Abstract
Electrical and electronic equipment waste, or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. The main objective of this study is to estimate the future quantities of e-waste of thirteen selected electric and electronic products in the United States in 2025. To estimate the future amount of e-waste, the authors performed a material flow analysis. The model inputs are historical and future product sales data and the product’s average life span. Sensitivity analysis was constructed to evaluate the effect of the model inputs (average life span and future sales data) in the generation of e-waste. The results show that about 1.0835 billion units will reach their end of life (EOL) in 2025; cell phone devices are the highest occurring product among the thirteen selected products and weighted for about 66.0% of units of the total amount, followed by computer products at 18.0%, TV products at 11.6%, computer monitors at 1.7%, hard copy peripherals (HCP) at 1.6%, and computer accessories at 1.0%. The sensitivity analysis shows that the product life span has an effect on the e-waste generation amounts from the products under study, while the sensitivity analysis of forecasted future sales indicates that the generated waste will increase or decrease according to the sales trend.
Highlights
Waste of electrical and electronic equipment, or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing municipal solid waste streams due to continuous technology innovation and high demand from consumers
The result of this study indicated that the waste weight of four of the items, air conditioners, collecting cathode ray tube (CRT) TV sets, refrigerators, and washing machines were larger than any of the other items in this study
The recycled and disposed amount to be generated in the future was calculated based on the end of life (EOL) quantity with assumptions in their percentages, which is the same model concept used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in its reports for 2007, 2008, and 2011 to estimate the amount of e-waste generated in 2007, 2008, and 2009 [4] [14], [15]
Summary
Waste of electrical and electronic equipment, or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing municipal solid waste streams due to continuous technology innovation and high demand from consumers. The challenge faced in e-waste management is the growing quantities of waste and the complexity of e-waste. E-waste is one of the most complex waste streams because of the wide variety of products ranging from mechanical devices to highly integrated systems and rapid change in the products’ design [2]. Electrical and electronic products are an integration of numerous modern technologies and are composed of many different materials and components. The composition of the electrical waste and electronic equipment depends on each item that composes it; it can be divided into six categories [3]. 4) Plastic, used in cabinets, cables coating and circuit boards. 5) Electronic components mounted on circuit boards. The composition of the electrical waste and electronic equipment depends on each item that composes it; it can be divided into six categories [3]. 1) Iron and steel, used in cabinets and frames. 2) Non-ferrous metals, above all copper used in cables. 3) Glass, used in screens and displays. 4) Plastic, used in cabinets, cables coating and circuit boards. 5) Electronic components mounted on circuit boards. 6) Others, such as rubber, wood, ceramics, etc
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