E-Waste Recycling

Electronic waste management

The keys to success in electronic waste management are:

• Develop eco-design devices where possible
• Properly collect electronic waste
• Recover and recycle by safe methods
• Dispose of e-waste by suitable techniques
• Forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries
• Raise awareness of the impact of e-waste

No single tool is adequate, but they can complement each other to solve this issue.

A national scheme such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a good policy in solving the growing e-waste problem.

In recent years, a revolution has taken place in the world of electronic waste. Both manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment now see it as their responsibility to collect and recycle these products at their end-of-life.

How to recycle electronic waste

The best guide to recycling electronics is to start by finding a certified e-waste recycler.

Industry certification programs have set requirements for safer disposal and recycling of electronic waste. These programs include guidelines that define effective and responsible e-waste management:

• The R2:2013 Standard - The latest version of R2, the electronics recycling industry's leading certification
• The Recycling Industry Operating Standard™ (RIOS™) – The recycling industry's management system standard for quality, environment, and health & safety (QEH&S)
• The e-Stewards initiative - A global team of individuals, institutions, businesses, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies upholding a safe, ethical, and globally responsible standard for e-waste recycling and refurbishment. 

The e-waste recycling process

E-waste recycling is challenging because discarded electronics are advanced devices manufactured from varying proportions of plastics, metals, and glass.

The specific recycling process varies depending upon materials being recycled by e-waste recyclers and the employed technologies.

Collection and Transportation: Collection and transportation are two of the initial stages of the e-waste recycling process.

Shredding, Sorting, and Separation: After collection and transportation to the e-waste recycling facility, materials in the e-waste stream must be processed and separated. The process of recycling begins with the manual dismantling of the device. After this step, a combination of crushers, shredders, density separators, and X-ray sorting technologies are used to sort e-waste into its major recyclable streams, including plastics, glass, printed circuit boards, ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Recycling/Recovery of valuable material - The raw material that remains, such as glass, copper, plastics, and metals, can be put to good use to produce new electronics or other products.

Treatment and disposal of dangerous materials and wastes - The remaining toxic part includes mercury, lead, and arsenic which need to be disposed of responsibly. These are lethal substances that could contaminate the soil and groundwater to disastrous consequences.

Challenges for the electronics recycling industry and e-waste recycling centers

• Exports to developing nations – A primary concern is the illegal export of e-waste to countries with lower environmental standards.
• Less valuable materials - Although the volume of e-waste increases rapidly, the quality of e-waste is decreasing. Currently, it's a case of growing disassembly challenges combined with reducing incentives.
• Controlling chemical exposures - Even in the high-tech formal e-waste recycling centers, challenges remain in assessing and managing chemical exposures regularly found in this industry.
• Most E-waste goes to landfills and incinerators - More e-waste ends up in our landfills and incinerators than is being recycled, although recycling numbers continue to rise.
• Re-use - Re-use should be viewed as reactionary to the current trend of devices being disposed of much earlier than necessary and is about optimizing the use phase of devices.