Where is recycled electronic waste processed

Below are useful facts and figures pertaining to e-waste recycling, intended to inspire business owners large and small to make changes in how they process waste:. United Nations University. Francis O. IGI Global. UN Environment Programme.

Environmental Protection Agency. Institute of Physics. The Global E-Waste Monitor UN Environmental Programme. World Economic Forum. 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 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.

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. Generally speaking, the e-waste recycling process consists of five basic stages: collection, toxics removal, preprocessing, end processing and disposal [ 3 ].

There are wide degrees of variation in how these stages are managed worldwide. In terms of consumer electronics, regions where e-waste is picked up by informal collectors have historically achieved significantly higher recycling rates than those where waste is dropped off through formal channels [ 4 ].

After reaching the recycling site, dangerous components that require special treatment e. The units are then separated into more homogenous groups based on material. This can be done manually, mechanically or a combination of both.

Manual dismantling involves tools such as screwdrivers, hammers and labeled containers, while mechanical dismantling may involve conveyor belts, giant shredders and magnets [ 5 ]. Following the separation and dismantling phases, more homogenous groups of material e. This stage can be as high-tech as a giant smelter in Antwerp, Belgium or as low-tech as acid stripping in a backyard in Guiyu, China. Finally, all of the components that cannot be sold or used as secondary raw materials are disposed of through means such as incineration or landfill.

The level of efficiency achieved through e-waste recycling depends upon the process that is followed, especially in the separation and dismantling phases. In dismantling electronics, manualized options are often much more effective than mechanized processes in gaining access to the best quality secondary raw materials. Mechanized take-back programs such as those in the E.

Manual dismantling is also preferable to machine shredding, which damages and does not completely separate individual materials. However, these more labor-intensive options are not cost effective unless labor costs are extremely low [ 3 ].

E-waste contains components that have historically been valuable in significant quantities, when the dismantling costs have been low enough [ 9 ]. In addition to these metals, there is also another subset of elements—known as rare earth elements—which are crucial to the functioning of the newest electronics, particularly those with LED lighting and touch screen technologies.

Rare earth elements are available in abundant quantities globally, but the process of their extraction can create widespread environmental problems, including radioactive contamination [ 10 ].

Table 2 provides a list of the rare elements that are used in various electronics. It is worth noting that the actual quantity of these elements used is relatively small, but that their properties are closely linked to the performance level of these technologies [ 11 ]. Rare earths play a particularly decisive role in the high performance functioning of magnets. The information provided in Table 2 has been adapted from information derived from the U.

Department of Energy, a report commissioned for the U. Interior Department and the U. Geological Survey, as well as industry trade publications [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Those rare earths considered to be of the highest potential resale value and the highest risk for supply shortages are neodymium Nd , europium Eu , dysprosium Dy , terbium Tb and yttrium Y [ 12 , 14 ]. The usual method for accessing the innards of computer screens is to smash them on the ground, The plastic sheaths of copper wires are then stripped away, resulting in the formation of toxic fumes.

Other components are removed in acid baths, without any safety precautions of any kind. The remaining components are incinerated, deposited in improvised, unsafe dumps, or are deposited in rivers. In the interest of remedying this untenable situation, the new WEEE directive stipulates that exporters must prove the functionality of devices declared as used before they are exported, the goal being to ensure that only intact apparatuses are exported.

Reuse of such devices in the destination countries conserves resources in that the manufacture of new apparatuses is avoided. In addition to putting a stop to illegal exports, collection infrastructures and processing capacities in potential recipient countries need to be established and expanded, for the quantities of domestically generated electrical and electronic waste is also on the rise in these countries.

Hence waste management processes that are safe for the environment and human health are needed. Unfortunately, resource conservation cannot be achieved solely through efficient recycling, for technological advances in recycling are needed in order to keep up with the technological advances in electrical and electronic products.

Lacking this, the raw materials contained in such devices will not be recovered optimally, or at all. For economic reasons, recycling companies are not always able to recover the entirety of such raw materials.

But in the final analysis, the cause of resource conservation would be best served by simply reducing electrical and electronic waste; and the greatest obstacles to achieving this is that our consumption habits entail excessive resource use. The greater the number of products sold, the more electrical and electronic waste is generated. But this hierarchy is for the most part disregarded in practice.

Each of us can do our share by avoiding the purchase of non-essential consumer products, as this serves the cause of sustainable resource conservation, while also improving our quality of life. For if we do not ask ourselves what we really need in life, we ultimately undermine the quality of our own lives. By making needless purchases, we miss out on many other ways to improve our lives. Also, using devices and apparatuses longer reduces waste generation without imposing any significant restrictions on us.

Thus before purchasing items such as computers, smartphones and household appliances, we should first ask ourselves if we really need to replace our current devices.

By the same token, manufacturers should design and build their products in such a way that there is no obstacle to their providing quality service for as long as possible. In this video we give an insight into our work. Table of Contents. Electrical and electronic waste in Germany. Current problems. The best way to conserve resources is to make durable products and avoid resource use wherever possible.

Issues associated with access to online services. Negative effects of computer and computer use. Ways in which computers are or could be used to reduce resource use and to support environmental protection. What helps reduce the negative affects on the environment? Picking Shed — first all the items are managed by hand and batteries and copper that is found is used for quality control.