Electronic Waste

(E-Waste)

Group 4 Project – Group 15

What is E-Waste?General, not any specific definition

E-Waste are the electronic equipments that have lived to their expiry date and can no longer be used by humans

They also refer to the old technology that are no longer desired by humans

Examples are computers, TVs, stereos etc

What is E-Waste? (Cont’d)

One of the largest growing problem in the world

Why? Due to the rapid advancements of technology people dispose of old models to update

Throwing away old technology builds up e-waste

Process continues frequently as long as new technology is released

What is E-Waste? (Cont’d)

E-waste greater in developed countries:- people who have access and money to purchase the technology

Price for disposing e-waste causes increase of e-waste in Less Developed Countries for a lower price

Affects health of all nearby

No way to actually get rid of technology without chemicals harming others

What Classifies as E-Waste?

Any piece of technology that can not be reused :

Televisions

Desktop computers and terminals and laptops

Monitors

Desktop printers

Fax machines

Disk drives

CD-ROM drives

Keyboards and mice

Technology that has reached the end of its life

Any technology that is dangerous to the environment after its disposal

Most technology is made up of harmful chemicals that cause unwanted results to the environment,

Example: Computers are made up of the materials in the chart to the right. most of these materials pollute and harm the environment.

Problems and Solutions

Product Lifecycle

Suggested by OTA, "Green Products by Design: Choices for a Cleaner Environment," 1992.

Material Extraction

Material Processing

Manufacturing Use WasteManagement

Recycle RemanufactureReuse

Repair

Amount of e-waste being produced each year is increasing exponentially

Reasons

Switch to new technology

• Switch to digital TVs, leading to redundant analogue TV's• People are upgrading mobile phones, computers and it’s equipment more frequently

Planned obsolescence

• This idea is becoming popular among the major electronic companies especially Apple, to make profits by reducing the life span of the product. This make a consumer by the product frequently.

Cost

• The cost of replacing an electronic item is cheaper than repairing it.

Expensive disposal

• The high toxicity of electronic waste makes its safe disposal expensive, in countries with strict environmental regulations. Hence most of e-waste is sent off to third world countries.

Problems with Current Disposal

Methods

Harmful Environmental

Impacts

Incineration is a form of e-waste disposal, which occurs in developing countries

Allows heavy metals like cadmium, lead and mercury into the air and ashes

These elements can bioaccumulate in food chains, harming the larger predators

PVC plastic releases highly toxic dioxins

Harmful Environmental Impacts cont…

Harmful elements in PCs involve: phosphor, barium, cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium and brominated flame retardants

To dispose these harmful materials acid leaching, wet chemical processing and heat treatment for metal recovery are all dangerous to the environment

Harmful Environmental Impacts cont…

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) from e-waste are harmful because they

A) Persist for long durations in the environment

B) Accumulate up the food chain due to fat solubility

C) Have the ability to disrupt hormones

Landfills

Landfills are problematic because toxic chemicals can leach into surrounding soils and water. Although there is disagreement regarding the reality of this concern, many European countries have already outlawed the practice. The problem acute in developing countries, however, where people are more likely to live in close proximity to a landfill.

Incineration

It releases heavy metals and highly toxic fumes into the air, which cause respiratory and skin problems to those exposed. In developing countries where organized trash collection is often absent, it is typical for people to burn garbage in their backyards or neighbourhoods.

Who Wins?No one wins since the world is being polluted

Only short-term profits are taken into account instead of recognizing the dangers of e-waste

Companies introduce and sell more new technology for more money

Everyone suffers: mentally, physically, financially….

Solution

What Can We Do?

Reuse electronic devices

Reduce electronic devices

Recycle electronic devices

Support companies that dispose responsibly

Reduce rate of purchase

Do your research!

Reusing Electronic Waste

Reuse equipment such as music players, cameras and computers

Passing on these materials to friends and family is a great way of limiting electronic waste

Also, look for opportunities to donate these appliances to schools or libraries

Recycling

This is the most important of all the steps

Recycling is the step where you ensure that your old device is safely being disposed of and does not harm the environment or people

One way of recycling is to bring the device to a store which collects used electronics

MAKE SURE the e-waste recycler you use is responsible and does not export the e-waste

Do your research

Recycling cont…Stores like Sony offer areas to drop off larger appliances like televisions, and smaller items can be returned at store locations

York Region (Ontario, Canada) has public drop-off depots to dispose of a number of electronic devices

Reducing Electronic Waste

Taking care of electronic equipment (not dropping it, not eating near it) will extend the life of the appliance

Try fixing the gadget by replacing one part of it instead of deciding to buy a new one

The newer model isn’t always better! Don’t buy new electronics simply because they are new.

