European Union waste from electronic equipment

One recycling issue that is important throughout the developed world is what to do with the approximately 300 million TVs and computer monitors that are thrown out each year. The European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive have banned them from being dumped in landfills because the screens contain PbO added to shield against the X-ray radiation released by the high anode voltage. Table 37.9 shows typical compositions of cathode ray tube (CRT) glasses. 

The European Union s directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) requires companies selling electronic products in Europe to set up end-of-life collection and recycling systems for these products by August 2005. 

E-waste contains lead, mercury, cadmium, flame-retardant plastics and other materials, and its disposal can pose a threat to human health and the environment. Out of the 10 million computers that are discarded every year in the USA, only 10% are recycled [6]. According to the European Union, the producers must either take back used equipment or phase out hazardous materials from electronics. In the decade 1997-2007, 500 million computers became outdated with plastics waste reaching 70-80%. Among the collected plastics E-waste, between 50-80% is recycled by the USA the remainder is exported to Asia, and 90% of that is destined for developing countries [7]. Asia accumulates the greatest amount of E-waste in the world [8]. 

Lead solder was used in electronic equipment, but that practice ended with a European Union ban in 2006. Black (2005) reported that when older electronic devices that were disposed of in landfills break down, lead could leach from those landfills and contaminate drinking water. Electronic waste, or e-waste, consists of unwanted electronic devices or Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT). These devices frequently contain hazardous materials, including lead. To prevent groundwater contamination from e-waste, these materials should be properly recycled. E-waste disposal in landfills is illegal in some states (Jamot 2013). 

There are environmental and social compliance elements to which companies must adhere when sourcing certain materials. If left to their own devices, companies may not act in the best interest of the communities they work in or the people they work with, so laws have been enacted to protect people and environments. For example, two European Union regulations outhne requirements for data collection, labeling, and disposal procedures that must be undertaken if certain materials are sourced and used in production. REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) aims to improve the protection of the environment and human health from the risks imposed by chemicals. What REACH does for chemicals is just like what RoHS does for electronics. The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment protects the environment and society from the harmful disposal of electronic equipment or e-waste. 

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