[Source: BBC]
Bitcoin mining produces electronic waste (e-waste) annually comparable to the small IT equipment waste of a place like the Netherlands, research shows.
Miners of the cryptocurrency each year produce 30,700 tonnes of e-waste, Alex de Vries and Christian Stoll estimate.
That averages 272g (9.5oz) per transaction, they say. By comparison, an iPhone 13 weighs 173g (6.1oz).
Miners earn money by creating new Bitcoins, but the computing used consumes large amounts of energy.
They audit Bitcoin transactions in exchange for an opportunity to acquire the digital currency.
Attention has been focused on the electricity this consumes – currently more than the Philippines – and the greenhouse gas pollution caused as a result.
But as the computers used for mining become obsolete, it also generates lots of e-waste.
The researchers estimate Bitcoin mining devices have an average lifespan of only 1.29 years.
As a result, the amount of e-waste produced is comparable to the “small IT and telecommunication equipment” waste of a country like the Netherlands researchers said – a category that includes mobile phones, personal computers, printers, and telephones.
The research is published in the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling.
