E-waste worth

New research has named the countries with the least estimated gold worth from recycled e-waste, with Azerbaijan, Namibia, Saint Lucia, and Zimbabwe topping the list.

The study, compiled by the experts at The Gold Bullion Company, analysed the nations where the least money could be made per person on average from gold waste in electronics.

Countries with the lowest estimated gold worth from recycled e-waste are as follows:

Azerbaijan
Estimated value of gold generated from e-waste: £2.2K | $2.9K | €2.6K

Azerbaijan has the smallest amount of documented and recycled e-waste in the world, with just 10,000kg in 2022. This could be due to a limited e-waste management infrastructure or the lack of regulations to specifically target the issue. The amount of documented and recycled e-waste in the country could generate an estimated 30g of gold, which in turn, would be worth around £2,200.

Namibia
Estimated value of gold generated from e-waste: £6.5K | $8.7K | €7.8K

Namibia shares second place with two other countries, having documented and recycled around 30,000kg of electronic waste. Namibia, for a long time, didn’t have many electronic waste policies. However, the government is working on new policies. The volume of recycled electronics in Namibia could hypothetically generate around 100g of gold, which would be worth around £6,500.

Saint Lucia
Estimated value of gold generated from e-waste: £6.5K | $8.7K | €7.8K

Saint Lucia also recorded and recycled 30,000kg of electronic waste in 2022. When calculated per capita, that is 170g, so perhaps the Caribbean Island nation's small population could be a contributing factor.

The island's 30,000kg of e-waste could generate an estimated 100g of gold, worth £6,500.

Zimbabwe

Estimated value of gold generated from e-waste: £6.5K | $8.7K | €7.8K

Zimbabwe also shares the same e-waste recycling figures as Namibia and Saint Lucia. This is likely due to an underdeveloped e-waste collection and recycling infrastructure.

The research also reveals:

• The United States leads in gold value from documented recycled e-waste, generating 13,767kg worth around £882.8mln in 2022.
• Norway has the highest estimated gold value from recycled e-waste per capita.

Read the full findings.