Electronic devices are carried by us, used in our homes and in our workplaces, many of them harbouring heavy metals and toxic materials which are dangerous to people and the environment unless they are properly recycled by companies such as Secure Data Recycling

Yet the ever increasing demand for electric and electronic products is fuelling a global rise in e-waste, which is set to reach 65.4 million tons annually by 2017.

We find this forecast hard to take at Secure Data Recycling, a forecast which has mapped more than 180 countries.

It reveals that, in only five years, the yearly amount of e-waste will rise 33 percent from the 49 million tons of used electrical and electronic items generated last year.

The figure is based on data from a new world map created by the Solving the E-Waste Problem (StEP) initiative, a coalition of UN organisations, industry, governments, NGOs and science bodies.

If you are a large user of electrical and electronic equipment don’t ignore your responsibilities contact Secure Data Recycling and ensure that you do not add to the e-Waste issue.