What amount of e-waste is generated each year from the new iPad?

Answer 1

With over 100 million iPads produced, it is impossible to say how many have been thrown out at this time. As the product life expectancy of the iPad is 7 years, there have not been any iPads that have reached this threshold. The only iPads likely to have been disposed of up to this point are broken iPads which are damaged beyond repair.

Answer 2

This is actually a serious issue, and we cannot just single out the iPad. The iPad is part of a much bigger problem. "E-waste" refers to electronic waste, what is left after you have gotten rid of your electronic devices (smartphones, laptops, televisions, video cameras, etc.) by tossing them into the trash. Unfortunately, there are a lot of old electronic devices in the trash-- by some estimates, 6 million tons of e-waste was produced in 2010. Only about 15% of electronic devices are recycled, so that means a lot of potentially toxic materials have to be buried somewhere.

Most people don't think about the harm the materials in old devices can do to the environment: these items contain lead, Mercury, and other toxic materials, and when they are improperly disposed of, they get into landfills, where they leak into the soil and possibly into groundwater. Worse yet, some of our electronic waste is exported to third-world countries, where poor people take it apart in search of something they can sell, and in the process, expose themselves to various toxins. Again, iPads are just part of this problem. I enclose a link with more information.

Answer 3

If the iPad is not thrown out, it produces no e-waste.