1人あたり20~30kgの電子機器が毎年捨てられている

新しくて素晴らしい電子製品は次々に登場してくる。自分の持っているガジェットがお払い箱になっていくのも不思議ではない。
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FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2009 file photo, circuit boards fill a bin at a recycling center in Indianapolis, Ind. Starting Jan. 1, Illinois residents must recycle their old electronics under a law aimed at keeping the items out of landfills. Environmental officials say there are concerns that heavy metals in electronics could cause groundwater pollution if they leach out of a landfill. But the metals _ including gold, copper and cadmium _ also can be recovered and reused. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
ASSOCIATED PRESS

新しくて素晴らしい電子製品は次々に登場してくる。自分の持っているガジェットがお払い箱になっていくのも不思議ではない。

だが、それが4890万トンとなるとどうだろうか。

この数字は、「Solving the E-Waste Problem Initiative」(StEP:電子廃棄物問題解決構想)が報告した、2012年に廃棄された電子機器の総重量だ。

国連の各組織とその他の企業、団体、大学などが協力しているStEPによると、世界中の電子廃棄物(電話やコンピューターからテレビ、電子レンジ、冷蔵庫まであらゆるもの)の総量は、ギザの大ピラミッド11基分、あるいはエンパイア・ステート・ビルディング200棟分の重さになるという。

しかも、この数字は増加し続けている。StEPでは、2017年までには1年で6000万トンを超える電子機器が廃棄されるようになると予想しているのだ。

StEPが作成した双方向の世界地図資料によると、電子廃棄物の量が最も多いのは米国で、940万トン。第2位は中国で725万トンになる。ただし、一人あたりにすると、中国は5.4キログラムだが、米国は29.8キログラムにもなる。

イギリスの電子廃棄物の重量は約138万トン、一人あたりにすると21.8キログラム。日本の電子廃棄物重量は約274万トン、一人あたりにすると21.5キログラムだ。

なお、SquareTrade社が最近実施した別の調査によると、イギリスの消費者が廃棄する電子機器の価値は、1年あたり約7億6200万ポンド(約1300億円)になる。さらに、120万人を超えるイギリス人が、電子機器をプレゼントされたものの、箱から取り出すことさえしないという。

[Huffington Post UK(English) 日本語版:平井眞弓/ガリレオ]

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