WEEE Management Research Articles

The Potential Material Flow of WEEE in a Data-Constrained Environment—The Case of Jordan

The rising concerns about electric and electronic equipment waste (WEEE) come from the rapid increase in demand for appliances and the decreasing lifetimes of equipment. Setting a sustainable WEEE management system that exploits this secondary resource is paramount to maximize resource efficiency, mitigate its environmental impact, and stimulate the circular economy. This paper aims, for the first time, to quantify the material flow expected from recycling the generated WEEE, propose the number of plants required to recycle this secondary resource, and outline the expected economic and environmental benefits that could be achieved from recycling operations. The findings of material flow calculations show that the amount of steel, copper, and aluminum is predominant in the WEEE composition. Also, the expected metal content in WEEE in 2022 is approximately 26 kt, 3.3 kt, and 2.5 kt, respectively. These are expected to substantially increase to approximately 109 kt, 11.9 kt, and 9 kt for the three metals in 2050, respectively. Other valuable metals are doubling their quantities between 2022 and 2050 to reach approximately 1133 kg silver and 475 kg gold. Approximately, four treatment plants are required to recover these materials in 2030 with relative installation costs of USD 100 million. The forecasted financial revenues of recovering materials included in WEEE and indicators for environmental impact based on life cycle assessment (LCA) are calculated. The results of this study can serve as a preliminary reference for future usage in guiding effective planning for WEEE recycling and sustainable management in the country.

Management of Electro-Electronic Equipment Waste and its Relationship With Social Vulnerability in the City of Recife-Pe: A Study from the Perspective of Spatial Analysis

Objective: To evaluate the influence of social vulnerability on the management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment considering the distribution of collection points in the city of Recife-PE. Theoretical framework: Not all citizens have access to the WEEE collection service or understand the need for proper disposal. Furthermore, the lack of infrastructure, environmental education and public policies aimed at managing WEEE can make it difficult to implement an efficient and sustainable system for collecting these materials. Method: A spatial analysis was carried out based on the socioeconomic and environmental indicators of the census sectors in the area under study, as well as the location of existing collection points. Results and conclusions: The spatial analysis showed that WEEE collection points are poorly distributed in the city, with the majority in areas of lower social vulnerability. This may affect the effectiveness of WEEE management. Therefore, it is necessary to expand and decentralize collection points, in addition to promoting environmental education and social inclusion to encourage citizen participation in WEEE management in Recife-PE. Research implications: The study is of great relevance, as it indicates how social vulnerability interferes with the management of WEEE. Originality/value: Research reveals that it is possible to use spatial analysis to identify trends in WEEE management. This tool can guide actions by public managers, companies, civil organizations and consumers, encouraging the correct disposal of WEEE in specific collection locations in the city of Recife-PE.

E-Waste Management: An Analysis under the Perspective of Conflicts and Shared Responsibility

Background: The Brazilian National Solid Waste Policy establishes the shared responsibility of all actors involved in e-waste generation and management; however, some conflicts of interest need interventions and approaches for preventing them. Objective: This paper proposes using a graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) decision support system to simulate the analysis and resolution of realistic e-waste management conflicts. Method: A systematic literature review focused on e-waste management, shared responsibility and conflict management was conducted, and a graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) decision support system was applied to generate a framework to address this context. Results: The need for commitment agreements promoted by government institutions in partnerships with companies involved in the process is essential since the principle of shared responsibility requires educational actions, favoring efficiency in the reverse logistics recovery procedures for e-waste. Understanding the interconnected causes of conflicts and their facets is crucial for effective resolution and prevention, aiding comprehension, focused interventions, and evidence-based decision-making for transformative change amidst conflicting stakeholder objectives in the case of WEEE management. These results can be helpful for academics and practitioners working in this area.

