What happens to your old phone or laptop when you upgrade to the latest model? How do data centres dispose of redundant servers? The issue of electronic waste – or ‘e-waste’ – is increasingly pressing in our highly digitised world.

According to the UN’s fourth Global E-waste Monitor report, published in March 2024, the world’s generation of e-waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling. This highlights the fact that the status quo is not up to the task. Instead, we need new technologies, models, and mindsets to shift the dial on this issue.

To delve deeper into e-waste, we spoke to Dr Will Barker, CEO of Mint Innovation, a New Zealand-based company that is using a patented biotechnology and green chemistry process to recycle e-waste locally. During our conversation, we discussed not only the specific challenge of e-waste, but also some of the ways that the company has overcome the obstacles faced by many cleantech startups.