: waste consisting of discarded electronic products (such as computers, televisions, and cell phones)

Examples of e-waste in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Not only is e-waste a huge problem but tossing batteries can cause fires. Wes Davis, The Verge, 8 June 2024 Kerry Bloom, a biologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, adds that the yeast’s low price and sheer abundance could make the technique relatively feasible at a large scale if e-waste recycling facilities prove willing to invest in something new. Riis Williams, Scientific American, 14 May 2024 Refunds or not, there will still be many useless hunks of e-waste left behind. Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 30 May 2024 Residents and businesses can drop off e-waste free of charge for recycling from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2024 Efforts to more effectively recycle aluminum, copper, and other resources found in mounding e-waste could also potentially help build out future batteries with less intensive mining. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 1 May 2024 The metals present in e-waste aren’t necessarily useful for every climate tech application even when they are recycled. Maddie Stone / Grist, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024 By 2022, the world generated almost 140 billion pounds of e-waste, only about 20% of which was properly collected and recycled, according to a 2024 United Nations report. Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 22 Apr. 2024 Despite growing global concern about e-waste, only 81 countries had e-waste policies in 2023, according to the report, including European Union countries and India. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'e-waste.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of e-waste was in 1999

Dictionary Entries Near e-waste

Cite this Entry

“E-waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/e-waste. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.

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