Exploring the factors influencing consumer behaviours and practices towards sustainable WEEE management in Putrajaya, Malaysia

The disposal practises and preferences of household waste from electrical and electronic equipment disposal (WEEE) are essential components in material flow analysis (MFA). Nevertheless, the synergistic of consumers’ behaviours and preferences with the disposal of different WEEE has yet to be investigated in depth. This study examined several consumer features of WEEE management using a quantitative questionnaire survey, including consumers' disposal behaviours and preferences. As a Malaysian federal government administrative centre, and model of a contemporary and sustainable Malaysian city, Putrajaya was chosen as the study area. Using stratified random sampling, the questionnaire was distributed through face-to-face and online surveys among households across 20 precincts within Putrajaya. From June 2021 to January 2022, 500 surveys were distributed over seven months, and IBM SPSS Statistic version 26 was used to analyse the data. The result shows that 80% of respondents have a good knowledge of WEEE management and are fully aware of the dangerous materials they have in their WEEE. 75% said they would recycle their WEEE, but only 44% said they would separate it from other household wastes. It was also shown that 88% of the household were willing to pay a collection fee of at least RM 10 for each collection. This analysis found that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanisms can assist in overcoming weaknesses in WEEE management by including beneficial schemes to incentivise consumers to improve current waste policies. In the meantime, governments, media, and local non-governmental organisations may help by increasing awareness of effective and sustainable WEEE management.

The Extended Producer Responsibility for Waste Oils

Currently, lubricants producers, electrical, electronic producers, and cars producers share waste oil management responsibility. The extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime for WEEE was updated to incorporate the mandate of using economic incentives correctly regarding applying the hierarchy principle in WEEE management. Moreover, EPR on end on life vehicles (ELV) was updated to accomplish the hierarchy principle. This work aims to evaluate the scope of EPR for waste oils, for which other producer responsibility organizations (PROs) have responsibility. The method consists in estimating first the cointegrating equation for the variables lubricating oil production (LP) and oil price (FRP) using Dynamic Least Squares Estimator (DOLS) for the period 2007-2020. Subsequently, the cointegrating equation between the variables LP and electric domestic appliances with oils (AWO) and LP and vehicles production (VP) are estimated using DOLS. The main results show that the variables LP and FRP are cointegrated. Besides, the elasticity of the LP variable up to FRP was negative at 0,45. In contrast, variables LP and AWO, neither LP nor VP, are not cointegrated. That context suggested that EPR for waste oils should be considered to join other economic incentives.

Using Internet of Things and Distributed Ledger Technology for Digital Circular Economy Enablement: The Case of Electronic Equipment

Nowadays, high expectations are set for a digitally enabled circular economy (CE), to enhance resource efficiency. Tracing, tracking, and storing information is most important for this. In this paper, the application of Internet of Things (IoT) and Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) are hence discussed by presenting the case of professional Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in Italy. Within the context of CE, prevention of electronic waste (WEEE) is extremely relevant as it is a fast-growing waste stream, and the products contain environmentally damaging substances as well as valuable and rare materials. The use of a proper combination of IoT and blockchain can help the producers to keep control on products until EEE end-of-life, while promoting CE strategies and supporting decision-making. Based on the outcomes of five interviews conducted in 2019 to companies of the EEE sector, potential improvements in the EEE end-of-use management are discussed. After providing the definition of requirements for both the technical solution and its testing are provided, three solution variations and the related business models are created and presented, as well as considerations on their environmental and economic impacts. The study shows how digital technologies can support the appropriate and circular management of EEE products and WEEE.

SUSTAINABLE E-WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MALAYSIA: LESSONS FROM SELECTED COUNTRIES

The seriousness of electrical and electronic equipment waste (E-waste/WEEE) problem is currently haunting both developed and developing nations around the world. WEEE in layman’s term can be defined as discarded components of electrical and electronic equipment that have no reuse value. Improper disposal of WEEE can bring about catastrophic effects to mankind and the environment. The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, 1992 categorises WEEE as hazardous waste due to the presence of toxic materials. Currently, the production of WEEE is expanding at a significant rate and is expected to touch 52.2 million Mt tonnes globally by 2021. The nations around the world have taken initiatives such as introducing new laws, regulations and policies. Malaysia is also similarly affected by the increasing volume of WEEE and it has been reported that its WEEE would reach an aggregate of 762.507 million units by 2020. In response, the Malaysian government has drafted a new regulation, the Environmental Quality (Household Scheduled Waste) Regulation, which is currently under review by the Attorney General’s Chambers. Using the library-based research methodology, this legal research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of WEEE management from a global as well as the Malaysian perspective. A brief discussion on the classification of e-waste and analysis of key initiatives taken worldwide is provided and examined. The article concludes with a recommendation for the necessary actions that can be adopted to enhance best WEEE management practices in Malaysia, to ensure the threat imposed by WEEE on mankind and the environment is curtailed.

