E-waste warning after items fail to be properly recycled

Less than a sixth of the tens of millions of tonnes of electronic and electrical waste generated across the world last year was properly recycled, reused or treated, a study has found.

There was 41.8 million tonnes of "e-waste", ranging from washing machines to mobile phones in 2014 - containing an estimated £35 billion in resources such as gold, silver and copper, as well as toxins including ozone layer-depleting gases and mercury.

But just 6.5 million tonnes was sent to proper recycling, reuse or treatment systems, the Global E-Waste Monitor compiled by the United Nations University (UNU) think tank found.

While the US and China produced the most electronic and electrical waste overall, contributing 32% of the total, the UK was one of the biggest producers of e-waste per person - coming fifth behind Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Denmark.

Items included washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric shavers and video cameras as well as mobile phones and computers.