Reduce Rate of Purchase

Studies have shown Americans purchase cell phones every 18 months, Europeans every 15 months and Japanese every 9 months!

Almost all of these replaced products go into the trash

By waiting a few months longer until purchasing a cell phone or any other device the amount of electronic waste can be reduced by a huge margin

Hazardous Waste Solution

Waste Management

Minimize Impact

Waste Prevention

Reduce waste and pollution

Reuse as many things as possible

Recycle and compost as much waste as possible

Chemically or biologically treat or incinerate

Bury what is left

National InitiativeBan illegal trade of e-waste to third world countries

Introducing laws in those countries about producing waste and of proper recycling of electronic items.

WEEE(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation prescribes) of Ontario which regulates recycling of e-waste and also prescribes that tax should be obtained from customers which goes into the recycling process.

International Initiative

Conduct research on the lifecycle of electronic devices for:

Longevity

Upgrade

Easy and cheap repair

Exclude the poisonous materials form electronics

Condemn illegal activities of e-waste including

Shipments

Reuse/recycling harmful to environment and human health

Electronic manufacturers should to take back their products at the end of their life cycle, they would create less toxic and longer-lasting electronics that are easier to disassemble and recycle.

Example

The Basel Convention has initiated a four-year partnership with 12 mobile phone manufacturers including Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung, to develop recycling and re-use strategies.

Public InitiativeBefore buying, think twice about whether you really need a new device

People should collect all their e-waste and send it to a reputable recycling facility in their community.

Supporting companies that make clean products.

Spread the awareness in their respective community about the importance and the damaging effects of electronic waste.

Industrial Models

HP Recycling Procedures

Apple Design Practices

Dell Trade-ins

Apple Design Practices

Office Depot Cartridge Refills

Gateway Rebates

Support Companies That Dispose Responsibly

By supporting conscientious companies proper electronic waste disposal can be ensured

Robert Houghton, President and founder of Redemtech says, “vote with your dollar”, meaning to purchase products from these companies

By buying these products these companies will see increased business and will continue to function

Also, other companies will become pressured to convert themselves to be eco-friendly as well

Apple Design Practice

“Create products that…conserve energy and materials and prevent pollution throughout the product life cycle including design, manufacture, use, and end-of-life management.”

Ban or reduce lead, mercury, cadmium other toxic substances

Design: LCD, batteries, packaging, plastics

Recycling Policies and Procedures

Easy access and disassembly

Apple Design Practice

Use highly recyclable materials

Simplify or reduce materials types

Use materials with higher secondary market value

Help dispose of e-waste responsibly by creating an easily disassembled product, with more plastics and less toxic metals and substances. By identifying their recylcing procedures, Apple makes it clear how their products can be recycled

Canada and E-Waste

BC’s main company is Teck and they safely dismantle all e-waste they collect. They even smelt some of the metals. All the Vancouver Olympic Medals were

made out of the metals extracted from e-waste.

General FactsCanadians toss out more than 140,000 tonnes of e-waste per year

Environment Canada: "the weight of 28,000 adult African elephants, or enough uncrushed electronic waste to fill up the Toronto Rogers Centre every 15 years.”

Provinces such as Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and BC have banned e-waste entering the landfills, thus causing the price of consumer products to rise in order to accommodate the cost of recycling.

Canadian Statistics about E-Waste

An estimated 140,000 tonnes of e-waste are discarded annually in Canadian landfills, and this number continues to increase.

August 31, 2011 as that is the date when Canada will switch all television signals from analog to digital.

There were 14 companies in Ontario that recycled information technology equipment in 2004

Canadian Statistics cont…

The average Canadian has consumed the same amount of resources as the average person in the developing world consumes in a lifetime.

50 percent of the e-waste generated in the U.S. and Canada is being sent to India, China and Africa.

Year-Total Weight Collected

2006 26 tonnes

2007- 37.4 tonnes

2008- 88 tonnes   

Total (since 2006)151.4 tonnes

Canadian Statistics cont….

Composition of a Desktop Personal Computer - Based on a typical desktop computer,

weighing ~27 kgContent (% of total weight)

Content (% of total weight)

Weight of material in computer (kg)

Use Location

Plastics 22.9907 6.26 Insulation Cable, Housing

Lead 6.2988 1.72 Metal joining Funnel glass in CRTs, PWB

Aluminium 14.1723 3.86 Structural, Conductivity

Housing, CRT, PWB, connectors

Iron 20.4712 5.58 Structural, Magnetivity

Housing,CRTs, PWBs

Silver 0.0189 < 0.1 Conductivity Conductivity/PWB, connectors

Copper 6.9287 1.91 Conductivity CRTs, PWBs, connectors

Gold 0.0016 < 0.1 Connectivity, Conductivity

Connectivity, conductivity/PWB, connectors

Problems with the System...

