Sustainable development goal target 12.5 is to reduce waste. But with a planet increasingly dependent on technology, is that even possible? As of today, over 30m tonnes of electronic waste has been thrown out so far this year, according to the World Counts. Most e-waste is sent to landfills in Asia and Africa where it is recycled by hand, exposing the people who do it to environmental hazards. Kai Loeffelbein’s photographs of e-waste recycling in Guiyu, southern China show what happens to discarded computers. (Photo by Kai Loeffelbein/laif Agentur)

A Hindu holy man or Sadhu walks back to his ashram after taking a dip at Sangam, confluence of Ganges river, Yamuna river and mythical Saraswati river in Allahabad, India, Thursday, August 4, 2016. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

Clowns sit in the pews and hold hands across the aisle of the All Saints Church during the Grimaldi clown service in Dalston, north London, February 7, 2016. The Clowns International 70th annual service brings together professional clowns from Britain and Europe in a service of remembrance to the famous British clown Joseph Grimaldi, who died in 1837. (Photo by Peter Nicholls/Reuters)

Taliban security forces ride horses along the Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

Freshly shorn alpacas are pictured on a meadow in the village of Winklarn near Regensburg April 22, 2013. The alpacas are always shorn in spring, to make the animals more comfortable for the summer months and to collect the expensive and well known alpaca wool. (Photo by Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

“Harajuku is a district in Shibuya ward, Tokyo Prefecture”. – Wikipedia. Photo: Harajuku Girl Photo Shoot. (Photo by Tokyo Fashion)

Two cats watch a mouse walking on the pavement in Kuwait City on March 8,2017. (Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP Photo)