E-waste

World's fastest-growing waste stream at the moment is electronic waste, which is produced by electronic items that have reached the end of their useful lives. E-waste produced annually is worth over $62.5 billion more than the GDP of most of the countries. E-waste is growing by an average of 2 million metric tons (Mt) per year and approximately 347 Mt of unrecycled E-waste is accumulated on the earth at present. According to the UN's Global E-waste Monitor 2022, the annual global production of E-waste was 57.4 Mt in 2021 while only 17.4% (9.98 Mt) of the total E-waste was collected and recycled globally. It means that many precious metals (gold, copper, silver, platinum, etc.) and other high-value recoverable critical materials (cobalt, palladium, indium, germanium, tin, etc.) worth US $57 billion, dumped or burned as trash every year. However, some efforts are initiated by many nations seriously to recover precious materials from the junk of E-waste. About the Editor Dr. Suresh Kumar received his Ph.D. degree in Physics & Materials Science (2014) from Jaypee University of Information Technology - Waknaghat, Solan, H.P., India. Dr. Kumar has completed his M.Phil. Physics (2008) from VM University - Salem, T.N., M.Ed. (2007) from Jammu University, J&K, M.Sc. - Physics (2002) from Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University - Agra, U.P., and B.Ed. (2000) from the University of Kashmir, J&K, India. He is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, MM Engineering College, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed To Be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana. He is the author of more than 55 research articles that are published in International/National, SCI/Scopus/Peer-reviewed, journals and conference series. Dr. Kumar has published four Indian patents and has completed one research project.