In Canada, exporting e-waste to developing countries is illegal however many companies still do it due to the lack of enforcement and the fact that companies are allowed to ship to the US which from there they can ship overseas since there are no rules in the US

It is much cheaper to dump the e-waste in the landfills of developing countries where they could potentially even make money out of it with the extraction of valuable materials unlike recycling it here

Valuable materials include platinum and gold, which are selling at more than $1000/tonne in the open market

Estimated that the total cell-phone waste accounts for more than 10 ounces of gold and 5 ounces of platinum

Despite all the private agencies around the world that “aim” to recycle e-waste, around 80% of them end up exporting it to developing countries

Ontario in Particular...The main e-waste collector in Ontario is the Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) however it is not as successful as it should be

Agency that oversees OES is Waste Diversion Ontario

First year (2009) was a failure as it only collected a third of the 42, 000 tonnes it was supposed to collect

Why it Failed...How it supposed to work:

o The companies/non-profit organizations that are the “collectors” of e-waste are supposed to pick up the electronic waste thrown out by homeowners. The OES pays these companies up to $235/tonne. The money is from the “eco-fees” ($2-26) that are on each gadget. Once the OES gets all the waste, they divide it among 8 recyclers which extract useable/useful materials and safely dispose of the rest.

o The reason why this system is not working as well as OES wants it to is because companies are exporting it to developing worlds which pays up to 5 times as much as OES

Problem: Recyclers overseas extract useful materials unsafely and illegally dump the rest either in North America or in developing countries

To get it past authorities, they label is something other than e-waste

One company “under” the OES said “If we joined the program, we’d be out of business by now”

Why the Government must fix this Problem...

As with any waste, e-waste in particular has many environmental and health risks if left untreated in landfills:

Toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and beryllium get into the groundwater, making drinking water dangerous

Estimated 4, 750 tonnes of lead are contained in the e-waste/year

Toxins are related to cancer, respiratory disease, and stunt-development.

What the Ontario Government is Trying to

do...

Ontario is trying to get under the new Water Diversion Act which will force the manufactures of the products to be responsible of the safe disposal of e-waste.

For example, to dispose of HP products in Canada, the following costs will apply to users:

18-inch screen or smaller = $15

19-29 inch screen = $20

30-45 inch screen = $30

46-inch or more screen = $45

Computer Monitors = $12

Desktop Computers = $10

Printers = $8

Laptop = $5

Canadian Provincial Recycling Regulations for

Ontario Provinces are expected to have recycling surcharges that have to

be paid on designated electronic goods shipped or sold into the province.

Some impacted electronics in Ontario are:

PCs

Notebooks

Monitors

Printers

Televisions

Canadian Provincial Electronics Recycling Regulations cont…

Example of recycling fees:

Computer Equipment

 Computer monitors $12

 Desktop computers $10

 Printers/printer combinations

$8

 Laptop/Notebook $5

Televisions

 18-inch screen and smaller

$15

 19-inch to 29-inch screen

$20

 30-inch screen to 45-inch screen

$30

 46-inch and larger screen

$45

Major Players in the Lessening of E-Waste

What is BAN? It stands for the Basel Action Network

It is a Seattle based company

An organization focused on decreasing the amount of toxic e-waste produced and helping the environment

Prevent the dumping of world’s toxic waste in poor, third world countries

Increase amount of sustainable and green solutions to the problem of e-waste

BAN is a HUGE player in the world effort to properly dispose of, limit and regulate e-waste

The Toxics Link organization

Their website: http://www.toxicslink.org/

Organization is based in Delhi

Works mostly in South India to facilitate safe disposal of e-waste and medical waste

Are an environmental Non-Governmental Company (NGO) in the United States

Educate the public on toxic related information both globally and locally

Works with other organizations like BAN to gain a better picture of what is happening and to regulate how electronic waste should be disposed

Waste Reduction and Technology Transfer

FoundationThey focus on pollution prevention in schools - electronic waste

Works mainly in the state of Alabama, USA

Make sure that the proper disposal of electronics and medical waste is followed within the walls of schools

Educates staff and students of the implications of improper toxic waste disposal on the earth and fellow inhabitants of this planet

Recycling for Charities

Help to preserve the environment for future generations

Non-profit organization

One of the first legitimate wireless recycling programs in the US

Allows citizens to properly recycle cellular phones, PDA’s, Palm Pilots, digital cameras, and iPods for a fee, from which, a portion is then used to help a charity of their choice.

they not only help raise funds for various charities but also protect the environment

Repair Launch’s new initiative

Started a repair campaign to educate the public on how to limit the amount of e-waste produced by cell phones and other handheld electronic devices.

