Waste from electronic equipment landfills

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. 

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). 

This chapter explores the environmental implications of lead-free vs. lead-based solder. It presents an environmental approach known as industrial ecology and analyzes the present lead-based vs. lead-free systems using this approach. The sources, availability, and extraction of required alternative metals are explored. The quantity of lead utilized for electronics is put into perspective relative to other lead applications. Disposal concerns regarding landfill and incineration are addressed. Finally, the value of recycling electronics at end-of-life is illustrated by the anticipated copper recovery required under the European Directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). 

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