[4]
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a very new facet of the recycling system, but it is growing quickly. E-waste consists of electronic devices and their components such as: TVs, Computers, Phones, etc. Many components in electronics are very difficult to recycle due to the toxicity of the material [1]. In 2016, it was estimated the United States generated 6.9 million tons of e-waste, most of which ended up in the trash. It is estimated that e-waste accounts for 2% of America’s total landfill volume [2]. When the entire world is taken into consideration, the total waste estimated by the UN for the world in 2016 was 49.3 million tons [2]. The need for proper e-waste measures is obvious.
The sad reality is the world lacks the necessary infrastructure for recycling electronics. The majority of these electronic devices end up in landfills or the ocean. It is estimated that only 20% of e-waste is recycled [3]. This seems far too low, especially when considering the mass amounts of electronic devices. The United States is a large culprit of this issue. Interestingly enough, only 25 U.S. states have laws requiring statewide recycling of e-waste. The current American electronic recycling system consists of exporting e-waste (50%-80%) to other countries (mainly Asia) [3]. It is estimated that in 2015, China handled 70% of the world’s e-waste [2]. However, regulations from Chinese government slashed importations of e-waste, which resulted in e-waste being sent to smaller countries with little capability of handling it. This is having a detrimental impact of toxicity of streams, groundwater, etc.
There does exist some infrastructure for electronic waste. The e-waste that remains in the United States is sent through an electronic recycling process or sent to landfills. The electronic recycling process has three main steps. First, the electronics are collected and transported to recycling facilities. The recycling facilities shred the waste to facilitate the sorting and separation of the materials. Materials are separated with magnets (attracts metals), then water (separate glass and plastics). The last step is preparing the materials to be sold as recycled materials [3].
[1]Kang, Hai-Yong, and Julie M. Schoenung. “Electronic Waste Recycling: A Review of U.S. Infrastructure and Technology Options.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Elsevier, 14 July 2005, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344905000777.
[2]Larmer, Brook. “E-Waste Offers an Economic Opportunity as Well as Toxicity.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 July 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/magazine/e-waste-offers-an-economic-opportunity-as-well-as-toxicity.html.
[3]Haque, Tajirul. “Introduction to Electronics Recycling.” The Balance Small Business, www.thebalancesmb.com/introduction-to-electronics-e-waste-recycling-4049386.
[4]“Electronic Waste in India.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste_in_India.