010 to 13.8 billion kg in 2022. The two measures did not grow at the same pace: the waste stream expanded much faster than the documented formal channel.
The report’s business-as-usual scenario projects 82 million tonnes of global e-waste in 2030. Under that scenario, the documented formal collection and recycling rate falls to 20%. This is a forecast, not an observed 2030 measurement, and it describes what could happen if current conditions continue.
In 2022, an estimated 14 million tonnes of global e-waste was trashed, mostly landfilled. The material mix also shows why responsible computer recycling matters. Metals accounted for an estimated 31 million tonnes of the stream, while plastics accounted for 17 million tonnes. Another 14 million tonnes consisted of materials other than metals and plastics, including minerals, glass, and composites.
The metals embedded in 2022 global e-waste were valued at US$91 billion. That estimate included US$19 billion of copper, US$15 billion of gold, and US$16 billion of iron. Documented e-waste recycling avoided an estimated 900 million tonnes of primary ore extraction in 2022, according to the same source.
Computers and IT equipment in the waste stream
Computer recycling statistics are usually narrower than headline e-waste totals, but they are not always limited to desktop computers and laptops. The Global e-Waste Monitor’s small IT and telecommunications equipment category generated 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022. The documented collection and recycling rate for that category was 22%.
The report also describes small devices as 33% of global e-waste, equal to 20.4 million tonnes in 2022. Only 12% of that small-device e-waste was recycled. These figures describe a broader small-device grouping; they should not be read as a standalone global total for computers alone.
The wider material picture includes computer-adjacent equipment and other electronics. Retired photovoltaic panels are projected to reach 2.4 million tonnes in 2030, compared with 600,000 tonnes in 2022. That comparison is a forecast for 2030 and is included here to show how the composition of the electronic waste stream is changing, not as a computer recycling estimate.
The 2024 Monitor assessment found that e-waste recycling supplied no more than 1% of demand for essential rare-earth elements. Recycling therefore recovers valuable materials, but the reported figure also indicates that recycling alone supplied only a very small share of demand for those elements in that assessment.
For readers deciding what to do with an old computer, the practical implication of these measurements is limited but clear: a computer belongs in an appropriate electronics collection channel rather than ordinary household trash. The statistics support the importance of formal collection, while the category notes explain why a global computer-only recycling rate cannot be inferred from the broader totals.
Regional recycling performance
The global average hides large regional differences. Europe generated 17.6 kg of e-waste per person in 2022 and documented 7.5 kg per person as collected and recycled. Its documented collection and recycling rate was 42.8%.
Oceania generated 16.1 kg per person and documented 6.7 kg per person collected and recycled in 2022. The Americas generated 14.1 kg per person and documented 4.2 kg per person collected and recycled. These are region-level e-waste measurements, not computer-only rates.
| Region or grouping | E-waste generated per person, 2022 | Documented collection or recycling measure |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 17.6 kg | 7.5 kg collected and recycled per person; 42.8% rate |
| Oceania | 16.1 kg | 6.7 kg collected and recycled per person |
| Americas | 14.1 kg | 4.2 kg collected and recycled per person |
| Northern America | 21.2 kg | 52.1% collection and recycling rate |
Northern America generated 21.2 kg of e-waste per person and documented a 52.1% collection and recycling rate in 2022. That rate is higher than the reported European rate, although the figures describe different regional measures and do not isolate computers.
Asian countries generated about 30 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, roughly half of the global total. African countries formally recycled less than 1% of their e-waste in the same year. The contrast shows why a single global percentage can conceal very different collection systems and outcomes.
How Europeans dispose of old computers
Household behavior provides a different view from mass-based e-waste accounting. The Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition reports shares for people aged 16–74 who said what happened to an old device in 2024. These are respondent shares, not tonnes and not national recycling rates.
For old desktop computers, 15% of EU people reported recycling the device. Another 9% gave it away or sold it, while 19% kept it in the household. A further 2% threw it away without recycling it. The figures describe reported outcomes for old devices and do not account for every possible response category as a mass balance.
The country comparisons identify notable differences. The Netherlands had the highest EU share of people recycling an old desktop computer in 2024, at 28%. Sweden had the second-highest share, at 26%. Croatia had the highest share of people giving away or selling an old desktop computer, at 20%, followed by Romania at 18%.
Laptops and tablets were more often kept at home than recycled. In 2024, 11% of EU people reported recycling an old laptop or tablet, while 34% kept one at home. Greece had the highest EU share recycling an old laptop or tablet, at 20%, and Denmark had the second-highest share, at 19%.
| Old device outcome reported in the EU | Share in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Desktop computer recycled | 15% |
| Desktop computer given away or sold | 9% |
| Desktop computer kept at home | 19% |
| Desktop computer thrown away without recycling | 2% |
| Laptop or tablet recycled | 11% |
| Laptop or tablet kept at home | 34% |
These household figures help explain why an unused computer can remain outside formal recycling channels even when it is no longer part of everyday use. They should be interpreted as survey responses from EU people aged 16–74, not as a measurement of the weight of equipment processed by recyclers.
EU WEEE collection and processing
The Eurostat waste statistics for electrical and electronic equipment reports that EU countries collected 11.6 kg of WEEE per inhabitant in 2023. The EU WEEE collection rate was 37.5% when measured against the average electrical and electronic equipment put on the market in 2020–2022.
The market and waste flows have both increased over time. EU electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market reached 14.4 million tonnes in 2023, compared with 7.6 million tonnes in 2012. EU WEEE collected increased from 3.0 million tonnes in 2012 to 5.2 million tonnes in 2023. WEEE treated also increased, from 3.1 million tonnes to 5.2 million tonnes over the same period.
Processing outcomes rose as well. EU WEEE recovered increased from 2.6 million tonnes in 2012 to 4.8 million tonnes in 2023. WEEE recycled or prepared for reuse increased from 2.4 million tonnes in 2012 to 4.3 million tonnes in 2023.
Nine EU countries surpassed the 45% WEEE collection target in 2023. Bulgaria, Latvia, and Slovakia reached the 65% target. These are WEEE benchmarks for electrical and electronic equipment broadly, so they should not be treated as computer-only targets or computer-only results.
Selected U.S. consumer-electronics figures
U.S. data uses a selected consumer-electronics category that includes computer equipment rather than isolating computers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data estimated that 2.7 million U.S. tons of selected consumer electronics were generated in 2018. The recycling rate for that category was 38.5% in 2018.
Earlier EPA figures show 2.84 million tons generated and 1.02 million tons recycled in 2017. In 2015, generation was 3.10 million tons and recycling was 1.23 million tons. In 2010, generation was 3.12 million tons. These historical figures are presented as reported for their respective years and categories; they do not establish a current computer-only rate.
The Government Accountability Office’s Consumer Electronics Recycling spotlight cites a U.S. study finding that about 2.8 million tons of selected consumer electronics were disposed of in 2017, with about 36% recycled. Because this is a study cited by GAO and uses a selected consumer-electronics category, it should not be treated as an independently verified computer-specific measurement or directly substituted for the EPA estimate.
Across these sources, the consistent pattern is measurable growth in electronic waste, incomplete formal collection, and wide differences between device types, regions, and reporting methods. For an old computer, the available statistics support choosing a formal electronics recycling or reuse route and recognizing that a device kept at home is not the same as a device documented as collected and recycled.