An Action Research Study for Elaborating and Implementing an Electronic Waste Collection Program in Brazil

The objective of this study was to conduct Action Research (AR) to create and implement a WEEE management program that was in line with the BNPSW regulations. The city chosen for this study was Sao Joao del Rei (SJDR) located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Using AR it was possible to structure a WEEE management program that involved stakeholders from the city administration, the Federal University of Sao Joao del Rei, and representatives from the private sector. The program ultimately collected 1710 kg of WEEE that received an environmentally appropriate destination. Although no major difficulties were observed with respect to the AR process itself, some challenges were encountered. Lack of infrastructure and hesitance on behalf of the public with respect to implementing WEEE Reverse Logistics were complicating factors. The action research as methodology proved to be highly efficient in dealing with e-waste reverse logistics. It resulted in faster decision making, in turn generating better results. Good decisions were repeated and errors were corrected. The Action Research project highlighted the need for raising public awareness about WEEE disposal. It also showed that the public was ultimately interested in participating and contributing to the proposed WEEE management program. The awareness of the population has led to a significant increase in the amount of collected waste. The model resulting from this research serve as a reference for decision makers in implementing similar programs around the world and to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the subject.

Reshaping WEEE management in Australia: An investigation on the untapped WEEE products

In Australia, the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) considers only waste televisions, computers, printers, and IT peripherals as e-waste. This study utilizes a combined Delphi-AHP approach to identify potential candidate products that are outside of the scheme. Besides, implementing the traditional AHP method, this study employed an AHP-rating model to minimize computation time in the approach. The results of the study reveal that seven evaluation criteria are crucial for product selection. From 47 initially selected products, 22 products are identified as priority products. Sensitivity analysis was performed based on the different weighting of the evaluation criteria. Potential future activities that need to be performed by the policymakers on the issue are also discussed in the light of the circular economy and environmental protection. This study will also help academics performing the approach, and subsequently, the AHP rating model for selecting/prioritizing alternatives that focused on multi-criteria decision-making problems.

Experience of certain countries in electronic and electric waste management

The paper present result of research concerning the problems of handling electronic and electrical waste that households produce at home and analysed the main problems associated with this issue in Ukraine and in the world. The object of the study was telephones (ukrainians use 53.6 million mobile communication devices), refrigerators, washing machines and TVs. The production of electrical and electronic equipment is one of the fastest growing global manufacturing activities. This development has resulted in an increase of waste electric and electronic equipment which constitute a risk to the environment and sustainable economic growth. Recycling of electronic and electrical waste is very expensive. There is a problem with electronic and electrical waste in Ukraine. To accumulate in the soil or to burn these waste is harmful. Every year on our planet about 50 million tons of electronic waste are generated. It was established that 53% of the interviewed students changed 1 phone in the last three years, 24% – 2 phones and 7% – more than 3. Students wanted a new phone. Most of the phones are at home, and the rest were given to their relatives or thrown into the trash. Ukrainians replace refrigerators, TVs and washing machines less often. Most Ukrainians change refrigerators. The largest amount of electronic waste is produced in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania (17.3 kg per inhabitant), in Europe – 16.6 kg per inhabitant and 11.6 kg waste per inhabitant of North and South America. In Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Poland, the process of disposal of used home appliances is well organized. However, economically developed countries utilize only part of the waste in their territory, while the rest are exported to landfills in Pakistan, Vietnam, Nigeria. The world's largest dump of electronic and electrical waste is in Ghana. To address potential environmental problems that could stem from improper management of WEEE, many countries and organizations have drafted national legislation to improve the reuse, recycling and other forms of material recovery from WEEE to reduce the amount and types of materials disposed in landfills.

MODEL FOR REGIONAL MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC WASTE (WEEE) FLOWS

The tenacious technological development at latter decades has conditioned the growth of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) amount and generation of their waste. That is a global heterogeneous problem including different stakeholders and various aspects: environmental, economic, social and technological. The regional electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) management systems (MS) are developed in order to solve this problem. The implementation of WEEE recycling and collection targets is not obtained in every region. The transdisciplinarity and differences of every country has shown the need for integrated evaluation of the regional WEEE systems in order to regulate EEE flows and WEEE collection, treatment activities in reasonable manner. The integrated model for evaluation and regulation of regional EEE and WEEE flows is described at this article. The model is based on life cycle thinking approach (LCThA), where all the stakeholders and other impact factors in particular region are integrated and evaluated in order to create cooperation based WEEE management system instead of current national WEEE treatment system. The verification of the model is based on the Lithuanian case study.