Created advertisements encouraging the public to replace electronic devices’ batteries rather than replacing the entire device

Electronic devices all contain hazardous materials with batteries and other accessories and parts.

HP’s Electronic Waste Regulations

in CanadaBecoming increasingly interested in the proper recycling of end-of-life electronics.

Recycling prevents waste from landfills and can result in these materials being recycled for new products.

They dispose of electronics for a recycling fee

Example of recycling fees by category is as follows on the next slide

Another Way to Dispose - Exporting

Exporting e-waste has become a common practice for many developed countries, including the UK, US and Canada

The Basel Action Network (BAN) estimates that 80% of North American e-waste is exported to countries such as India, Sri Lanka, China, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan who buy it from the United States on trading websites

Within these countries, the e-waste is manually dismantled and searched for valued metals like copper, exposing the workers, usually poor citizens and many children, to toxic chemicals and dangerous metals

Video See the attached video:

E-waste in Ghana

Where is E-Waste Exported to?

E-waste is commonly exported to developing countries

Guiyu, China has become the hotspot for e-waste disposal in China, despite e-waste imports being illegal since 2000

China, India and Ghana are three countries hugely involved in the important of e-waste from developed countries

Dr. Kevin Bridgen from Greenpeace states, “"Many of the chemicals released are highly toxic, some may affect children's developing reproductive systems, while others can affect brain development and the nervous system.  In Ghana, China and India, workers, many of them children, may be substantially exposed to these hazardous chemicals."

Guiyu, ChinaGuiyu is one of the most popular places for e-waste recycling in China.

Guiyu is made up of four villages and now dismantles the huge amounts of e-waste, as opposed to its previous rice-growing community status.

The drinking water in Guiyu has become so polluted that it is black and must be trucked in from the neighbouring town of Ninjing, that costs ten times as much.

A health study done by the Shantou University Medical College states that of165 children, 82% had blood/lead levels of more than100. Anything above that figure is considered unsafe by international health experts. The average reading for the group was 149.

Guiyu, China cont…

Hazardous recycling practices include:

Toner Sweeping – toner cartridges are dismantled with the workers’ bare hands and then the toner is poured into a bucket, creating clouds of black toner that were inhaled and stained on the clothing of the workers

Open Burning – burning of e-waste materials releasing toxic chemcials. This is always done at night, suggesting it has been frowned upon by authorities

However, despite the heavy pollution and health concerns, the community still uses the fish pond contaminated by ash as a food source and the water for showering and cooking

Pregnant women in Guiyu are six times more likely to miscarry

The streams had a pH of a strong acid, that could disintegrate a penny within a number of hours. (Greenpeace scientist)

The open burning of e-waste materialsin Guiyu.

A child playing in his “backyard” filled with destroyed computers and toxic sludge

IndiaIn 2002 – 2003, India imported $800 million (USD) worth of hazardous e-waste materials

Recycling workers are paid approximately 50 rupees a day ($1.15 CAD), especially looking for copper

For each pound of circuit board process, about half a pound of sludge, containing copper, is found. It is then sold for 100 rupees a pound for a weekly profit of 2 800 to 4 300 rupees going to the trader who imported the e-waste

Watch a video on e-waste in India

Computer / E-Waste Component

Process Witnessed in Guiyu, China

Potential Occupational Hazard

Potential Environmental Hazard

Cathode ray tubes (CRTs)

Breaking, removal of copper yoke, and dumping

- Silicosis - Cuts from CRT glass in case of implosion - Inhalation or contact with phosphor containing cadmium or other metals

Lead, barium and other heavy metals leaching into groundwater, release of toxic phosphor

Printed circuit boards

De-soldering and removing computer chips

- Tin and lead inhalation - Possible brominated dioxin, beryllium,

cadmium, mercury inhalation

Air emission of same substances

Dismantled printed circuit board processing

Open burning of waste boards that have had chips removed to remove final metals

- Toxicity to workers and nearby residents from tin, lead, brominated dioxin, beryllium, cadmium, and mercury inhalation

- Respiratory irritation

- Tin and lead contamination of immediate environment including surface and groundwater. - Brominated dioxins, beryllium, cadmium, and mercury emissions

Chips and other gold plated components

Chemical stripping using nitric and hydrochloric acid along riverbanks

- Acid contact with eyes, skin may result in permanent injury - Inhalation of mists and fumes of acids, chlorine and sulphur dioxide gases can cause respiratory irritation to severe effects including pulmonary edema, circulatory failure, and death.

