Recycling and Disposal of Electronic Waste

**47**

**Chapter 4**

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

Electronic Waste Recycling and

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is said to be the fastest growing stream of hazardous waste in the world. E-waste is comprised of a variety of inputs including hazardous materials, potentially valuable and recyclable materials, and other inputs. 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. 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. A growing number of countries have adopted extended producer responsibility laws, which mandate electronics manufacturers to pay for proper recycling and disposal of electronics. 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.

**Keywords:** e-waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment,

Electronic waste, sometimes referred to as e-waste or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), is a highly varied stream of hazardous 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. 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. 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 [1].

E-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. Generally speaking, "modern electronics can contain up to 60 different elements; many are valuable, some are hazardous and some are both. The most complex mix of substances is usually present in the printed wiring boards (PWBs)" [2].

extended producer responsibility, Basel Convention

Disposal: An Overview

*Cristina A. Lucier and Brian J. Gareau*
