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FAQs
E-waste is also synonymously called WEEE (pronounced W-triple E), short for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment as defined under Annex IA of the Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Electronic and electrical appliances consist of thousands of different parts made of hundreds of different substances including plastics, metals, glass as well as organic and inorganic compounds.
The hazards of e-waste are most acute in the event of incorrect disposal and incorrect recycling techniques. Hazards through incorrect disposal Landfills, though widely used for waste disposal, are prone to leaking, and e-waste disposed of in landfills can leach heavy metals and other toxins into the soil, and more dangerously contaminate the water table. Mercury, Cadmium and Lead are among the most toxic leachates. Mercury, for example, can leach when certain electronic devices such as circuit breakers are destroyed. Broken lead-containing glass from TVs and monitors and soldering on printed circuit boards can expose its lead to leaching. Besides leaching, vaporization is also of concern in landfills. For example, volatile compounds such as mercury or a frequent modification of it, dimethylene mercury can be released. In addition, landfills are also prone to uncontrolled fires which can release toxic fumes. Disposal in incinerators is also dangerous as the residual ash contains heavy metals. Hazards through incorrect recycling and recovery processes
Incorrect recycling processes such as open-air incineration and acid leaching are commonly used to recover precious metals. Due to the halogenated substances found in plastics, both dioxins and furans are generated as a consequence of recycling from e-waste. Halogenated substances contained in e-waste, particularly brominated flame-retardants, are of concern during the extrusion of plastics, which is a part of plastic recycling.
The largest e-waste generators are industrialized nations. However, emerging economies, especially China and India, are generating increasing quantities of e-waste, even though the per capita e-waste generation is not as high as that of developed countries. Around the world, the three main categories of e-waste generators are: Individual households and small businesses: The rapid incursion of technology in everyday life has resulted in a plethora of electronic and electrical gadgets becoming standard features in homes and small offices. ‘White goods’ such as washing machines and refrigerators form the largest part by weight of the waste arising from individual households, followed by TVs and PCs. Large businesses, educational institutions, governments: Office electronics – photocopiers, fax machines, printers and in particular personal computers – form the large chunk of e-waste generated by this segment of users. Large businesses, educational institutions such as universities and government offices have become bulk users of computers and peripherals. Leasing agreements directly with the producers of EEE are common, and therefore they often do not directly dispose of their e-waste, instead preferring producers to take back their equipment at the end of the contract and/or replace them with upgrades. Original Equipment Manufacturers: Waste arising during the manufacturing process due to defective components or sub-optimal quality. Production wastes also occur along the upstream supply chain at every stage, which may be individual components, sub-assemblies or semi-finished products. Another source of e-waste from original equipment manufacturers is from product recovery and refurbishing operations.
The vast quantities of e-waste often go through several stages before being finally disposed of.
For most EEE consumers, both large and small, storage is the first step in the e-waste disposal chain. Often, an electronic gadget is replaced by a newer model, not because the old one stopped functioning, but because the newer one has more advanced functions, design and/ or aesthetics. Donation and Reuse: Donations and reuse extend the life of an appliance, and is a shift in ownership, rather than final disposal. Donations are frequently made to charitable institutions or to economically weaker sections of society. There are some charitable institutions that collect discarded equipment, specially TVs, PCs and cell phones for donations to developing and low-income countries in Asia and Africa. However, this practice is hotly debated as ‘dumping’ of e-waste from rich to poor countries and saddling them with the burden of safe disposal. As a certain amount of EEE that is discarded by its original owners is still in working condition, reuse of EEE is a common intermediate step that extends its usable life. Often, intermediaries provide channels for reuse, such as second-hand equipment sellers, or online auction sites. Take-back programmes Several large IT equipment manufacturers have started take-back and asset recovery programmes for their clients, mainly large business users, wherein they take back their old equipment at the time of purchase of the new equipment. This is then either refurbished and resold in the second hand market, or sent for dismantling and recovery operations. However, these services are limited to only few markets in Europe, America and Japan. Recycling of functions and materials: E-waste recycling can include several activities such as dismantling, sorting and segregation, remanufacturing and recovery operations. These processes can be done mechanically as well as manually. The recycling of e-waste is gaining importance considering the precious metals it contains. Incineration: Incineration of e-waste is associated with a major risk of generating and dispersing highly countries, incineration is a commonly used disposal mechanism for municipal solid waste. In such cases, when e-waste is disposed with regular garbage, e-waste is also incinerated with the rest of the waste as it is not possible to sort it out. However, e-waste is also sorted and burnt, for recovery operations, where small recyclers and recovers use incineration to recover metals, especially copper from wires, by burning in the open and then recovering the copper from the residue. Also, e-waste dismantlers often send their plastic