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Saturday, 19 September 2026

Report: AI Data Center Boom To Generate “Tsunami” of Toxic E-Waste

 The global push to build thousands of massive data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) will produce a "tsunami" of discarded electronics – putting the world on a course to triple its annual generation of toxic e-waste within 25 years, according to a report released by the non-profit environmental group Basel Action Network (BAN) [1].

The electronic trash generated by AI over the next quarter-century could fill enough shipping containers to encircle the globe six times, the report projected. It further stated that there is currently no plan in place to deal with that waste – which typically contains toxins such as lead, mercury, cadmium and forever chemicals, as well as valuable metals that are challenging to reclaim.

"Already electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream on the planet and only one-fifth is properly managed," said Jim Puckett, co-founder of BAN, which works to see that toxic waste does not end up getting dumped on the world's poorer communities. The report's findings arrive as the construction of AI infrastructure accelerates across the United States and globally...<<<Read More>>>...