Waste Management

www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given
the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and
threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. The key to
success in terms of e-waste management is to develop eco-design devices, properly collect
ewaste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e-waste by suitable
techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise
awareness of the impact of e-waste. No single tool is adequate but together they can
complement each other to solve this issue.
Managing electronic waste (or e-waste) is one of the most rapidly growing pollution
problems worldwide. New technologies are rapidly superseding millions of analogue
appliances leading to their disposal in prescribed landfills despite potentially their adverse
impacts on the environment. The consistent advent of new designs, smart functions and
technology during the last 20 years is causing the rapid obsolescence of many electronic
items.
E-waste is a serious problem at both local and global scales. Ewaste problems appeared
initially in developed countries and now extend widely to other countries around the world.
The volume of e-waste is growing fast because consumer technology is rapidly changing and
the innovation of technology results in rapid obsolescence, thus generating massive
amounts of e-waste.

The global impact of e-waste Addressing the challenge

http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_dialogue/@sector/documents/publication/wcms_196105.pdf

It is estimated that global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tonnes a year.
A primary obstacle to making estimations is that flows of secondary and waste products
are, by and large, invisible to national statistics on production, sales and trade in goods. In
addition, the differences in definitions of what constitutes e-waste create disparities in the
quantification of e-waste generation as well as in the identification of e-waste flows.
Despite a lack of statistical data on flows of e-waste and hazardous waste in general, there
is a consensus that the purpose of shipments is gradually shifting away from final disposal
towards recovery and recycling operations. Recycling rates are currently believed to be
growing at an average rate of 18 per cent per year.

The main issues posed by e-waste are as follows:

High volumes High volumes are generated due to the rapid obsolescence of gadgets
combined with the high demand for new technology.
Toxic design E-waste is classified as hazardous waste having adverse health and
environmental implications. Approximately 40 per cent of the heavy metals found in
landfills comes from electronic waste.
Poor design and complexity E-waste imposes many challenges on the recycling industry
as it contains many different materials that are mixed, bolted, screwed, snapped, glued or
soldered together. Toxic materials are attached to non-toxic materials, which makes
separation of materials for reclamation difficult. Hence, responsible recycling requires
intensive labour and/or sophisticated and costly technologies that safely separate
materials.
Labour issues These include occupational exposures, informal sector domination
causing health and environmental problems, lack of labour standards and rights.
Financial incentives In general, there is not enough value in most e-waste to cover the
costs of managing it in a responsible way. However, in line with EPR policies, new
opportunities can be realized with the rise in the price of many of the materials in
electronics, such as gold and copper. Furthermore, with rising e-waste quantities, formal
recyclers are increasingly entering the e-waste recycling sector.
Lack of regulation Many nations either lack adequate regulations applying to this
relatively new waste stream, or lack effective enforcement of new e-waste regulations.