Much has been written about the deep energy - and carbon - footprint generated by cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, among others. The computational processing power demanded by cryptocurrency "mining" - where equipment is typically used 24/7 - adds to the energy demanded by each transaction made. At the end of the day, cryptocurrencies consume more energy than countries like Argentina or the Philippines, for example.

But this intense processing activity not only generates a deep carbon footprint. It also generates a large amount of e-waste, or electronic waste. According to a study published by Resources, Conservation and Recycling (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344921005103?dgcid=author)each transaction produces more than 250 grams of e-waste, equivalent to the weight of two iPhones thrown in the trash.