There are wide degrees of variation in how these stages are managed worldwide. Generally speaking, the e-waste recycling process consists of five basic stages: collection, toxics removal, preprocessing, end processing and disposal. This chapter will explore these conventional recycling efforts and the ways in which they are evolving alongside global economic developments and the introduction of new recycling processes and technologies. These methods generate subsistence livelihoods for workers but also result in significant hazards to human health and the environment as a result of the toxic materials that are also embedded in consumer electronics. Hence, these items have typically either been disposed of, stored in consumers’ homes, or exported (often illegally) to less developed countries such as China, India, Ghana and Nigeria, where they are recycled by informal recyclers using low-tech methods such as manual dismantling, open burning and acid leaching in order to recover gold, copper and other valuable metals. Consumer electronic waste from smaller items such as cell phones and televisions have not historically been profitable to recycle in countries with higher labor costs, since the quantity of recoverable valuable materials is relatively low. These large items have frequently been exported within industrialized countries in the OECD to specialized facilities where they are processed for the purpose of extracting secondary raw materials. Įlectronics that had been used in industrial or business applications, such as medical equipment, have been recycled in the formal recycling industry for more than 40 years. To use a specific example, the material content of a mobile phone includes “over 40 elements in the periodic table including base metals like copper (Cu) and tin (Sn), special metals such as cobalt (Co), indium (In) and antimony (Sb), and precious metals including silver (Ag), gold (Au), and palladium (Pd)”. The most complex mix of substances is usually present in the printed wiring boards (PWBs)” . Generally speaking, “modern electronics can contain up to 60 different elements many are valuable, some are hazardous and some are both. Į-waste is an incredibly complex waste stream, as it encompasses a wide range of items and the exact composition of many electronic components are considered to be trade secrets, meaning they are the confidential information of the manufacturer. Some of the major responses to the rising generation of e-waste (and growing demand for secondary raw materials that it contains) have included the development of producer “take-back” legislation, technological innovations in recycling processes, and the formation of partnerships to facilitate the transfer of e-waste between the informal and formal recycling sectors. E-waste has generated a considerable amount of public and political interest due to a confluence of factors, including: the exponential rise in the generation of e-waste, the potential value of recycling the waste in order to recover precious metals and other elements, and the environmental and human health risks associated with improperly storing, disposing of, and recycling e-waste. This waste stream is comprised of any electronic items that a consumer or business intends to dispose of, or is no longer useful for its original purpose. The e-waste recycling industry is becoming more formalized as the potential to recover valuable materials has increased, but a range of recent studies have shown that e-waste recycling continues to carry a range of occupational health and environmental risks.Įlectronic waste, sometimes referred to as e-waste or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), is a highly varied stream of hazardous waste. A growing number of countries have adopted extended producer responsibility laws, which mandate electronics manufacturers to pay for proper recycling and disposal of electronics. Globally, the handling and regulation of e-waste as both a hazardous waste stream and as a source of secondary raw materials has undergone significant changes in the past decade. E-waste follows a range of pathways after disposal, including formal and informal recycling, storage, and dumping, in both developed and less-developed country contexts. E-waste is comprised of a variety of inputs including hazardous materials, potentially valuable and recyclable materials, and other inputs. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is said to be the fastest growing stream of hazardous waste in the world.
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