As a result, we estimate that the whole bitcoin network currently cycles through 30.7 metric kilotons of equipment per year,” the researchers wrote. “This number is comparable to the amount of small IT and telecommunication equipment waste produced by a country like the Netherlands.”
While most of us know that a kiloton is no joke—it’s more than 2.2 million pounds–it can be a bit hard to imagine all that e-waste. The researchers state that each bitcoin transaction generated at least 272 grams of e-waste (.59 pounds). The Guardian broke it down: That’s about two iPhone 12 Minis worth of e-waste.
0 Comments