Bitcoin produces 30,700 tonnes of e-waste annually

The level of e-waste generated by bitcoin mining is comparable to the small IT equipment waste produced by a country like the Netherlands, according to new research.

As of May 2021, bitcoin’s annual e-waste production adds up to 30,700 tonnes.
On average, bitcoin creates 272g of e-waste per transaction processed on the blockchain.

The study, produced by Dutch central bank and MIT economists, found that bitcoin can generate up to 64,400 tonnes of e-waste at peak bitcoin price levels seen in early 2021.

The report also warned that increasing demand for mining hardware may disrupt global semiconductor supply chains.

“E-waste represents a growing threat to our environment, from toxic chemicals and heavy metals leaching into soils, to air and water pollutions caused by improper recycling,” wrote researchers Christian Stoll (MIT) and Alex de Vries (De Nederlandsche Bank.)

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Bringing Teams to the table – Adding value by integrating Microsoft Teams with business applications
A decade ago, the idea of digital collaboration started and ended with sending documents over email. Some organisations would have portals for sharing content or simplistic IM apps, but the ways that we communicated online were still largely primitive.

Automating CX: How are businesses using AI to meet customer expectations?
Virtual agents are set to supplant the traditional chatbot and their use cases are evolving at pace, with many organisations deploying new AI technologies to meet rising customer demand for self-service and real-time interactions.