“Values in the trash: the world is down 91 billion dollars due to e-wasteMillions of tons of electronic waste are generated worldwide every year, most of which is not recycled. The situation in Ukraine
is worsened by the “gray” market, which blocks the creation of a transparent e-waste disposal system.”, — write: unn.ua
The world is drowning in electronic waste: plus 2.6 million tons and minus 91 billion dollars annuallyHave you ever wondered where your old appliances and gadgets go after they are no longer in use? According to data from The Global E-waste Monitor 2024, as of 2022, a record 62 million tons of electronic waste was generated in the world − an average of 7.8 kg per person. This is 82% more than in 2010. Given the annual growth of 2.6 million tons, experts predict that in 2024 the volume of e-waste exceeded 67 million tons, and will reach 82 million by 2030.
In 2022, only 22.3% of e-waste was recycled − 14 million tons out of 62. At the same time, the total volume of e-waste contained: 31 million tons of metals, 17 million tons of plastic and 14 million tons of other materials. The total value of recycled materials could have reached 91 billion dollars, of which 19 billion is copper, 16 billion is iron, and 15 billion is gold. However, most of these resources are lost because they were not properly collected or recycled.
“The Global E-waste Monitor report shows that we lose US$91 billion worth of valuable metals every year due to insufficient recycling of electronic waste. We must take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of proper e-waste management, otherwise the digital ambitions of future generations will be seriously threatened,” − said Vanessa Gray, Head of the Environment and Emergency Telecommunications Division of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (ITU).
Ukraine at a crossroads: e-waste as a challenge and an opportunityAccording to estimates of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, 300–350 thousand tons of electronic waste are generated in Ukraine every year, but the level of their processing remains extremely low.
Our state does not summarize current statistics, but data from scientists from 2019 indicate an average level of e-waste collection in the CIS countries (including Ukraine) at only ≈ 3.2%. For comparison: in Europe, this figure is 42.8%, in Asia it is much lower, despite the fact that about 50% of global e-waste is generated there, and in Africa it is less than 1%.
The electronic waste management system in Ukraine has potential, but faces numerous challenges. Experts call the political will for reforms, the presence of environmentally conscious and responsible businesses and public initiatives, as well as strategic documents and plans, as strengths. Ukraine has a favorable location, stakeholders and a certain infrastructure base. At the same time, the system suffers from the lack of full-fledged legislation, ineffective control, the lack of mechanisms for extended producer responsibility, low public awareness, weak infrastructure and a “gray” market. Despite this, the growing global demand for e-waste recycling, potential investment attractiveness and the possibility of creating new jobs open up opportunities for development.
“Gray” market: an obstacle to reforms and a threat to the environmentA separate challenge for Ukraine is the “gray” electronics market. The spread of illegally imported or uncontrolled electronic devices leads to serious systemic problems. Such equipment, as a rule, does not have an official guarantee, is not included in national accounting systems and is not accompanied by obligations for disposal after the end of its service life.
As a result, a significant part of used equipment ends up in spontaneous landfills or is dismantled in dangerous conditions, which harms the environment and human health. In addition, “gray” electronics reduces the economic feasibility of implementing official recycling systems, because its volumes are difficult to take into account when planning collection and disposal infrastructure.
Experts also emphasize that proper disposal and recycling of electronic waste helps reduce the risks associated with the “gray” market, including the sale of fakes and unauthorized reuse.
Proper waste management and recycling can reduce the risk of sales on the “gray” market, the appearance of fakes and unauthorized reuse
Let us remind you The problem of the “gray” market of equipment in Ukraine has been relevant for a long time. Such networks as “Yabko”, Yabluka and Stylus, as well as a number of other smaller players regularly attract the attention of law enforcement and regulatory authorities. In general, the practice of trading in counterfeit equipment has been going on for more than a decade.
In recent years, negative trends have only deepened. According to some data, more than 5,000 Apple gadgets are smuggled into Ukraine daily.
Furthermore, most of this equipment is sold in retail outlets without complying with cash settlement rules and without paying the appropriate taxes.
Thus, in October 2024, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Financial and Tax Policy discussed ways to bring the electronics market out of the shadows. The meeting was attended by representatives of TM “Yabko” – Mykola Kahnych and Vitaliy Turkovets. They stated the need for a “roadmap” to comply with the rules and complained about the lack of cooperation with the official Apple distributor in Ukraine – ASBIS-Ukraine LLC. At the same time, they actually admitted that they worked with violations – in particular, they sold illegally imported equipment and evaded taxes.
At the end of March 2025, the State Tax Service of Ukraine reported on the exposure of schemes to evade VAT for more than UAH 286 million in the “Yabko” and Yabluka networks. According to the head of the State Tax Service, Ruslan Kravchenko, in particular, the use of the “business fragmentation” scheme was revealed.
Lawyers explain that similar companies often register employees as sole proprietors in order to avoid paying social contributions and taxes. Formally, this is presented as cooperation with independent contractors, but in fact, employees perform full-time functions. Abuses may be indicated by such signs as regular fixed payments, monotonous meaningless contracts, the absence of documentary evidence of “consulting services”, as well as cases when the same person is simultaneously a sole proprietor and an employee of the same company.
These examples illustrate the scale of the problem: as long as the market is saturated with uncertified equipment without guarantees, control and obligations for its disposal, the creation of a transparent electronic waste management system remains under threat.