Abstract
While significant focus has been placed on the environmental and health impacts of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment, a gap exists with respect to job creation in WEEE treatment. The creation of employment opportunities, and especially of decent work, is an important factor in the growing green and circular economies. This research investigates potential job creation in the Irish WEEE pre-treatment sector by examining the labour requirements at a certified e-recycling facility which conducts all necessary pre-treatment processes, as detailed in the WEEE Directive, and is currently treating 75% of Ireland's WEEE. The study developed and executed a method of estimating the mass of WEEE associated with full-time job equivalencies per category treated. Through observation and measurement of the methods and time required for each of the pre-treatment steps and using categorisations of WEEE established by United Nations University to assign weights per unit, it was determined that between 338 and 1,967 tonnes were required to equate with one full-time job for the categories large household appliances (LHA), CRT/LCD/LED screens, microwave ovens, and mixed waste. Subsequently, the results were applied in order to estimate the foregone jobs due to untreated WEEE arising in scrap metal collections. It was found that diversion of this waste to a WEEE pre-treatment facility would result in the creation of more than 12 jobs. This research opens doors to further investigate job creation across European Union (EU) member states and globally using the straightforward and consistently applicable and adaptable methods developed here.
Highlights
Increasing demand for electronic products globally has resulted in a significant increase in the associated waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), presenting a number of issues for consideration (Parajuly 2019)
The results found by Wang and colleagues point to a degree of labour involved in the pre-processing of WEEE and illustrates a common thread of interest found in academic literature on WEEE treatment, namely, a heavier focus on solutions for developing nations and emerging economies
Assuming a hypothetical model where WEEE generation by category and WEEE treatment across Europe were similar to those in Ireland, the implications of this study show the potential for the creation of more than 3,000 European jobs were the assumed 33% (Huisman et al 2015) of WEEE recycled in non-compliant facilities diverted into compliant streams
Summary
Increasing demand for electronic products globally has resulted in a significant increase in the associated waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), presenting a number of issues for consideration (Parajuly 2019). Manufactured using numerous valuable and critical raw materials (CRMs), which must be initially obtained through mining with only a fraction making it through value recovery in recycling, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) pre sents economic and social issues at the beginning and end of the product life cycle (Pini et al, 2019) These concerns regarding environmental, social, and economic effects of WEEE have resulted in a global legislative focus on regulating all aspects of WEEE treatment. Compliant WEEE treatment involves a high degree of attention to health and safety conditions, separation of materials, and selective treatments in order to reach the stipulated recycling targets This essential pretreatment processing is mostly performed manually (Bigum et al 2012; Chancere et al 2009; Johansson and Bjorklund 2010). The results found by Wang and colleagues point to a degree of labour involved in the pre-processing of WEEE and illustrates a common thread of interest found in academic literature on WEEE treatment, namely, a heavier focus on solutions for developing nations and emerging economies
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