Abstract
The use of electrical and electronic devices has grown exponentially in the last years thanks to technological advances and its wide dissemination. Consequently, the number of obsolete equipment (electronic waste or e-waste) has also increased significantly, becoming a major problem for society. This paper deals with electronic waste and explains the concept and risks for the particular case of Portugal. Measures to reduce the problem such as legislation, education production R&D and social responsibility are also discussed. And finally, a survey is presented which was carried out in two Portuguese Higher Education institutions with a view to determining students' awareness, attitudes and opinions on this matter.
Highlights
According to the Portuguese Decree-Law 230/2004 of 10 December 2004 (Diary of The Republic, 2004), by e-waste is meant “an electrical and electronic equipment residue [...], including all components, subassemblies and consumables which are part of the equipment at the time of discarding” (p.7051)
The speed of technological advances has contributed to the rapid obsolescence of electrical and electronic devices rendering them obsolete and ineffective
These devices are transformed into e-waste and the vast majority are thrown out in regular trash, constituting a serious hazard to public health and the environment
Summary
According to the Portuguese Decree-Law 230/2004 of 10 December 2004 (Diary of The Republic, 2004), by e-waste is meant “an electrical and electronic equipment residue [...], including all components, subassemblies and consumables which are part of the equipment at the time of discarding” (p.7051). In Portugal EU directives 2002/96/EC and 2002/95/EC concerning waste electrical and electronic equipment have been transposed by Decree 230/2004 dated December 10, 2004, which replaced Decree 20/2002, dated 20 January 2002. Escola Electrão is a partnership between Amb3E, the Ministry of Education and Science and the Portuguese Environment Agency to raise student, teacher, staff and parental awareness to the importance of recycling waste in general and end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment in particular. In Portugal, there are almost two thousands of these collection points (Figure 2) This project is a partnership between the Eco-Schools Program and the Associação Bandeira Azul (Blue Flag Association) that is to inform and educate children and young people, and by extension general population, on the importance of recycling and appropriate disposal of electrical and electronic waste including batteries and accumulators. To understand students’ awareness, attitudes and opinions about the solutions proposed they were asked for feedback via a survey which will be described in the following chapter
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