- Hydrocarbons, heavy metals, brominated substances, etc. discharged directly into river and banks. - Acidifies the river destroying fish and flora

Plastics from computer and peripherals, e.g. printers, keyboards, etc.

Shredding and low temperature melting to be reutilized in poor grade plastics

Probable hydrocarbon, brominated dioxin, and heavy metal exposures

Emissions of brominated dioxins and heavy metals and hydrocarbons

Computer wires Open burning to recover copper Brominated and chlorinated dioxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (carcinogenic) exposure to workers living in the burning works area.

Hydrocarbon ashes including PAH's discharged to air, water, and soil

Miscellaneous computer parts encased in rubber or plastic, e.g. steel rollers

Open burning to recover steel and other metals

Hydrocarbon including PAHs and potential dioxin exposure

Hydrocarbon ashes including PAH's discharged to air, water, and soil

Toner cartridges Use of paintbrushes to recover toner without any protection

- Respiratory tract irritation - Carbon black possible human carcinogen - Cyan, yellow, and magenta toners unknown toxicity

Cyan, yellow, and magenta toners unknown toxicity

Secondary steel or copper and precious metal smelting

Furnace recovers steel or copper from waste including organics

Exposure to dioxins and heavy metals Emissions of dioxins and heavy metals

Canada and Exporting E-Waste

Exporting e-waste is illegal in Canada

However, due to a lack of enforcement Canada still ships huge amounts of e-waste to developing countries

There is a serious link between organised crime and exporting e-waste because of how profitable it is

Canada signed the Basel Convention** in 1989 yet still exported approximately 412 000 metric tons of hazardous e-waste material and recyclable material in 2007

In a recent CBC documentary containers filled with e-waste were seen leaving Vancouver for Hong Kong

Jim Puckett, coordinator of BAN showed e-waste collected in Guiyu, an Air Canada sticker from a printer at the Vancouver office and a tag from the Department of National Defence were found

The United States and E-Waste

The United States is the only developed country in the world to have no e-waste legislation

The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that the US generated 2.04 million tons of e-waste in 2007

According to the 60 Minutes documentary, about 130,000 computers are thrown out per day in the US

Over 100 million cell phones are discarded annually.

A switch to digital broadcasting in February 2009 is expected to result in a flood of discarded TVs into the waste stream

E-waste is recycled “legally” by calling it recycling, but it is then exported to China, India and Ghana

The US and E-waste

BAN has accused the US of promoting environmental injustice and refusing to regulate the disposal of e-waste

The US has not joined the Basel Convention

Electronics manufacturers are not held responsible by the government to create a process for disassembly and to eliminate hazardous materials before disposal

They are also not held accountable for their end of life management policies

The US has become a port for Canada’s illegal e-waste imports

United States Laws Concerning E-Waste

Examples to follow?

The European Union has the strictest laws on regulating the disposal of e-waste as well as allowed e-waste recyclers

Strict programs for accountability of electronics manufacturers

Stringent research on e-waste recyclers

Japan is also creating comprehensive e-waste legislation

However 60% of e-waste in the EU is still being exported, despite this being lower than North America it is still a huge number

E-waste is a problem throughout the world, not only for North Americans

Environmental Impacts of

Exporting E-waste The environmental impacts of e-waste have already been mentioned, however, in developing countries the irresponsible disposal of e-waste can have significant effects

Groundwater can be severely polluted, damaging the aquatic ecosystem as well as limiting drinking water available

Toxins are released into the air through methods like open burning and toner sweeping

Landfills of e-waste or huge piles stagnant for long periods of time can cause chemicals to soak into the soil

Ethical Considerations for Exporting E-waste

Chemicals that are too toxic for developed countries to dismantle are being shipped to developing nations

Putting others in danger

An idea of the superiority of developed nations

Taking advantage of cheap labour, without regard for the safety and health of the workers

Contributing to environmental injustice

If we are not dismantling the e-waste, why is it okay that others in less fortunate situations dismantle e-waste?

If the ethics were considered, e-waste should NOT be exported

Important Players in the Fight Against Exporting

BAN: Basel Action Network and Greenpeace

Through resolutions such as the Basel Convention, a pledge to properly dispose of e-waste through environmentally sound initiatives and to stop the exporting of e-waste

Petitions

Political pressure

Government support

Awareness