Developing Solutions to Address Hazardous Electronic Waste
May 29, 2014
Numerous states have enacted laws and regulations that prohibit certain electronics to be disposed of in landfills. In addition to electronic waste being specifically banned from landfill disposal, most other business electronics must be reused or recycled, or managed as hazardous waste under federal and state hazardous waste laws (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2013).
Exhausted (used) and end-of-life (EOL) consumer electronic products are assigned under the category of electronic waste (e-waste). Consumer electronics that produce e-waste are divided into four major categories, Computers, Televisions, Hard Copy Devices, and Mobile Devices.
Title: Table 1 | |||
| Computers | Televisions | Hard Copy Devices | Mobile Devices |
| Laptops | Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) | Multi-function devices | Smartphones |
| Desktop CPUs | Flat-panel | Printers | Cell phones |
| Monitors | Projection | Fax machines | PDA |
| Keyboards | monochrome | Scanners | pagers |
| Mice | Copiers | ||
Table 1 (above): Examples of consumer electronics within their corresponding category (United States Environmental, 2009).
37 million short tons of used electronics entered EOL waste management in 2009, which represents a 120 percent increase in the quantity of electronics discarded from 1999 (United States Environmental, 2009). Â Table 2 details the number of electronics by category that entered end-of-life management in 2009 (United States Environmental, 2009).
| Title: Table 2 | ||||||
| Computer | Computer Displays | Hard-copy Devices | ||||
| Units(‘000s) | Short tons | Units(‘000s) | Short tons | Units(‘000s) | Short tons | |
| Total sold (1980–2009) | 857,000 | 7,570,000 | 653,000 | 11,000,000 | 471,000 | 4,050,000 |
| In use | 325,000 | 2,430,000 | 191,000 | 2,590,000 | 167,000 | 1,450,000 |
| Total n storage | 70,500 | 742,000 | 40,200 | 862,000 | 41,400 | 352,000 |
| At end-of-life | 462,000 | 4,400,000 | 422,000 | 7,560,000 | 262,000 | 2,250,000 |
| Keyboards and Mice | TVs | Mobile Devices | ||||
| Units(‘000s) | Short tons | Units(‘000s) | Short tons | Units(‘000s) | Short tons | |
| Total sold (1980–2009) | 1,670,000 | 1,460,000 | 772,000 | 25,400,000 | 1,660,000 | 257,000 |
| In use | 368,000 | 311,000 | 312,000 | 11,200,000 | 812,000 | 94,100 |
| Total in storage | N/A | N/A | 104,000 | 2,930,000 | 57,800 | 9,270 |
| At end-of-life | 1,310,000 | 1,150,000 | 356,000 | 11,300,000 | 789,000 | 154,000 |
Table 2 (above):Â Total products at end-of-life, in storage, and in use in 2009 (United States Environmental, 2009).
The full lifecycle of electronic products includes the acquirement of raw materials, manufacturing, purchase and use, storage, and end-of-life management (recycling or disposal) (United States Environmental, 2009).
Electrical and electronic equipment contain different hazardous materials which are harmful to human health and the environment if not disposed of carefully. While some naturally occurring substances are harmless in nature, their use in the manufacture of electronic equipment often results in compounds which are hazardous (e.g. chromium becomes chromium VI) (Swiss Federal Laboratories, 2009).
| Title: Table 3 | |
| Substance | Occurrence in Electronic Waste |
| Halogenated compounds: | |
| PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) | Condensers, Transformers |
| TBBA (tetrabromo-bisphenol-A)PBB (polybrominated biphenyls)PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) | Fire retardants for plastics (thermoplastic components, cable insulation) TBBA is presently the most widely used flame retardant in printed wiring boards and casings |
| Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) | Cooling unit, Insulation foam |
| PVC (polyvinyl chloride) | Cable insulation |
| Heavy metals and other metals: | |
| Arsenic | Small quantities in the form of gallium arsenide within light emitting diodes |
| Barium | Getters in CRT |
| Beryllium | Power supply boxes which contain silicon controlled rectifiers and x-ray lenses |
| Cadmium | Rechargeable NiCd-batteries, fluorescent layer (CRT screens), printer inks and toners, photocopying-machines (printer drums) |
| Lead | CRT screens, batteries, printed wiring boards |
| Lithium | Li-batteries |
| Mercury | Fluorescent lamps that provide backlighting in LCDs, in some alkaline batteries and mercury wetted switches |
| Nickel | Rechargeable NiCd-batteries or NiMH-batteries, electron gun in CRT |
| Rare Earth elements (Yttrium, Europium) | Fluorescent layer (CRT-screen) |
| Selenium | Older photocopying-machines (photo drums) |
| Zinc sulfide | Interior of CRT screens, mixed with rare earth metals |
| Other: | |
| Toner Dust | Toner cartridges for laser printers / copiers |
| Americium | Medical equipment, fire detectors, active sensing element in smoke detectors |
Hazardous Waste Experts want to provide a means for proper and lawful disposal of electronic waste in an environmentally friendly manner for a nominal fee. In addition most of the waste we manage will be recycled. Give us a call today at 800-936-2311.
(Article by Douglas Macklin)
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Statistics on the Management of Used and End-of-Life Electronics. Retrieved From: the Environmental Protection Agency website:
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. (2009). Hazardous Substances in e-Waste. Retrieved From:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (2013). A Guide for Businesses, Institutions, Governments and Non-Profits; Managing Used Electronics. Retrieved from the Department of Natural Resources Website: https://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/wa/wa420.pdf
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