{
  "id": 7770574,
  "title": "Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/datacenter-rush-will-create-tsunami-of-discarded-electronics-report",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T11:00:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/16/datacenters-pollution-electronics"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The ongoing effort to construct thousands of datacenters for AI applications is set to generate a significant amount of e-waste, according to a report by the non-profit environmental group Basel Action Network (BAN). This surge in electronic waste is projected to triple the annual generation of toxic e-waste over the next 25 years, with the discarded electronics from datacenters potentially filling enough shipping containers to encircle the globe six times. The report highlights that this e-waste typically contains hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and forever chemicals, alongside valuable metals that are challenging to recover. However, the report notes that there is currently no comprehensive plan in place to manage this growing problem.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Business",
        "title": "Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/datacenter-rush-will-create-tsunami-of-discarded-electronics-report-7779127",
        "published": "2026-09-16T11:00:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}