China is dumping more electronic waste per year than any country in Asia, according to research by the United Nations E-Waste Monitor.
The regional study found China dumped the most waste at 6.7 million metric tons, while Hong Kong was responsible for the most per capita.
The United Nations University (UNU) research, which sampled 11 countries, found electronic waste in Asia and Southeast Asia rose by almost 63 per cent over a five-year period from 2010 to 2015.
In 2015 alone, the region overall dumped 12.3 million metric tons of electronics, which includes TVs, computers, mobile phones and refrigerators.
According to the World Bank, there are more than two mobile phones for every person in the nation in Hong Kong, while its 7.2 million population is estimated to be nearly 200 times smaller than China’s.
Last year, an investigation by Seattle environmental group Basel Action Network found Hong Kong had become a dumping ground for exporters of electronic waste in the United States.
The UNU research showed the increase in e-waste in East and South East Asia was driven by high demand for new gadgets and rising incomes.
It found Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and Province of China had e-waste collection systems in place, while Hong Kong and Singapore had no specific e-waste legislation, but instead managed via a public-private partnership through their respective governments and producers.
South China Morning Post reported in December of last year that Hong Kong was in the midst of developing its first integrated recycling plant for electronics.