31-01-2013, 04:31 PM
E-Waste Curriculum Development Project
1E-Waste Curriculum.pdf (Size: 362.66 KB / Downloads: 100)
Definitions
E-waste refers to discarded electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The major discrepancies in
the definitions of e-waste are related to 1) what it means for equipment to be ‘discarded’, and 2)
what equipment the definition refers to. Although most definitions describe what it means for
equipment to be discarded, they only give general or indicative descriptions of what equipment
the definition refers to, in part because the descriptions are expected to change over time. Some
definitions of e-waste are:
• “E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their
‘useful life’. Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common
electronic products... There is no clear definition for e-waste; for instance whether or not
items like microwave ovens and other similar ‘appliances’ should be grouped into the
category has not been established” (California Integrated Waste Management Board
2005).
• “Electronic waste or e-waste is any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance...
E-waste includes computers, entertainment electronics, mobile phones and other items
that have been discarded by their original users. While there is no generally accepted
definition of e-waste, in most cases e-waste consists of expensive and more or less
durable products used for data processing, telecommunications or entertainment in
private households and businesses” (Wikipedia 2006).
• “E-waste encompasses a broad and growing range of electronic devices ranging from
large household appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, hand-held cellular
phones, personal stereos, and consumer electronics to computers” (Puckett et al. 2002, p.
5).
• “Electronic equipment that is no longer useful as originally indented, but can be reused or
recycled into a new product” (County of San Bernardino 2004).
• “E-waste is electronic waste. It includes a broad and growing range of electronic devices
from large household appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, hand-held cellular
phones, personal stereos, consumer electronics and computers. E-waste is hazardous,
and it is generated rapidly due to the extreme rate of obsolescence. E-waste contains
over 1,000 different substances, many of which are toxic, and creates serious pollution
upon disposal. These toxic substances include lead, cadmium, mercury, plastics, etc.”
(Gaulon, Rozema & Klomp 2005).
The global significance of e-waste
Although most EEE is associated with developed countries’ living standards, e-waste is a global
issue for two main reasons. Firstly, developing countries own a substantial share of EEE. For
example, of the estimated 20-50 million tonnes of e-waste discarded annually worldwide, Asian
countries discard an estimated 12 million tonnes (Greenpeace n.d.a). This share will likely only
increase with the rapidly developing economies of China and India, who will have 178 million and
80 million new computers, respectively, out of the global total of an estimated 716 million new
computer users by 2010 (Greenpeace n.d.a). Increased consumption in developing countries has
also been observed for other EEE, such as mobile phones. O’Meara Sheehan (2003) states that
“in 1999, Uganda became the first African nation to have more mobile than fixed-line customers.
Some 30 other African nations have since followed.”
Secondly, e-waste is often sent for recycling and refurbishing in developing countries where
labour is relatively cheap, and, once there, can simply be land filled. For example, 50-80 percent
of the e-waste collected for recycling in the US is exported but “the E-waste recycling and
disposal operations found in China, India, and Pakistan are extremely polluting and likely to be
very damaging to human health. Examples include open burning of plastic waste, exposure to
toxic solders, river dumping of acids, and widespread general dumping” (Puckett et al. 2002, p.
4). Brigden et al. (2005, p. 3) give examples of the hazardous conditions in developing countries:
“For all dusts collected from the workshops in China, the concentrations of lead were hundreds of
times higher than typical levels recorded for indoor dusts in other parts of the world”. They
continue with the case in India: “Dusts from general separation workshops contained the same
metals at levels which, though somewhat lower than those recorded in China, were nevertheless
still greatly elevated (5-20 times) over background levels” (Brigden et al. 2005, p. 3).
Volume of e-waste
Despite the policies and programs that address the rise in waste, new landfills and incinerators
are still required (OECD 2001, p. 10). According to the European Commission, “e-waste is the
fastest growing component of municipal trash by a factor of three” (Schmidt 2002). According to
a 2005 estimate by United Nations Environment Program, 20 to 50 million tonnes of e-waste is
generated world wide (Brigden et al. 2005, p. 3). Short-life equipment such as computers and
mobile phones are the most problematic (Greenpeace n.d.a). The number of personal computers
worldwide, for example, “increased fivefold – from 105 million machines in 1988 to more than
half a billion in 2002” (Worldwatch Institute 2005). By 2005, more than 1 billion computers were
being sold each year while 100 million computers reached the end of their useful lives, 75 million
of which were landfilled (Environment Australia 2005, p. 6). Puckett et al. (2002, p. 5) and
Greenpeace (n.d.a) agree that the volume of e-waste is mainly due to planned obsolescence and
the throw away ethic, which are partly driven by the potential for “... massive increase(s) in
corporate profits, particularly when the electronics industry does not have to bear the financial
burden of downstream costs” (Puckett et al. 2002, p. 5).
Toxic substances in e-waste
In the US, “the Department of Toxic Substances Control has determined that most electronic
devices are toxic” (Earth tones 2006). This conclusion is based on just a few of the 1000 different
substances in e-waste, such as lead; tin: copper; antimony; cadmium: mercury; hexavalent
chromium/chromium VI; plastics including PVC; brominated, chlorinated and phosphorous-based
flame retardants; brominated organic compounds; phthalate esters and esters of long-chain
organic acids; polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);
barium: beryllium; toners; phosphor: arsenic; and additives, all of which can be poisonous to
people and wildlife (Puckett et al. 2002, pp. 9-10; Meinhardt 2001., p. 30; Earth Tones 2006;
Worldwatch Institute 2005; Brigden et al. 2005, p. 3; Environment Victoria 2005, pp. 8-9).