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 Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported airstrike on April 27, 2016 in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo. The Syrian army was preparing an offensive to retake the whole of Aleppo, as fighting in the divided second city killed 38 civilians in a new blow for a tattered truce. Nearly 200 people have been killed in Aleppo in the past week as rebels have pounded government-held neighbourhoods with rocket and artillery fire and the regime has hit rebel areas with air raids. (Photo by Karam Al-Masri/AFP Photo)

Addis Ababa police officers take part in a parade to display their new uniforms, and their readiness for the upcoming Ethiopian parliamentary and regional elections, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 19, 2021. (Photo by Baz Ratner/Reuters)

Police officers block a road as lava rises following the eruption of a volcano on the Island of La Palma, in Tacande, Spain on September 22, 2021. (Photo by Borja Suarez/Reuters)

Performers entertain passengers at London Heathrow Airport's T3 on Monday, November 8, 2021, as the US reopens its borders to UK visitors in a significant boost to the travel sector. Thousands of travellers are jetting off on transatlantic flights for long-awaited reunions with family and friends. (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)

A woman from the Hui Muslim community carries food that will be eaten by her and others to break their fast during the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Nanxiapo Mosque on June 8, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge pulls a pint with the Duke of Cambridge during their visit to Belfast Empire Hall for an informal party to celebrate inspirational young people who are making a real difference in Northern Ireland as part of their two day visit to Northern Ireland on February 27, 2019. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Wire Press Association)

A journalist operate a harness with multiple recording devices capable of recording and live streaming outside the Great Hall of the People where the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held in Beijing, China, Friday, March 3, 2017. Thousands of delegates have gathered at the Chinese capital for the opening of the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which advises the rubberstamp parliament, whose annual session begins Sunday. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)