fractions to cement kilns for use as an alternative to fuel, where it is burnt without the necessary precautions to prevent the formation and dispersion of toxic gases being taken. Landfilling: Landfilling of e-waste is common especially where there is no separate collection and recycling system for e-waste. However, the landfilling of some e-waste items, such as CRT’s is banned in many places. The worldwide market for electronic waste will rise at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 8.8% from $7.2 billion in 2004 to $11 billion in 2009. The computer e-waste management services industry in the U.S. is estimated to become a $1.3 billion market in 5 years, growing to $17 billion in 10 years. Resource depletion The rise in the consumption of electronics has also resulted in the increased demand for natural resources to manufacture these products. The production of electric and electronic devices is a highly natural resource-intensive activity. A UN study found that the manufacturing of a single personal computer takes at least 240 kg (530 pounds) of fossil fuels, 22 kg (48 pounds) of chemicals and 1.5 tonnes of water [source: Kuehr & Williams, 2003] . There are indications that reserves of key elements, such as Indium and Platinum, essential in the manufacture of modern technologies have rapidly deteriorated, and may run out in the coming decades. In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated Indium reserves to be approximately 2,500 tonnes [US Geological Survey 2003] . However, with the increase in the demand for laptop computers, flat panel displays and other liquid crystal displays in which indium-tin oxide coatings are used, the consumption of the metal has risen to about 500 tonnes per annum. In the most optimistic scenario, the reserves would be sufficient for 10 years, but only if more than half the world’s Indium consumption is met through recycling and recovery.
The Basel Action Network called the transboundary movement of e-waste an ‘environmental injustice’, forcing the problems of richer countries onto the people in poor countries. The transboundary movement of e-waste, often disguised either as donations or electronics component parts, is common, with e-waste mainly from rich countries finding its way to ‘e-waste recycling centres’, specially in Asia. This transboundary trade from richer to poorer nations thrives because of the economics of cheap labour and lax environmental laws in recipient countries. While the Basel Ban under the Basel Convention calls for the ban on such transboundary trade in e-waste from developed to developing countries, it remains unratified, more than 10 years after it was proposed in September 1995.
Improper disposal of e-waste can lead to toxic emissions such as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs ). These occur mainly during incineration of e-waste at low temperatures, specially when being burnt in the open. These are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and accumulate in fat tissues of almost all organisms. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) which is a widely used plastic coating, especially on wires, also results in hazardous emissions when incinerated. On combustion, it forms hydrogen chloride, which then mixes with atmospheric water to form hydrochloric acid which leads to severe respiratory problems. Electronic circuit boards are also very lead-rich, and if disposed of improperly, for example in landfills with regular municipal solid waste, can leach lead into the ground and contaminate groundwater sources.
That e-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams is an acknowledged fact. With the growth of the electronics industry, the quantities of discarded electronics have also grown. Rising incomes and falling prices of electronic products have ensured that more people are able to afford electronics. Furthermore, rapid technological progress has resulted not only in a multitude of new electronic products but also reduced their lifespan, making products obsolete faster. In addition, substantial quantities of obsolete and broken electronic equipment which had been stored away in garages and basements for lack of better disposal options are also finally discarded. To cope with this massive and relatively sophisticated waste stream, new and innovative solutions for the management, as well as the development of technical and processing capacity are required, which are currently lacking in most countries.
Domestic users of electrical and electronic equipment should not dispose of their appliances at the end of life with ordinary solid waste. Many countries have implemented e-waste specific legislation making it obligatory to dispose of e-waste only at designated locations. For further information, several websites with country specific information have been listed in the links page. If a country does not have designated e-waste collection areas or take-back schemes by producers, users should write to the manufacturer of the equipment, many of whom have asset recovery and take-back services. |
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E-waste
is a generic term encompassing various forms of electrical and
electronic equipment (EEE) that are old, end-of-life electronic
appliances and have ceased to be of any value to their owners.
A practical definition of e-waste is ‘
Compounds
such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers that are used as flame
retardants to make appliances safer during their use are highly
dangerous persistent organic pollutants that pose extremely serious
health and environmental risks. Liver, thyroid and nervous system
disorders have been proven to be caused by these compounds, which
bio-accumulate through the food chain. Other health and environmental
hazards have been linked, for example, to lead (specially found
in solder), chromium compounds (such as hexavalent chromium used
for platings), cadmium compounds (for example nickel-cadmium batteries),
polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastic (used especially for sheathing
wires) etc.
Recycling
practices, especially in developing countries, are often done
without the necessary environmental health and safety checks in
place, exposing both workers and the environment to toxic emissions.
Storage