Modelling the levels of historic waste electrical and electronic equipment in Ireland

The implementation of the WEEE Directive in Ireland introduced a formal system for the return & environmentally sound management of WEEE. Visible fees were introduced to cover the cost of the environmentally sound management of “historic WEEE”. However, very little was known about the levels of historic WEEE that would arise, which created uncertainty with regard to funding the management of this historic WEEE.This research employed novel modelling techniques in order to determine existing WEEE levels and predict the percentages of historic WEEE in Ireland. The research focused on “cold”, “large domestic appliances” and television WEEE and calculates Irish historic WEEE levels using data from disparate sources. The model determines EEE sales, total WEEE figures and the ratio of historic to non-historic WEEE for years 2000–2020.The research findings indicate that historic WEEE comprises well over 50% of all material returning through official WEEE take-back channels in Ireland in 2015. Model predictions range from 2015 figures showing 69% cold WEEE will be historic in nature, 59% of large domestic WEEE will historic and 77% of all television WEEE will be historic. For 2020, these figures will reduce to 45% historic WEEE for the cold category, 38% historic WEEE for large domestic appliances and 54% historic WEEE for televisions.These model results were validated using a statistically significant sampling of WEEE in Ireland over the course of 1 year. Cold, domestic appliance and television WEEE were sampled in order to determine the actual ratio of historic versus non-historic WEEE.

Assessment of the waste electrical and electronic equipment management systems profile and sustainability in developed and developing European Union countries

The assessment of waste management systems for electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) from developed economies (Germany, Sweden and Italy) and developing countries (Romania and Bulgaria), is discussed covering the period 2007–2014. The WEEE management systems profiles are depicted by indicators correlated to WEEE life cycle stages: collection, transportation and treatment. The sustainability of national WEEE management systems in terms of greenhouse gas emissions is presented, together with the greenhouse gas efficiency indicator that underlines the efficiency of WEEE treatment options. In the countries comparisons, the key elements are: robust versus fragile economies, the overall waste management performance and the existence/development of suitable management practices on WEEE.Over the life cycle perspective, developed economies (Germany, Sweden and Italy) manage one order of magnitude higher quantities of WEEE compared to developing countries (Romania and Bulgaria). Although prevention and reduction measures are encouraged, all WEEE quantities were larger in 2013, than in 2007. In 2007–2014, developed economies exceed the annual European collection target of 4 kg WEEE/capita, while collection is still difficult in developing countries. If collection rates are estimated in relationship with products placed on market, than similar values are registered in Sweden and Bulgaria, followed by Germany and Italy and lastly Romania. WEEE transportation shows different patterns among countries, with Italy as the greatest exporter (in 2014), while Sweden treats the WEEE nationally. WEEE reuse is a common practice in Germany, Sweden (from 2009) and Bulgaria (from 2011). By 2014, recycling was the most preferred WEEE treatment option, with the same kind of rates performance, over 80%, irrespective of the country, with efforts in each of the countries in developing special collection points, recycling facilities and support instruments. The national total and the recycling carbon footprints of WEEE are lower in 2013 than in 2007 for each country, the order in reducing the environmental impacts being: Germany, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria and Romania. The negative values indicate savings in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2013, the GHG efficiency shows no differences of the WEEE management in the developed and developing countries.

Environmental impact assessment of different end-of-life LCD management strategies

The strong growth of the electrical and electronic equipment production combined with its short lifespan are causing the production of a significant amount of waste to treat. In particular, the present paper focuses on end-of-life liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for their significant content of valuable materials, like plastic, glass and metals that could be recovered after dismantling. In the recent literature, traditional LCD recycling processes are combined with innovative treatments, which allow to recover critical raw materials, such as indium. In this context, we have evaluated the environmental impact of four different strategies of end-of-life LCD management: the disposal in landfilling sites, the incineration, the traditional recycling treatment and an innovative process also addressed to the recovery of indium. The traditional recycling treatment resulted to be the best scenario for the environment. Indeed, a life cycle assessment study gave following environmental burdens (if negative they are credits): 18, 81, −68, −60kg CO2-equiv. and 0.08, 0.01, −0.25, −0.18mol H+-equiv., for the four scenarios in the categories of global warming and acidification, respectively. The limit of the variability of LCD composition was overcome including additional literature data in the study. In order to improve the innovative process sustainability, a system of water recirculation was optimized with a consequent impact decrease of 35% in the global warming category. Nevertheless, this action should be combined with an increase of indium concentration in the panel because the low metal content represents the bottleneck of the overall approach. In this regard, a sensitivity analysis showed that an increase of at least five times in indium concentration in the waste is needed to observe an advantage of the innovative vs the traditional recycling process, when the impact category of climate change is considered. As a whole, the life cycle assessment was confirmed as a key tool for the choice of the best option of WEEE management.

