Agencies join forces to combat e-waste

GENEVA - In a world full of digital and high-tech devices, United Nations agencies are starting to work together to track and help deal with a soaring amount of electronic wastes worldwide, the International Telecommunication Union said on Wednesday.

As technologies change at great speed, and as access to and use of electrical and electronic equipment increases, the products' life cycles have become shorter and many designs do not support repair or reuse. As a result, the amount of electronic waste, or e-waste, is growing rapidly.

Most e-waste has not been properly documented or treated through appropriate recycling chains and methods.