4,129 tonnes: Balearics handle e-waste in 2025

The Balearics handled 4,129 tonnes of e-waste in 2025, according to Fundación Ecolec. The islands recycled 16.7 kilos of discarded electrical and electronic equipment for every inhabitant. That is well above Spain’s national figure of 9.1 kilos.

E-waste covers unwanted everyday electrical and electronic devices. Luis Moreno, director of Fundación Ecolec, said the result showed that recycling such equipment had become an important habit for people across the Balearics.

Waste pile is growing faster than recycling

The United Nations says global e-waste is increasing five times faster than it is recycled, according to Ecolec. The world produced a record 62 million tonnes in 2022 — enough to fill 1.5 million lorries carrying 40 tonnes each.

The total rises by 2.6 million tonnes every year and could reach as much as 82 million tonnes by 2030.

One badly treated fridge can pollute like a car

Moreno warned that a single fridge processed incorrectly can release emissions comparable to those from a vehicle driven 15,000 kilometres.

Throwing away electronic devices improperly can also hit regions where raw materials for new equipment are extracted, he said, with serious social conflicts possible. Ecolec says everyday technology can return to the production cycle when its components are reused or it undergoes clean decontamination treatment.

Topics: Environment · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com