A public survey on knowledge, awareness, attitude and willingness to pay for WEEE management: Case study in Bangladesh

This article is a first, limited attempt made to understand public knowledge, awareness, attitude and willingness to pay (WTP) in WEEE management in the context of Bangladesh, with a particular focus on the level of awareness, knowledge on WEEE, the reasons of discarding, priority choice, and disposal method. The purpose of this paper is to provide scientific knowledge basis promoting a policy agenda by assessing current WEEE management trend among households. Survey data has been collected by distributing questionnaires randomly in 7 residential areas in Dhaka, and interviewing 400 households. This study found a very limited knowledge on WEEE among households (i.e. only 9%). Competitive price, warranty period, brands and installment facilities are found important economic factors during the new purchase of electronic products. The actual life cycle of mobile phone, personal computers and television sets varies from 2 to 6 years. With the presence of informal sector WEEE collection and recycling, this study found that 30% of the households were selling WEEE items to scrap collectors for economic benefits. More than 20% of the respondents have thrown WEEE with household waste. Only 5–10% of the respondents are willing to pay for any new WEEE management system. Enacting effective regulations, developing national WEEE inventory database, environmental awareness building through education and stakeholders participation in creating economic value chain; are suggested through this study. This research is one of a kind in investigating the attitudes of the households of a developing nation towards WEEE management and will show the pattern of WEEE generation, disposal and management practice in the most densely populated city in the world, i.e., Dhaka, Bangladesh. Results found from this research are expected to create a primary basis for encouraging scientific discussion and understanding the situation at policy level in Bangladesh and will also pave the way for a successful WEEE management policy making in any similar social and economic conditions.

How to improve WEEE management? Novel approach in mobile collection with application of artificial intelligence

In global demand of improvement of electrical and electronic waste management systems, stakeholders look for effective collection systems that generate minimal costs. In this study we propose a novel model for application in mobile collection schemes - on demand that waste be taken back from household residents. This type of the waste equipment collection is comfortable for residents as they can indicate day and time windows for the take-back. Collecting companies are interested in lowering operational costs required for service. This lowering includes selection of a sufficient number of vehicles and employees, and then minimising the routes’ length in order to achieve savings in fuel consumption, and lowering of emissions. In the proposed model we use a genetic algorithm for optimisation of the route length and number of vehicles and fuzzy logic for representation of the household residents’ satisfaction on the take-back service provided by collection companies. Also, modern communication channels like websites or mobile phone applications can be used to send the waste equipment take-back request from the household, so it has the potential to be developed in future applications. The operation of the model has been presented in the case study of a city in southern Poland. The results can be useful for collecting companies and software producers for preparation of new applications to be used in waste collection.

Comparative Examining and Analysis of E-waste Recycling in Typical Developing and Developed Countries

The aim of this study is to comparative examining and analysis of electronic and electric waste (e-waste) between developing and developed countries. In fact, most of the developing countries are suffering from informal recycling, because of enormous number of unemployed people engaged in the collection and recycling at family workshop. They are working in different level of community for collection of refused electronic products directly from consumer, followed by sell it to refurbishers and recyclers. These are completely recycled through “backyard recycling” or primitive or crude methods includes open burning to extract metals, acid leaching for precious metals at family level workshop. These activities are running due to lacking of legislation, treatment standards, environmental protection measures, recycling infrastructure and awareness. Due to absence of updated data of WEEE generation in India with respect of other two countries China, USA and Europe, it cannot possible to make effective control system. The study is based on literature survey by using different database science direct, google scholar with several keywords such as key words e-waste or electronic waste or WEEE recycling or management in India, China, USA and Europe etc. The obtained output from this comprehensive work will make a strong contribution to scientific knowledge and valuable for scientists and policy-makers to solve the e-waste problems towards best available techniques and best environmental practices in future.

