Synopses & Reviews
Electrical and electronic waste is a growing problem with the amount of waste quickly increasing. Rapid product innovation and replacement, especially in information and communication technologies (ICT), combined with the migration from analog to digital technologies and to flat-screen televisions and monitors has resulted in some electronic products quickly reaching the end of their life. The Europeean Union (EU) directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) aims to minimize WEEE by putting organizational and financial responsibility on producers and distributors for collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE. Therefore all stakeholders need to be well-informed about their WEEE responsibilities and options. While focusing on the EU, this book draws lessons for policy and practice from all over the world.
The book is divided into six sections: Legislation and intiatives to manage WEEE; Technologies for refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics; Electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers; Sustainable design of electronics and supply chains; National and regional WEEE schemes; Corporate WEEE management strategies. Part one covers the problems of e-waste from a strategic perspective covering both legislation and international initiatives, while chapters in the second part take a more technical approach by discussing best practice approaches. Chapters 13-17 highlight some waste streams that present particular challenges due to complexity, toxicity, lifetimes and technological developments. This covers relevant chapters on printed circuit boards, liquid crystal displays, refrigerators, batteries and printed electronics. Section four looks at how design can reduce the cost and environmental impacs of electronic products. The final two parts look at e-waste from a reginal perspective, with contributors considering practices in Europe, China, India, Japan and Africa, and at waste management from the companies' perspective, such as Hewlett Packard and Siemens and Philips.
Review
"In my opinion, this book provides comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of all aspects relating to the complex subject of waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE). It is essential reading for anyone involved in addressing what continues to be both a significant global challenge and an opportunity - highly recommended."
-Professor Martin Goosey, IeMRC Industrial Director, Loughborough University
"In a world about to own 2 billion PCs and countless other electronic products, this book provides a unique insight into the dangers, complexities and the opportunities provided by having to deal with the e-waste that is to come."
-Paul Markillie, Innovation Editor, "The Economist"
Synopsis
Electronic waste is a growing problem. The European Union (EU) directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) aims to minimize WEEE by putting the responsibility on producers and distributors to pay for the costs associated with the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE. Accordingly, there is a need for information about waste electronics management. Part one provides an introduction to the legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE. Part two discusses technologies for the refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics. Part three focuses on electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers. Part four explores sustainable design of electronics and supply chains and part five discusses national and regional WEEE management schemes.
Synopsis
Electrical and electronic waste is a growing problem as the amount of waste are quickly increasing. Rapid product innovation and replacement, especially in information and communication technologies (ICT), combined with the migration from analog to digital technologies and to flat-screen televisions and monitors has resulted in some electronic products quickly reaching the end of their life. The Europeean Union (EU) directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) aims to minimize WEEE by putting organizational and financial responsibility on producers and distributors for collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE. Therefore all stakeholders need to be well-informed about their WEEE responsibilities and options. While focusing on the EU, this book draws lessons for policy and practice from all over the world.
Part one provides an introduction to legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE. Part two discusses technologies for the refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics. The third part focuses on electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers. The fourth, fifth and sixth sections explore sustainable design of electronics and supply chains, national and regional WEEE management schemes and corporate WEEE management strategies.
About the Author
Vannessa Goodship is a Senior Research Fellow with Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick, UK. She is interested in the field of plastics and processing and the recycling of plastic.
Ab Stevels is Professor of Design for Sustainability in the department of Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, as well as a Senior Advisor in Environment for Philips Consumer Electronics. He is a leading expert on the subject of designing and setting up recycling systems for electronics.
Table of Contents
Part 1 Legislation and initiatives to manage WEEE: Global e-waste initiatives; EU legislation relating to electronic waste: the WEEE and RoHS directives and the REACH regulations; The present recast of the WEEE directive; The WEEE Forum and the WEEELABEX project; Conformity assessment of WEEE take-back schemes: the case of Switzerland; Eco-efficiency evaluation of WEEE take-back systems
Part 2 Technologies for refurbishment, treatment and recycling of waste electronics: The materials of WEEE; Refurbishment and re-use of WEEE; Shredding, sorting and recovery of metals from WEEE: linking design to resource efficiency; Mechanical methods of recycling plastics from WEEE; Pyrolysis of WEEE plastics; Chemical or feedstock recycling of WEEE products
Part 3 Electronic products that present particular challenges for recyclers: Recycling printed circuit boards; Recycling liquid crystal displays; Recycling cooling and freezing appliances; End-of-life options for printed electronics; Recycling batteries
Part 4 Sustainable design of electronics and supply chains: ErP, the European directive on ecodesign; Sustainable electronic product design; Reducing hazardous substances in electronics; Examining subsidy impacts on recycled WEEE material flows
Part 5 National and regional WEEE management schemes: WEEE management in Europe: learning from best practice; WEEE management in China; WEEE management in the USA and India: research and education for a responsible approach to managing WEEE; WEEE management in Japan; WEEE management in Africa
Part 6 Corporate WEEE management strategies: Hewlett Packard’s WEEE management strategy; Siemens’ WEEE management strategy; The history of take-back and treatment of WEEE at the Philips Consumer Lifestyle division; Creating a corporate environmental strategy including WEEE take-back and treatment