E-Waste Tracker: A Platform To Monitor E-Waste From Collection To Recycling

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E-waste stands for electronic devices, such as phones, computers, and televisions, that are disposed of when they reach the end of their useful lives. E-waste is becoming one of the most rapidly growing waste streams globally. The production of e-waste is rapidly increasing due to various factors, including the rapid advancement of technology, changing customer preferences, the widespread use of non-repairable parts, and deliberate planned obsolescence during the design of such products to encourage consumers to replace their products more often, boosting sales and profits. E-waste contains precious and rare metals such as gold, silver, copper, indium, and palladium. When these materials are not properly recovered, recycled, and reused, the production of new electronics will require the mining of finite natural resources, leading to environmental damage and the depletion of resources. As of early 2019, Norway has established an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, which requires producers and importers to finance and ensure proper collection and recycling of end-of-life (EoL) e-waste, resulting in an increase in the e-waste recycling rate to approximately 91% in Norway. However, electronic waste such as mobile phones and computers often goes unrecycled. Currently, 82% of Norwegian households have at least one extra mobile phone that they are not using. People may hesitate to dispose of their electronic waste and tend to stockpile it at home for several reasons. These include feeling emotionally attached to the item due to personal memories, not knowing where or how to dispose of it, being unaware of the potential environmental and health hazards associated with improper disposal and having concerns about the data security and personal information stored on the device. To address these issues, the paper introduces a cutting-edge tracking and tracing platform that features an intuitive user interface for both users and administrators. With the proposed platform, users and administrators can easily access essential information regarding their e-waste disposal. This convenient and efficient system offers a practical solution for tracking e-waste, thereby promoting trust between device owners and the disposal process. Furthermore, the platform incentivizes users by providing them with valuable information regarding their e-waste disposal, creating a positive impact on environmental sustainability.