More than a third of “invisible” waste comes from toys like race cars, talking dolls, robots and drones, with 7.3 billion items thrown away annually.
The report says the estimated 844 million vaping devices thrown away each year weigh the equivalent of six Eiffel towers.
The study also found that 950 million kilograms of cables containing recyclable copper were thrown away last year, enough to circle the Earth 107 times.
In Europe, 55 percent of electrical and electronic waste is recycled, but the global average has dropped to just over 17 percent.
Charitanowicz said recycling rates have dropped to almost zero in parts of South America, Asia and Africa, typically due to a lack of collection points.
Manufacturers have been responsible for collecting and recycling waste in Europe since 2005, often in partnership with environmental authorities.
But Guillaume Dupare of the French non-profit organization Ecosysteme said recycling rates remain unsustainable, pointing to a lack of awareness and information among consumers.