Waste electrical and electronic equipment : risks and opportunities under a sustainable perspective

Abstract

It is estimated that the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) increases annually due to planned obsolescence, technological changes and changes in people’s lifestyles. The aim of the present study is to identify risks and opportunities related to WEEE from an environmental, social and economic point of view, considering the intensified use of technology, the generation and the need to treat this waste. The study consisted of a bibliographic research followed by three case studies with waste disposal companies. Therefore, a table was drawn up outlining the risks and opportunities of WEEE, considering different points of view. From the environmental point of view, there is a risk of increasing the consumption of this equipment to increase the illegal and incorrect disposal, but the extraction of non-renewable raw materials can be reduced by implementing reverse logistics. From the economic perspective, the costs involved in the reverse logistics of WEEE are not clearly known; however, there is an expanding market for WEEE management. From the social point of view, the risk is the increase of informal and insecure work, which can be minimized through investments from public and private powers, thus generating formal jobs.