Application of green collaboration operation on network industry

Traditional information system and managerial mechanism cannot meet the new environment protection regulations; therefore, a new solution must be set up, else it may run the risk of losing the market and the value of product brand.This research focuses on the solutions provided by the network and communication industry, manufacture of the green products, and the establishment of a Webbased green collaboration management system, which incorporates the environment protection requests into the product development and green supply chain activities. There are three goals: (1) For the design of green products, green components and product management are set up for the purpose of de-toxin and ease of disassemble; (2) For the green supply chain, the management of hazardous substances, product recycle and disassemble are set up; (3) For the product recycling management, the recycling information is feedback for the product update and collaboration operation. The result of research can provide information for the integration of workflow and information system currently in use, provide RoHS and WEEE management solutions, and set up green collaboration information system, so that green products, brand leadership, and environment protection endeavor can be assured.

Utilization of Life Cycle Assessment methodology to compare two strategies for recovery of copper from printed circuit board scrap

Abstract Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEE) is a source of valuable materials which poses great risks to environment and human health if improperly managed. To overcome this barrier and close the loop in a production chain, several end-of-life (EoL) strategies based on reuse, recovery and recycling are under development. Material recovery from printed circuit board (PCB) scrap may contribute to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the extraction of high-valued and/or highly toxic materials from nature. However, each recovery process itself requires resource consumption and generates some forms of impact. Given that situation, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology can aid decision-making processes on which EoL strategy to adopt. The goal of this study consisted of applying LCA methodology to evaluate and compare two processes for recovering copper from PCB scrap. Initially, a review was conducted, focusing on material recovery processes adopted as EoL options for WEEE management; several methods for copper recovery from PCB scrap were found. LCA methodology was then applied in order to evaluate and compare two of these processes. Both combine mechanical and electrochemical processing and have similar efficiency; one of them employs sulfuric acid and the other employs acqua regia (combination of nitric and chloridric acid). Evaluation of the impact categories considered in the study has shown that the process that uses acqua regia has better environmental performance. The work reported here can be seen as a starting point for more in-depth evaluations of these and other material recovery processes, especially in countries such as Brazil, where WEEE management is often neglected – in the absence of a well-structured recycling chain, it is usually disposed of in landfills. In that light, the paper presents some closing remarks and suggestions for future research.

Logística reversa dos resíduos eletrônicos do setor de informática: realidade, perspectivas e desafios na cidade do Natal-RN

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo não só diagnosticar a situação do gerenciamento de resíduos de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos (REEE), oriundos do setor de informática (comércio varejista e empresas de assistência técnica) de Natal/RN, mas também analisar como essas empresas estão se preparando para as adequações impostas pela Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos – PNRS, sob a ótica da logística reversa. Trata-se de uma pesquisa quantitativa e descritiva, para a qual foi adotado um questionário estruturado com 23 variáveis analíticas, divididas em 4 grupos: (i) Nível de Consciência sobre os Resíduos de Equipamentos Eletroeletrônicos; (ii) Práticas de Gestão Ambientais; (iii) Gestão de Resíduos de Equipamentos Eletroeletrônicos; (iv) Caracterização das Empresas e Respondentes, o qual foi aplicado em 20 empresas do setor de informática da cidade de Natal/RN. As empresas apresentaram uma série de deficiências em infraestrutura, informação e articulação com fabricantes, o que pode ser justificado pelo fato de 65% da amostra confirmar que os clientes atribuem pouco ou nenhum interesse à gestão dos resíduos sólidos na empresa. Em relação ao destino final, apenas 35% direcionam os resíduos eletrônicos para a reciclagem, proporcionando o fluxo dos resíduos por mercados secundários. Por outro lado, 60% da amostra se incluiu no grupo responsável pelo recolhimento e tratamento de resíduos eletrônicos e 40% das empresas apresentam o plano de gerenciamento implementado e/ou em manutenção. Com isso, foi observado que as empresas estão pouco atentas às propostas da lei de resíduos sólidos e aos impactos sobre elas. Assim, a ausência de planos de gerenciamento de resíduos eletrônicos dificulta o fomento da logística reversa e, consequentemente, a adequação da PNRS frente aos resíduos eletrônicos.