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)

Human like robots and robotic faces that mimic human expressions are displayed at the annual World Robot Conference at the Beijing Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Center in Beijing, Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Robots made by local enthusiasts and employees of an automobile repair workshop are seen during installation works on the outskirts of the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine, November 26, 2020. According to creators, who plan to open a robotics engineering park, 13-metre and 6-metre-high sculptures featuring transformer robots were made of waste metal including car components and weigh about 4 and 2 tonnes respectively. (Photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Two 70 thousand RMB (about 11,310 USD) robots carry dishes and offer service for customers at a robot themed restaurant at Chunxi Road in Chengdu, China, December 11, 2014. The restaurant has 10 robots to serve as waiters. Each robot can carry simple dishes and offer simple greetings. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)

The face of a graduating student is displayed on a tablet attached to a robot during a “cyber graduation” ceremony at a school on May 22, 2020 in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Robots represented some 179 graduating students of the Senator Rene Cayetano Science and Technology High School during a graduation ceremony that was streamed online, as mass gatherings remain prohibited in the country under the Philippine government's lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The robots were developed by alumni of the school's robotics club, which used tablets to display the faces of the graduating students as they “marched” on stage to receive their diplomas. The Philippines' Department of Health has so far reported 13,434 cases of the coronavirus in the country, with at least 846 recorded fatalities. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Humanoid robots compete in a group match of the 20th RoboCup in Leipzig, Germany, June 30, 2016. About 3,500 participants from 45 countries and regions compete in the robot world championship until 04 July. (Photo by Sebastian Willnow/EPA)

A robot used to assist Covid-19 patients is seen in an elevator on December 5, 2020 in New Delhi, India. The “Mitra” robot can connect patients with their loved ones, and can assist healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic by minimisng the risk of infections caused by close contact. The Yatharth Hospital, which is treating Covid-19 patients in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, is one of a handful of hospitals in India that has started to use robots. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Getty Images)

Employees of a food stand take pictures of Titan, a robot created by England Cyberstein Robots, performing at the Danilovsly market in downtown of Moscow, Russia, 12 May 2014. Titan visited to Moscow to attend “Bal Robotov”, an interactive exhibition of the most recent advances in robotics which will be opened on 15 May in Artplay Moscow exhibition center. Titan worked alongside superstars including Will.i.am, Rihanna, Will Smith and Jackie Chan. (Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)