"Bitcoin's increasing energy consumption has triggered a passionate debate about the sustainability of the digital currency. And yet, most studies have thus far ignored that Bitcoin miners cycle through a growing amount of short-lived hardware that could exacerbate the growth in global electronic waste. 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.
• Bitcoin's annual e-waste generation adds up to 30.7 metric kilotons as of May 2021.
• This level is comparable to the small IT equipment waste produced by a country such as the Netherlands.
• On average
#bitcoin generates 272 g of e-waste per transaction processed on the blockchain.
• Bitcoin could produce up to 64.4 metric kilotons of e-waste at peak Bitcoin price levels seen in early 2021.
• The soaring demand for mining hardware may disrupt global semiconductor supply chains. "
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344921005103
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